Paper Title
Poverty Alleviation Through Microfinancing

Abstract
The study aimed to determine the extent of microfinance services on poverty alleviation in Arakan Valley Complex particularly Arakan, Antipas & Pres. Roxas Municipality, North Cotabato, Mindanao, Philippines. The respondents were 200 clientele of the two microfinance lending institution namely Sta. Catalina Credit Cooperative and Cooperative Bank of Cotabato. The result of the study revealed that the management practices, access to loans, mobility, mode of repayment, monitoring & intervention of the lending institution three years back were rated often by the respondents, meaning it was frequently experienced and adapted. Through microfinancing there was improvement contributed to the respondent life status. Relationship of socio-economic status with monthly income before and economic growth revealed significant results. The extent of microfinance services and the economic growth of the respondents is related significantly; mobility, monitoring, management practices, access to loans, mode of repayment, education & training and intervention had significant influence on economic growth of the respondents. Monthly income before had highly significant influence on economic growth. The Sta. Catalina Credit Cooperative showed better performance on its services that contributed economic growth in the life status of the respondents that alleviate poverty compared to Cooperative Bank of Cotabato. Furthermore, microfinancing had a vital influence in reducing poverty, which consequently helped addressing food security and improved the social relations of the respondents. It was also showed that it helped lessen the vulnerability to economic risk because it helped poor in diversifying their sources of income, building up physical, human as well as social asset, pertained to good money management, reestablished the household based income and assets. Keywords: Poverty, Alleviation, Microfinancing, Services, Economic growth, Cooperative Bank of Cotabato, Sta. Catalina Credit Cooperative