MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: World Vision, Développement international Desjardins (DiD), Enablis Deploying Skills Training for Employment Program (STEP) in Senegal

Three Canadian NGOs, World Vision Canada, a unit of US-based Christian NGO World Vision; Développement international Desjardins (DID), a provider of access to financial services and financial education; and Enablis Canada, a consultant to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), recently collaborated to launch the Skills Training for Employment Program (STEP) in Senegal. The project, which has three years of funding from the Canadian government, “is intended to improve the economic prosperity of populations in the Kolda region by developing employment and entrepreneurial skills among young people, with a gender inclusive approach.” World Vision Canada will serve as the lead executing agency.

World Vision is a US-based NGO seeking to address the causes of poverty and injustice to help families and communities worldwide “reach their full potential.” It is a Christian organization, but serves people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender. World Vision operates microfinance institutions through its subsidiary VisionFund International. VisionFund seeks to improve the lives of children in the developing world by offering small loans and other financial services to families living in poverty. As of 2016, World Vision had total net assets of USD 154 million and recieved USD 220 million in grants of food and cash from the U.S. government and other agencies.

Développement international Desjardins (DiD) is a Canadian nonprofit corporation that specializes in providing technical support and investment for the community finance sector. It assists organizations in approximately 30 nations in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Central and Eastern Europe and Latin America. DiD is a unit of the Desjardins Group, a cooperative offering banking, insurance, securities and investment services with approximately CAD 258 billion (USD 213 billion) in assets as of 2016.

Founded in 2002, Enablis serves 2,414 “accredited members” in Argentina, Ghana and Senegal as of 2017.

By Aleks Marceau, Research Associate

Sources and additional resources:

Information provided directly to MicroCapital by DiD

DiD home page:
http://www.did.qc.ca/

WorldVision home page:
https://www.worldvision.org

Enablis home page:
http://www.enablis.org

MicroCapital on DiD in Paraguay:
https://www.microcapital.org/microcapital-brief-ifu-finnfund-danish-family-office-invest-8m-bopa-asian-microfinance/

MicroCapital on WorldVision and VisionFund in the UK:
https://www.microcapital.org/microcapital-brief-world-vision-uk-visionfund-international-prepare-for-el-nino-response-in-africa-with-3m-returnable-donation-from-uk-governments-department-for-internat/

Do you know that MicroCapital publishes the MicroCapital Monitor newspaper each month? Find out more at https://www.microcapital.org/products-page/.

Similar Posts: