2018 Courses Calendar
| Course No. | Course Dates | Course Title | Venue | Tuition and Accommodation
|
Application Deadline |
| 100 | 5-16 March | Savings Groups-Principles/Practices and Program Development /MIS | Plaza Beach Hotel, Mombasa | $2,500 or KES250,000
|
26 February |
| 101 | 19-23 March | Financial Education (FED)
|
Plaza Beach Hotel, Mombasa | $1,000 or KES100,000
|
12 March |
| 102 | 2-13 April | Graduation model for economic strengthening
|
Lusaka
(through CMED Zambia) |
$1,000 or ZMW10,000 (tuition only)
|
26 March |
| 103 | 16-19 April | Electronic recording (e-recording and Chomoka) for SGs
|
Lusaka
(through CMED Zambia) |
$600 or ZMW6000 (tuition only)
|
9 April |
| 104 | 23-26 April | Electronic recording (e-recording and Chomoka) for SGs
|
Plaza Beach Hotel, Mombasa | $800 or KES80,000 | 16 April |
| 105 | 7-11 May | Value Chain Systems Approach to Development
|
Fish Eagle, Naivasha | $1,000 or KES100,000 | 30 April |
| 106 | 14-18 May | Market Linkages for SGs | Fish Eagle, Naivasha | $1,000 or KES100,000
|
7 May |
| 107 | 4-15 June | Savings Groups/MIS | Plaza Beach Hotel, Mombasa | $2,500 or KES250,000
|
28 May |
| 108 | 6-17 August | Market Research and Product Development for Financial Institutions
|
Plaza Beach Hotel, Mombasa | $2,500 or KES250,000 | 30 July |
| 109 | 3-7 September | Financial Education (FED) | Fish Eagle, Naivasha | $1,000 or KES100,000
|
27 August |
| 110 | 10-14 September | Enterprise Development (Selection, Planning and Management of enterprises) | Fish Eagle, Naivasha | $1,000 or KES100,000
|
3 September |
SHORT COURSES OVERVIEW – 2018
SAVINGS GROUP PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES/MIS TRAINING
10 days training
Course Overview
This two-week course focuses on building skills and knowledge in community-based approaches to microfinance and community development. However one can register for only a one week course depending on need. The course emphasis is on savings-led models, such as village savings and loan associations, MIS and Mobile based MIS systems for VSLAs, and Economic strengthening models.
Community-based approaches are critical for achieving deeper financial inclusion and to reach those who are not served by banks or even microfinance institutions. These approaches not only provide access to financial services, but also build solidarity and social capital, especially among women and other unreached communities, and empower them to manage their livelihoods and lives.
Participants will learn about latest developments and innovations in the field through in-depth case-studies, field visits, and with experienced guest faculty / practitioners. The course brings together the right mix of practice and theory and shares practical tools and material.
Personal benefits
- Improve your microfinance programs by learning about sound practices and innovations in community-based approaches to microfinance from around the world.
- Practical skills in designing and managing context-appropriate microfinance programs; access tools and training material for planning and implementation.
- Gain in-depth understanding on subjects such as product design, governance, networking and II tier institutions, linkages with banks, financial literacy and education, enabling environment, links between microfinance and livelihoods and markets, strategies for creating women’s empowerment and social impact.
- Learn with global sector leaders, fellow practitioners, and experienced facilitators.
Organizational benefits
- Strengthen program design and management capacity in community-based microfinance approaches to reach remote rural regions and underserved urban slum communities.
- Incorporate community based microfinance as a key strategy for strengthening food security, livelihoods, women’s empowerment programs, and for achieving broader social and community development goals.
- Increase program outreach and impact by linking informal community groups with formal financial institutions and other market actors.
- Strengthen capacity to analyze policy issues and influence financial inclusion agenda.
Who is best suited for the program?
Ideal for SG practitioners in NGOs, rural finance, MFIs and bankers serving informal groups. Also regulators and government agencies, trainers, and donors promoting community-based approaches to microfinance.
GRADUATION MODEL TRAINING
10 days training
Course Overview
Complex issues call for comprehensive solutions. The significance of this logic cannot be overstated when tackling the most multifaceted issues worldwide, such as extreme poverty. BRAC, a large Bangladeshi nonprofit organization working to support the rural poor, has recently actualized the benefits of such all-inclusive problem solving. BRAC’s carefully crafted approach targets the poorest households within smaller communities. Over a fixed period of time, the program provides these households with the wide-ranging set of services they need.
The graduation approach utilizes a multi-sectorial series of interventions (such as agriculture, micro-finance, cash transfers, skills trainings and asset transfers, and business development services) to support a pathway out of extreme poverty. There are five essential components in the model.
CGAP and Ford Foundation have been inspired by the innovative and holistic approach taken by the Graduation model and have extensively advocated for it as an important pathway for many of the poorest to escape extreme poverty.
The training will provide practitioners with knowledge and practical skills on how to implement a graduation program.
Who Should Attend
NGO staff involved in economic and livelihood strengthening work
SG ELECTRONIC RECORDING TRAINING
4 days training
Course Overview
The Savings Group (SG) e-Recording app is a mobile-based application built to improve the quality and speed of data capture for SGs while enhancing transparency and security of the data, and providing a convenient and reliable solution to SG recording. It is used to record all the transactions of a savings group. It also captures some sections of the group constitution, especially those that relate to financial transactions, as well as recording group and member details. The application also does all the calculations, including share-out, reducing the time spent and errors associated with manual calculation. The data is backed up in the cloud and is managed by Software group who are the developers. The training will provide in-depth training on installation, registration and usage of the app including how to generate reports.
