Four draft tools
- Weekly household and business cash-flow sheet
- Emergency-buffer target
- Productive-debt versus consumption-debt checklist
- Asset-goal and financing calendar
Design protocol · Not yet run
Rural Household Financial-Resilience Sprint
A five-week pilot for 15–20 women-led household businesses, to be run only after interviews, co-design, ethics review, and cost verification.
Three pathways
Compare before selecting an intervention
The project will not jump directly to a national recommendation. Each option is tested on mechanism, channel, risk, and indicator.
| Option | Mechanism | Channel | Beneficiary | Main risk | Indicator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Financial-capability tool only | Improve cash-flow planning and debt comparison. | Cooperative or Women’s Union | Household businesses | Knowledge may not change behavior. | Recordkeeping and decision comprehension. |
| Tool plus trusted intermediary | Repeated support through local group leaders. | Savings-credit group or cooperative | Lower-confidence users | Delivery cost and inconsistency. | Completion and follow-up behavior. |
| Tool plus suitable financial product | Capability support paired with savings or credit design. | Licensed financial institution | Eligible micro-enterprises | Mis-selling or over-borrowing. | Savings activity, repayment quality, and productive use. |
Five weeks
From baseline to follow-up
The design measures usability and short-term behavior, not “asset growth” over five weeks.
Week 0
Baseline
Income sources, seasonality, recent shock, saving method, debt obligations, recordkeeping, and one productive-asset goal.
Week 1
Group learning session
Test four practical tools after co-design and language review.
Weeks 2–4
Practice period
Participants use the tools and receive one short check-in through the trusted intermediary.
Week 5
Follow-up
Assess use, comprehension, short-term behavior, delivery feasibility, and reasons for non-use.
Follow-up measures
- Tool completion
- Ability to compare two credit options
- Recordkeeping frequency
- Whether an emergency-buffer action was initiated
- Whether a planned borrowing decision changed
- Usefulness rating and reasons for non-use
Claim boundaries
What the pilot may—and may not—establish
May report
- Usability
- Comprehension
- Short-term behavior
- Delivery feasibility
- Participant feedback
May not claim
- Increased household wealth
- Poverty reduction
- Better long-term credit outcomes
- Province-wide representativeness
- Causal impact
Public finance
Delivery costs, not only program content
Values remain blank until supported by a quote, actual cost, or explicit assumption. Costs are never invented.
| Cost block | Type | Required source | Low | Base | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tool design | Fixed | Recorded hours or market quote | Awaiting source | ||
| Session facilitation | Fixed | Facilitator quote | Awaiting source | ||
| Participant materials | Variable | Printing quote | Awaiting source | ||
| Transport support | Variable | Local estimate | Awaiting source | ||
| Field travel | Variable | Actual transport cost | Awaiting source | ||
| Follow-up communication | Variable | Communication estimate | Awaiting source | ||
| Data collection and evaluation | Fixed | Recorded researcher time | Awaiting source | ||
| Administration and contingency | Fixed | Explicit assumption | Awaiting source | ||