Activities within the grant and expected impact:
The participation of the Trusts in the six-year MPOWER project would be divided into two phases. The current project is towards phase I, focusing on seeding and nurturing community based microfinance programmes for 60,000 poor households organised in 6,000 self-help groups (SHG) across the six project blocks and pilot interventions in agriculture, livestock and non-farm based / vocational livelihoods for 4,000 households, which would be replicated during phase II. The implementation in the field would be through the facilitating non-government organisations (FNGO) and CmF would be working closely with them for ensuring desired outcomes.

Major project components and activities, linked to the overall MPOWER project are, briefly:

	Financial inclusion of 60,000 poor households through community-based microfinance through:
		Formation of 6,000 SHGs covering 60,000 below poverty line (BPL) households providing basic services of savings and credit
		Ensuring quality and financial and institutional sustainability of microfinance interventions through intensive capacity building programmes and formation of higher-tier community-based institutions
		Reducing vulnerabilities through bringing member households and their assets under insurance coverage and linkages with social security schemes
		Developing partnerships with banks through special projects for credit delivery to SHGs.
	Building scalable livelihood models in select two project blocks around 2-3 livelihood themes benefiting 4,000 households through enhanced returns from productivity improvement and creating better market access.
	Conceptualising and implementing a comprehensive monitoring and impact measurement system for the microfinance programmes (SHG-MIS) and overall project which is replicable across the field projects within SSV and MPOWER, including piloting of SHG-MIS on a mobile phone enabled platform.

During phase I, the expected impact is:

	Household level:
		Increase in savings base of 40,000 households by Rs1,150 per month, and of 20,000 households by Rs960 per month, through the involvement in SHGs, wherein systems of savings and credit would be introduced
		Increase in credit availability for 40,000 households by Rs4,500 - 5,000 per annum and for 20,000 households by Rs3,500 per annum through SHGs, at 18-24 per cent reduced interest rates
		Rs15,000 additional credit made available through bank linkages and seed capital through MPOWER project to 20,000 households for livelihood activities
		15,000 households covered under insurance
		Enhanced food security of 3-5 months for 1,500 households in two blocks through productivity improvement in staple food crops i.e., pearl millet (bajra) and jowar
		Increased milk yields and increased procurement prices for 1,200 households engaged in dairy
		Additional income of Rs5,000 / annum for 600 households from non-farm based livelihoods
		Skill enhancement and placement of 500 youth helping them earn an income of Rs2,000 per month.
	Institutional level:
		60 per cent SHGs would fall under A grade on quality assessment
		Credit repayment rate of 90 per cent among the SHGs
		85 per cent members of SHGs would be from poorest families
		3,000 SHGs would be able to cover 50-60 per cent of their operational costs by year III.