MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: MasterCard Foundation, Women Advancing Microfinance (WAM) Announce Scholarship Opportunities for Sustainable Microenterprise and Development Program (SMDP) in Ghana

The MasterCard Foundation of Canada and Women Advancing Microfinance’s (WAM’s) New York chapter recently announced scholarship opportunities for the University of New Hampshire’s Sustainable Microenterprise and Development Program (SMDP) in Ghana.

The program, which runs from March 14 to March 25, 2011 in Accra, Ghana, is a training program for microfinance and enterprise development leaders. The program uses field visits and classroom courses to teach legal and regulatory frameworks in microfinance, social performance monitoring, risk management, microfinance software systems and scaling-up strategies. More information on specific program offerings can be found at: http://www.carseyinstitute.unh.edu/docs/SMDPGhanaflyer_2011.pdf

Scholarship selection preferences include:

-Practitioners who have at least two years experience in the field
-Practitioners who work in Africa
-Practitioners who work for nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), development finance institutions or policy development organizations
-Women practitioners
-Candidates coming from disadvantaged backgrounds, preferably from rural and resource-poor areas

-Applicants who make some level of financial contribution to the training and/or associated costs

Applications are due by February 1, 2011. More information on applying can be found at: http://www.carseyinstitute.unh.edu/smdp/Ghana-registration.htm [1].

By John Howard-Smith, Research Associate

About Sustainable Microenterprise and Development Program (SMDP): The Sustainable Microenterprise and Development Program (SMDP), housed in the Carsey Institute in the University of New Hampshire, provides training and networking opportunities for practitioners in the fields of microfinance, enterprise development, social enterprise, community based and rural development. The SMDP offers a professional development training experience with a concentration on program planning, implementation and impact evaluation. Course topics cover a wide range of best practices from financial, risk and human resource management, social performance monitoring and evaluation, value chain and ProPoor market development, social enterprise, microfinance investment readiness, inclusive youth financial services and sustainable responses to climate change.

About The MasterCard Foundation: Based in Canada, the MasterCard Foundation is a private foundation with approximately CAD 2.69 billion (USD 2.72 billion) in assets, as of 2009. The foundation’s goal is to enable people living in poverty to improve their lives through increased access to microfinance and education. The foundation was established in 2006 by a gift of shares from global payment processor MasterCard Worldwide during the company’s initial public offering.

About Women Advancing Microfinance (WAM) International: Founded in 2003, Women Advancing Microfinance (WAM) International is a global network of 14 chapters of women involved in the microfinance industry. It primarily functions as a communication platform for collective action with the common goal of advancing and supporting women working in microfinance through education and training, promoting leadership opportunities and increasing visibility of their participation and talent while maintaining a work/home balance.

[1] University of New Hampshire: “Sustainable Microenterprise and Development Program: Ghana March 14-25, 2011”, http://www.carseyinstitute.unh.edu/smdp/Ghana-main.html

MicroCapital’s Microfinance Universe profile: Sustainable Microenterprise and Development Program (SMDP), https://www.microcapital.org/microfinanceuniverse/tiki-index.php?page=Sustainable+Microenterprise+and+Development+Program+(SMDP)

MicroCapital’s Microfinance Universe profile: The MasterCard Foundation, https://www.microcapital.org/microfinanceuniverse/tiki-index.php?page=MasterCard+Foundation

MicroCapital’s Microfinance Universe profile: Women Advancing Microfinance (WAM) International, https://www.microcapital.org/microfinanceuniverse/tiki-index.php?page=Women+Advancing+Microfinance+(WAM)+International

Browse the MicroCapital Universe and add your entry to the wiki at: https://www.microcapital.org/microfinanceuniverse/

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