Like every year, the analysts who make up the program travel to Montevideo, to the headquarters of the General Directorate of Rural Development of the MGAP, to evaluate their work and scope, and plan to continue improving their development.
The Rural Microcredit Program seeks to satisfy the short-term financial needs of the rural population that does not have access to credit. Generate organization at the local level that defines the use of funds based on trust, knowledge and social control. Generate local funds that cover the needs of families and production at the local level. It is executed and articulated between the General Directorate of Rural Development – MGAP and FUNDASOL, together with the population members of the Local Credit Committees, who make its implementation possible.
To develop the day, during the morning they worked in pairs to evaluate and share their local experiences, and generate information to share in the plenary session that ends at noon. There, the director of Rural Development, Mercedes Yacosa, who arrived from another activity, welcomed them, wishing them a good day of work and exchange. In the afternoon, after the lunch break, they continue with proposals and tools that improve the communication and dissemination of the PMR. Gregorio Martirena, Lucía Vázquez and Gabriela Pérez, members of DGDR/MGAP, and Verónica Ponce de León from FUNDASOL worked on the PMR coordinating team.
We were able to talk with analysts who told us a little about what was discussed and their feelings in this task of closeness and support to the people of their communities.
Estela de los Santos has been an analyst at the PMR “for 16 years, I joined in 2008.” He resides and his area of influence of the PMR is San Gregorio de Polanco
He tells us that in his area, “we hold annual assemblies, the assemblies have been very useful for me because there we bring together all the beneficiaries and the members of the Credit Committee, we invite the entire community.” They have seen that few people participate because the beneficiaries who have used the tool for many years already know it and do not participate.
“With the members of San Gregorio de Polanco we decided this year to define what topic would interest us in the community, so that more people would attend the assembly.” He tells us that that town has three thousand inhabitants, but it is not one of the smallest it has. The assembly will be on Friday the 15th of this month at 10 in the morning, and they invited young people from UTU, the Liceo and the beneficiaries of the PMR.
“As we do not know what careers there are in the department of Tacuarembó, we decided to invite the authorities of UTU, Udelar, the Technological Pole of the Agrarian School, of Teaching, to tell us what careers there are for the little ones when they finish high school, or for those who do even basic cycle and see what they can do.”
The idea is to present to attendees information about the PMR, also about the new line of credit for young people that recently came out within the framework of the 20 years of the PMR; “and seeing how we are doing with that population is a new experience” thinking about young people as possible future beneficiaries. He tells us that in other rural areas they are surveying what topics may be of interest to users, to plan for next year.
Mario Puga is a PMR analyst, “I work in the western area of the department of Canelones, I have been working in the program for 16 years”
He relates that in 2008 when it began, the PMR had already been in existence for 4 years, and in its area of influence there were no Local Credit Committees (CCL). “I started working with 5 CCLs and throughout these 16 years, today we are working with 10 Credit Committees” he tells us.
He highlights that it is a very rewarding job that gives him a lot of satisfaction, “because we are reaching people who, otherwise, would have no other possibility of financial assistance through credit.” He highlights that the bond with the users, “generates a friendship with these users, and that empathy that we achieve, since when we arrive at the home of each of them, we see the realities, very different from one area to another, or from one family to the other, these are also inputs when evaluating the credit” to be granted.
Mario highlights that, although the tool has regulations that delimit the work of the analysts, they have a certain freedom of decision-making, “and each person gives it their mark, their way of working… very satisfied with the work we do,” he summarizes. .
Jhony Sequeira is from the city of Salto, and tells us “I have been serving the Salto department, since 2019 in the program.”
He tells us that he started on the coast of the department, the Committees of Zanja Honda, Paloma and Saucedo, and a few years later, when colleague Nelson Albernaz retired, “there I went on to attend to the committees that were from Nelson, in the interior of Salto, which is known as Superficial Basalt, the part of the deepest interior, furthest away.”
The program highlights “the use that rural women make, how they value and take care of credit,” referring to a clear issue of gender and opportunities, also in rural areas, where men have more job opportunities, which is not so, for the woman. “That they have the possibility of having a credit of these characteristics, in which so many requirements are not required, is something that rural women value a lot,” she says, referring to the knowledge of the few opportunities for them and more so in remote areas. of the cities, where the rest of the financial companies do not reach and ask for even more requirements for access to credit. This aspect is reflected in the PMR data, where 52% of the loans are taken by women.
Graciela Rocha lives in Tala, Canelones, and has been working at the PMR for 17 years, serving the eastern part of that department, and some bordering areas of the department of Lavalleja.
“I have 18 Credit Committees between the two departments, all of them are functioning at 100%, and I greatly value the commitment of the committee members, since these results are largely thanks to their work and commitment,” among which highlights high recovery results. It also highlights the commitment of users who put credit to good and correct use. She tells us that she is always working “trying to reach more people by disseminating information through the Rural Development Roundtable, the same members of the CCL, reaching young people with that new Jóvenes line, the Empower line for rural women, always trying to be at the service of the population of those who need credits, very satisfied with the work that is being carried out,” he tells us.
When I asked the analysts about how they are doing with this new Youth line, they tell me that it has only been out for two months, that they are in the dissemination stage and they consider that it is calm due to the stage of the year we are in. But they consider that, although the productive line is very effective, the one that stands out for its novelty is the line for studies, since it can generate great support for young people who want to continue studying, sometimes in adverse conditions due to the distances and access difficulties.
