EDUKASI PEMANFAATAN KREDIT DAN RISIKONYA BAGI IBU RUMAH TANGGA DI KELURAHAN LABUHBARU TIMUR

Abstract

Easy access to credit is not always accompanied by an adequate capacity to assess provider legality, borrowing costs, loan purposes, and repayment risks. This community engagement program sought to improve homemakers’ understanding of financing sources and promote prudent household credit decisions. It was conducted on 1 November 2021 in Labuhbaru Timur Urban Village, Payung Sekaki District, Pekanbaru City, and involved 25 homemakers. The program combined participatory instruction, question-and-answer sessions, experience-based discussion, and guided assessment of loan purposes, provider legality, interest and fees, repayment periods, instalments, and default consequences. Formative evaluation relied on oral responses and participants’ ability to restate credit-selection criteria. Activity notes indicated that participants’ initial knowledge focused mainly on banks and informal lenders, while rapid disbursement was more salient than cost and legality. Following the session, participants began to identify a broader range of financing sources, distinguish legal from illegal providers, and explain why borrowing priorities and repayment capacity matter. These findings represent immediate qualitative learning outcomes rather than evidence of sustained behavioral change because no pre-test, post-test, or follow-up monitoring data were available. Future programs should incorporate structured assessment instruments and periodic reinforcement.