Physically disabled women's creditworthiness in Village Development Fund: evidence from Thailand

The Village Development Fund (VDF) is used in Thailand to empower the rural poor, especially women living with disabilities. This article investigates the problems of gaining access to credit faced by physically disabled women in rural Thailand. In-depth interviews with 20 women with physical disabilities in north-eastern Thailand indicate that these women still do not benefit from small loans from the VDF because they face significant attitude barriers from the VDF chairpersons and from their own families. The author argues that non-disabled communities and their own families believe that disabilities make these women less creditworthy.