IPA is working in partnership with Peruvian NGO PRISMA to determine the health impact of microfinance loans in combination with health education. This study contributes to the body of evidence regarding the efficacy of these types of “add-on” programs launched in conjunction with microfinance borrowing.

The health education program provides training about maternal and infant health and hygiene practices to PRISMA microfinance clients and is a module of the standard Credit with Education program developed by Freedom From Hunger. During the training, information is disseminated by the staff through presentations, stories, and roleplay. Topics include diarrhea management and prevention, infant and child feeding, immunizations, and family planning.

Half of all PRISMA communal bank clients (treatment group) are randomly assigned to receive a health education training module during their monthly meetings while the other half (control group) receives the regular microcredit services without health education. IPA is collecting survey data before and after the health training in order to gauge the impact of the module on health and productivity measures such as Body Mass Index, days absent from work due to illness, and child nutrition patterns. Institutional outcomes being measured include client retention and repayment rates.