MICROFINANCE EVENT: USAID Presents Online Conference on How Microfinance Contributes to Economic Recovery in Conflict-affected Countries

HOW DOES MICROFINANCE CONTRIBUTE TO ECONOMIC RECOVERY IN CONFLICT-AFFECTED COUNTRIES?

OCTOBER 23, 2008, ONLINE

The United States Agency for International Development (AID) is offering this online “webinar” from 10 am to 11 am, eastern US time. Mayada El-Zoghbi of consulting firm Banyan Global will present lessons learned from a collection of recent case studies completed for the Microfinance Amid Conflict research theme of AID’s Accelerated Microenterprise Advancement Project. The case studies highlight work by organizations in Afghanistan, Burundi, Kosovo and Nepal that address financial services programs and how they address specific conflict and economic recovery issues in conflict-impacted countries. For Q & A, Ms. El-Zoghbi will be joined by panelists from several microfinance institutions, including Child Fund Afghanistan, Turame (Burundi), NUBL (Nepal), and ARFC/ARIES (Afghanistan).

Webinar discussion questions include:

1) How have financial services programs addressed the dual goals of achieving short-term gains while building long-term impact?

2) Are community-based models appropriate for conflict settings where ethnic divisions persist even after the conflict?

3) How have financial service providers adapted their operational systems and approaches to address conflict affected countries?

4) How have financial services providers dealt with conflict resolution and can microfinance methodologies address deep rooted ethnic divisions?

5) How have financial services providers dealt with gender issues – such as gender-based violence- that are more likely to impact women and their lives after the end of hostilities?

More information on this event and the case studies covered is available on the Conflict section of AID’s Microlinks website. Send inquiries, comments, and questions for the panelists in advance to Amanda Hawkins at ahawkins@qedgroupllc.com. After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar. Participation requires Windows 2000, XP Home, XP Pro, 2003 Server, Vista for PC-based computers or Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) or newer.

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