Microfinance Training & Study Visit - INTERNATIONAL VISITOR PROGRAM | BRI

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SUCCESS STORY ,
DEWA MALEN WOOD CARVING

Located in the village of Kemenuh in Sukowati, one of the sub-districts in Gianyar (Bali), Dewa Malen woodcarving business was initiated in 1994 by Dewa Ngaken Ketut Suarbawa, the owner. He was assisted by his wife, Sang Ayu Made Setiawati, both of whom were high school graduates. Determined to develop the business, they decided to open an art shop at home, which was later called “Dewa Malen” Wood Carving.

Microfinance Training & Study Visit

Micro Banking Training and Study Visit Program
Palli-Karma Sahayak Foundation (PKSF), Bangladesh
June 1-13, 2009

Palli-Karma Sahayak Foundation (PKSF), a well-known apex microcredit funding and capacity building organisation for eradicating poverty in Bangladesh, visited Bank Rakyat Indonesia to conduct an exposure visit on BRI Microbanking System as well as microfinance and poverty alleviation programs in Indonesia. The program which lasted for 11 days was attended by thirteen senior managements of PKSF, ranging from assistant managers to Board of Director.

The program consisted of two main activities: in-class presentation and discussion and field visits to BRI offices and other local institutions. The first activity focused on such topics as Banking and Microfinance in Indonesia, BRI Microbanking System and Practices, Human Resources Management, Risk Management and Internal Control, Syariah (Islamic) Banking, Rural Banks (BPR), Village Credit Institutions (LPD), Programed Loans, and People Business Loans (KUR)—government guarantee scheme loans for micro entrepreneurs.

The second activity was held by visiting Indonesian Central Bank, BRI Training Center, BRI Branch Office Renon and BRI Unit Sanur in Denpasar, BRI Unit’s borrowers, Women Empowerment Program towards Prosperous Familly—a Self Help Group operating in the village of Ciparigi under the administrative of Bogor Regency, Poverty Alleviation Program in Urban Areas (P2KP) in Jakarta, as well as BPR Jaya Kerti, LPD Intaran, and Cooperative Laksmi Dananjaya in Denpasar.

Commenting on the program, most of the participants said that they learned a lot from the program, particularly on different approaches used by microfinance institutions in Indonesia (such as BRI, BPR, LPD, and cooperative) to develop their microfinance businesses. One of them stated that the success of BRI has proven that microbanking is very possible with commercial banks and that BRI Unit monitoring and evaluation (supervision) system may be introduced in PKSF. Some further recommended including more field visits in the program.