The microfinance industry in Myanmar is yet to evolve. The country still has a long way to go in terms of internal controls, quality manpower and governance. There exist a huge demand for financial inclusion, livelihood and capacity building of the local communities. It is in this context that a scoping study was undertaken in May 2012 by a team from Hand in Hand India lead by CEO Dr. Kalpana Sankar and supported by Deputy CEO Dr. N. Jeyaseelan and Mr. R. Ashwin Kumar, Chief Operating Officer, Monitoring and Evaluation & Medium Size Enterprise.

The team undertook this visit with support and coordination from the Asian Institute of Technology under the Wetlands Alliance Project (AIT/WAP). Hand in Hand Micro Finance Limited, an associate organisation of Hand in Hand India, will undertake a visit to the fieldwork activities being done by the Network Activities Group (NAG) and Ever Green Group (EGG) in the country. This will help outline the key parameters critical for the successful implementation of a community based self-help group and microfinance programme.