LAHORE: In a rustic the place financial inclusion typically falters on the margins, microfinance has emerged as a quiet revolution empowering girls, uplifting communities, and reshaping native economies.
This quiet revolution was celebrated loudly on Saturday on the Expo Centre, the place the Rural Neighborhood Improvement Programme (RCDP) marked its Silver Jubilee, commemorating 25 years of service in rural transformation.
Addressing a crowd of practically 20,000 workers members, authorities officers, and leaders from the microfinance sector, RCDP Chief Government Officer Muhammad Murtaza Khokhar underscored the group’s far-reaching impression. Since 2015, the RCDP has disbursed over Rs90 billion in micro-loans to greater than 1.9 million debtors throughout 28 districts of Punjab — a unprecedented scale of outreach that displays each monetary self-discipline and grassroots belief.
However it’s the gendered dimension of this work that actually stands out. “Over 98% of our debtors are girls,” Khokhar acknowledged, highlighting RCDP’s unflinching deal with empowering girls as financial brokers. By means of focused micro-loans, girls throughout rural Pakistan have launched companies, funded their kids’s training, and gained a measure of independence beforehand denied to them.
This technique isn’t just morally sound—it’s economically clever. With a mortgage restoration charge exceeding 99%, RCDP stands as a mannequin of economic sustainability within the sector. The establishment attributes this success to a deeply embedded community-centric strategy, rigorous credit score assessments, and steady borrower engagement.
The occasion additionally served as a platform to acknowledge the efforts of RCDP’s workforce. Prime performers have been awarded bikes, scooters, and money prizes, whereas some staffers have been granted Umrah tickets via a celebratory fortunate draw. The festivities concluded with a grand lunch that introduced collectively people from all tiers of the group.
In an period the place large-scale improvement typically overlooks the ability of the periphery, RCDP’s mannequin gives a compelling counter-narrative — one the place financial dignity begins not in boardrooms, however within the houses of decided girls armed with micro-loans and immeasurable resolve.
As Pakistan grapples with the dual challenges of poverty and gender disparity, RCDP’s story is a potent reminder that sustainable improvement begins the place it’s wanted most – on the grassroots.
Copyright Enterprise Recorder, 2025
