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Presents the results of a medical audit of the records of 199 children diagnosed as diabetic and admitted to Al‐Amiri Hospital, Kuwait. Uses the measurement of glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1) to indicate the levels of control achieved. Finds that the degree of glycaemic control compares favourably with studies done in other hospitals, but unfavourably with specialized diabetic clinics. Proposes that glycaemic control could be improved by provision of the services of specialized support staff such as dietitian, educator, psychologist and health visitor.

Globally, women have been recognized as key contributors toward livelihood and poverty eradication, especially in developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa. This is due to their great involvement and participation in micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that create employment and ultimately economic growth and development. Thus, the main purpose of this study is to establish the mediating role of social cohesion in the relationship between microfinance accessibility and survival of women MSMEs in post-war communities in sub-Saharan Africa, especially in Northern Uganda where physical collateral were destroyed by war.

The data for this study were collected using a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire from 395 women MSMEs who are clients of microfinance institutions in post-war communities in Northern Uganda, which suffered from the 20 years' Lord Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency. The Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) software was used to analyze the data and the measurement and structural equation models were constructed to test for the mediating role of social cohesion in the relationship between microfinance accessibility and survival of women MSMEs in post-war communities.

The results revealed that social cohesion significantly and positively mediate the relationship between microfinance accessibility and survival of women MSMEs in post-war communities in Northern Uganda. The results suggest that the presence of social cohesion as a social collateral promotes microfinance accessibility by 14.6% to boost survival of women MSMEs in post-war communities where physical collateral were destroyed by war amidst lack of property rights among women. Similarly, the results indicated that social cohesion has a significant influence on survival of women MSMEs in post-war communities in Northern Uganda. Moreover, when combined together, the effect of microfinance accessibility and social cohesion exhibit greater contribution towards survival of women MSMEs in post-war communities in Northern Uganda. Indeed, social cohesion provides the social safety net (social protection) through which women can access business loans from microfinance institutions for survival and growth of their businesses.

This study concentrated mainly on women MSMEs located in post-war communities in developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa with a specific focus on Northern Uganda. Women MSMEs located in other regions in Uganda were not sampled in this study. Besides, the study focused only on the microfinance industry as a major source of business finance. It ignored the other financial institutions like commercial banks that equally provide access to financial services to micro-entrepreneurs.

The governments in developing countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa where there have been wars should waive-off the registration and licensing fees for grass-root associations because such social associations may act as social protection tools through which women can borrow from financial institutions like the microfinance institutions. The social groups can provide social collateral to women to replace physical collateral required by microfinance institutions in lending. Similarly, the governments, development agencies, and advocates of post-war reconstruction programs in developing countries where there have been wars, especially in sub-Saharan Africa should initiate the provision of group business loans through the existing social women associations. This may offer social protection in terms of social collateral in the absence of physical collateral required by the microfinance institutions in lending. This may be achieved through partnership with the existing microfinance institutions operating in rural areas in post-war communities in developing countries. Additionally, advocates of post-war recovery programs should work with the existing microfinance institutions to design financial products that suit the economic conditions and situations of the women MSMEs in post-war communities. The financial products should meet the business needs of the women MSMEs taking into consideration their ability to fulfil the terms and conditions of use.

This study revisits the role of microfinance accessibility in stimulating survival of women MSMEs as an engine for economic growth in the presence of social cohesion, especially in post-war communities in sub-Saharan Africa where physical collateral were destroyed by war. It reveals the significant role of social cohesion as a social protection tool and safety net, which contributes to economic outcomes in the absence of physical collateral and property rights among women MSMEs borrowers, especially in post-war communities.

This paper aims to achieve scale, efficiency and mitigate high monitoring costs, and explores the efficacy of micro equity finance at the enterprise level. The study compares the economic features of the proposed framework with interest-based debt finance.

This study uses a mathematical model to highlight the problem of agency costs including adverse selection and moral hazard.

Debt finance requires frequent repayments and indebtedness for financial inclusion. Conversely, the Islamic equity modes of financing in their current baseline structure suffer from high agency costs. By using enterprise level finance and distinct entry criterion for availing Islamic debt-based and micro equity finance, Islamic microfinance institutions (IMFIs) can reach the right targets and effectively mitigate the problem of adverse selection and high monitoring costs. The study suggests a framework in which equity financing could be used to fund microenterprises that will employ poor people with related skills.

As the preferable modes of Islamic finance, i.e. Musharakah and Mudarabah, are not used by Islamic financial institutions (IFIs), empirical analysis of performance is not possible as they are rarely used.

The study suggests a workable model that can use Islamic equity-based modes of financing to improve microfinance outreach and achieve scale. The use of equity financing will help the Islamic finance industry to move toward its egalitarian vision, and the practical implementation of the model will help in reducing poverty in the Muslim majority countries.

Muslim countries host half of global poverty, even though their share in global population is only one-fourth. Hence, there is need for solutions in achieving scale in poverty alleviation efforts.

Using a mathematical model, the paper presents agency problems in Islamic microfinance and proposes a solution through distinct entry criterion and enterprise level micro equity finance.

This paper aims to examine the factors that are responsible for the poor credit recovery among micro‐finance institutions (MFIs) that disbursed a United Nations Development Programme's micro credit in Anambra State, Nigeria.

A total of 97 MFIs were surveyed out of a total of 129 MFIs in Anambra State in 2007. A ten‐item researcher developed questionnaire on a four‐point Likert scale was used to measure MFIs' staff assessment of factors that were responsible for poor credit recovery. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data, and conclusions and implications of the findings are presented.

From the findings of this study, it is evident that multidimensional factors contribute to low credit recovering by the MFIs. These factors can be summarised under borrowers' wrong attitude to credit repayment, MFIs' staff weak skill and corrupt tendency, and poor infrastructural provision by the government. Arguably, these factors have direct effect in encumbering genuine effort at alleviating poverty in Nigeria through the instrumentality of micro credit. This calls for a change in strategy especially on the part of the MFIs in reducing the incidence of low credit recovery.

The paper offers fresh insight that would offer better understanding of the informal sector of the financial system in Nigeria that has hitherto received limited research attention.

This paper is informative in terms of the imperativeness for public policy adjustment and firm‐level competencies required for better operation of the MFIs in Nigeria. This would translate into creating viable micro‐credit sector to support current plans to eradicate poverty and foster the development of the “bottom‐of‐the‐pyramid”.

Addresses issues related to micro credit in a highly challenged and isolated context.