Community-Based Microfinance for Financial Inclusion

 Scholarships for this certificate are available through The MasterCard Foundation Microfinance Scholars Program.

Personal benefits

• Understand the financial behaviour of low-income population groups to learn the principles of designing financial literacy components as well as design appropriate financial products such as savings, insurance, payment services, and value-chain finance.
• Obtain an in-depth understanding of different community-based microfinance models such as village savings and loan associations (or savings groups), self-help groups, SACCOs, and credit unions to learn about the ways in which different member-owned institutions apply cooperative principles to ensure the delivery of appropriate financial products.
• Explore real-world examples of establishing multi-tier institutions and networks, building linkages with banks and other financial institutions, use of mobile banking, and opportunities and challenges of structuring value-chain oriented finance products in community-based models, agriculture coops.
• Learn about national regulatory policies and supervision structures for community-based microfinance models, and the importance of self-regulation.
• Gain valuable hands-on knowledge through visits to successful community-based microfinance institutions, interaction with leading sector practitioners, and peer learning with fellow participants.
• Understand and analyse livelihoods and value chain analysis and financing.

Organizational benefits

• Develop strategies for strengthening program design, management, and product design capacities in community-based microfinance programming, both in rural and underserved urban communities
• Develop strategies for banks, formal microfinance institutions, and various value-chain actors to reach informal savings groups and cooperatives
• Enhance capacity to analyze operative environments and adopt program designs that enable families in the informal sector to access appropriate financial services and participate more effectively in the local economy
• Develop approaches to integrate community-based microfinance models into diverse programs with food security, sustainable livelihoods, women’s empowerment, and other outcomes and goals

Who should take the program?

This program is intended for mid-to-senior-level practitioners from NGOs and financial cooperatives engaged in community-based approaches in microfinance. Bankers, people from other formal financial institutions and MFIs wishing to link with VSLAS, SHGS or SACCOs, regulators and government officials responsible for financial inclusion, trainers, and donors promoting community-based approaches may find this program useful. Two years’ work experience in microfinance or in the field of economic development is desirable.

Podcast: Hear an audio interview with Anuj Jain, facilitator of Coady’s Community-Based Microfinance certificate course, in which he discusses the benefits of this course and who is best suited to attend it.

Download course description PDF

Fees

Hyderabad city, Telangna State, India

The program fee for this program is US$ 2,000.

The fee covers tuition, accommodation, food, local travel, field visits and course material.

Participants are responsible for the travel, visa and incidental expenses. Limited scholarships are available for applicants from Africa, especially for women, depending upon the availability of funds.

Venue Details

Hyderabad city, Telangna State, India

APMAS Training Centre
Hyderabad city
Telangna State, India
http://apmas.org/training-centre.php

Course coordinator:
Sadhikaratha Foundation
www.sadhikaratha.org