Who Should Attend
Program staff involved with SGs implementation/MIS
FINANCIAL EDUCATION
5 days training
Course Overview
SGs provide the poor and marginalized communities with access to a suite of basic financial services that can enable them to break the vicious cycle of poverty, transforming it into a virtuous cycle of rising income, improved health, better education and greater participation in their communities.
While the poor share the same goals as all people—economic security for themselves, their families, and future generations—their limited resources and options often lead to a sense of hopelessness and inertia. Careful management of what little money they do have is critical to meet day-to-day needs, cope with unexpected emergencies, and take advantage of opportunities when they come along. The bad news is that the poor too often lack the knowledge and experience they need to be these careful money managers.
This is the purpose of financial education. It teaches people concepts of money and how to manage it wisely. It offers the opportunity to learn basic skills related to earning, spending, budgeting, saving, and borrowing.
When developing financial literacy training, the topics covered will necessarily reflect the unique needs of the audience as determined by a needs assessment.
Participants will be able to cover topics commonly included in money management or financial literacy curricula which include: Basic banking and budgeting, Credit and debt, Income planning, Risk management, Money flow and asset creation, Individual Development Account
Who Should Attend
NGO and Financial Service Providers’ staffs
MARKET RESEARCH AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT TRAINING
10 days training
Course Overview
For many years microfinance organizations have operated on the basis of replicating blueprints from Grameen Bank in Bangladesh or FINCA in Central America throughout the world. In the past few years, it has become very clear that simply replicating products and systems into very different socio-economic conditions will not work. The most compelling evidence for this is the fact that many MFIs are losing over a quarter of their clients every year – primarily because the MFI’s products do not suit them. And of course, it is much more difficult to build financially sound, sustainable organizations with such levels of client “desertion”.
Similarly the microfinance industry has traditionally seen poor people’s needs for financial services simply as “credit for enterprise”. Recently however, has it become clear to most in the sector that poor people need access to lump sums of money to send their children to school, to buy medicines etc. as well and thus that they need “financial services to reduce their vulnerability” too. So the MFIs have started thinking about developing and delivering a range of financial products.
Thus there is a clear and compelling need to develop a market-led, client responsive approach to microfinance. This approach benefits not only the MFIs that are serious about providing a sustainable service, but also the clients who need products designed to meet their needs, rather than simply those of the MFI delivering them.
Market research is an activity designed to understand the environment in which the MFI is operating and to identify the needs of the MFI’s clients and potential clients.
The major topics included in this module include: importance of market research for MFIs; the role of market research and product development in MFIs; explain internal preparations needed to effectively undertake and develop new products; the market research process; the product development cycle; and market segmentation
Who Should Attend
Senior and Middle level managers; Marketing Officers; Branch Managers; Business Development Managers
VALUE CHAIN SYSTEMS APPROACH TO DEVELOPMENT
4 days training
Course Overview
This course helps enterprise development practitioners to design and implement market driven value chain development initiatives using a participatory approach. The course will present and analyze the principles and rationality behind value chain development, provide a detailed analysis of the different phases (sector selection, value chain analysis, intervention design and implementation), share different techniques for market systems facilitation, and discuss the differences (and benefits) between facilitation and direct delivery.
Who Should Attend
The course is designed for practitioners of market-driven small enterprise development projects, including program staff, managers and development partners.
MARKET LINKAGES FOR SAVINGS GROUPS
3 days training
Course Overview
SGs has made a big contribution in terms of organizing community and for the first time providing them a platform for financial services which is community managed, transparent and completely accessible to people irrespective of their remoteness or their level of poverty. Despite the tremendous success of SGs it is now time to take the next step forward.
Needs assessments’ have clearly brought out the fact that members do need more financial services than SGs can provide. Members do have the capacity to meet the required obligations towards these financial services, provided the financial services are packaged in right kind of products and delivered through the right kind of channels. This makes the case for the financial linkage of these SGs using the right delivery channels with formal financial institutions. In the lack of such linkage the SGs are constrained.
The training will help participants develop strategies for linkages, develop partnership with FSPs and how to develop products and delivery processes targeting SGs.
Who Should Attend
SG practitioners, FI staff
ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT (SPM)
Selection, Planning and Management (SPM) of IGA’s is a business skills training designed to help groups improve on loan utilization into productive purposes.
New IGAs can expose participants to the risk of financial losses if the activity fails. This risk of failure can be reduced by providing participants with training that enables them to systematically assess the appropriateness of several potential IGAs, comparing each to their specific skills and resources. An analysis of this kind will allow each of them to choose the IGA that is most suitable, given their individual circumstances. Based on the results of the needs assessment conducted in these areas, most people lack knowledge and skills to systematically select IGA’s, plan for their implementation and manage them.
The course consists of five modules, which Visioning and objective setting, IGA Selection Process, IGA Selection- Marketing of the IGA(s) products, operation of the IGA and different capital sources, IGA Selection-Profitability, Planning for IGA start up, and Management of IGA.
Who Should Attend
Staff involved in enterprise trainings and supervision
Other Consultancy Services
- Strategic and Business Planning
- Organizational Development
- Organizational Capacity Assessment
- Financial Literacy Programming
- Desk Review of projects on-demand
- Market Analysis and Research
- Action Research
- Professional Networking
- Development and management of financial services Market Information Systems including Microfinance Directory
- Setting up and offering technical assistance to partners on Community-based Financial Institutions (CBFIs) such as Village Savings and Loans Associations
- Evaluation of community-based financial services and agro-enterprise projects
- Staff Recruitment and training for MFIs
- Setting up and managing Investment Clubs
MEFI Associates 