ecosystems, environmental policy & management, microfinance environmental protection, micro savings, solar energy, climate solutions, developing successful partnerships, ways modern energy innovations, local sustainable energy projects, zanzibar, africa, village savings africa

“Microfinance Plus” is not a new concept by any means but

the large variety of “Plus” innovations in the field are expanding into

frontiers which didn’t exist ten to fifteen years ago- from insurance and mobile

banking to health services and housing. Paul Rippey, Accion’s Center

for Financial Inclusion sustainable energy raconteur will lead a three day

course on Zanzibar to explore some of the exciting ways modern energy

innovations are taking a Microfinance Plus approach to market development and

scaling up access to clean energy products. Paul will be joined by Harry

Andrews founder of Barefoot Power, an

up and coming solar LED company, which successfully markets high quality solar-

powered LED lamps financed by microloans in Africa and other parts of the

globe.

 

Click here for more details www.carseyinstitute.unh.edu/smdp/Tanzania-main.html

 

Another fascinating and early example of Microfinance Plus

was the integration of Village Savings and Lending groups into an environmental

protection project to save the Jozani-Chwaka Bay forest area in Zanzibar. In

the late 1990’s CARE Tanzania, the United Nations Global Environment Facility

(GEF) along with several other donors joined the local community in

Jozani-Chwaka bay to protect the forest, the surrounding mangrove swamps and

several species of endangered animals including the Red Colobus Monkey. The

VSLA groups provided needed capital infusions to help local community members build

more sustainable livelihoods that benefited from the establishment of the

beautiful Jozani-Chwaka bay National Park.

 

We are very excited that we will offer two courses which

showcase the achievements of this important environmental and community

development project in Zanzibar. In week one of the SMDP-TZ October 11-15 we

will take a close look at the dynamics that created this successful

community-government-donor project and learn the skills of assembling complex

partnerships from diverse groups of stakeholders. This three day course “Developing Successful Partnerships for

Community and Environmental Protection” will be co-facilitated by Michel

Adjibodou and expert in community-based economic development and George Mkoma

from CARE Tanzania who was one of the leaders of the Jozani-Chwaka Bay National

Park Project. The course will include a visit to the national park and a panel

with several of the key stakeholders who guided this environmental success

story.

 

In week two of the SMDP-TZ October 18-23 we will delve

deeply into the Community Managed Microfinance methodology which was integral

to financing the income generating activities of local residents in and around

the Jozani forest. This week long course will be facilitated by Hugh Allen, a

leader in Community Managed Microfinance and George Mkoma, the aforementioned CARE

staff member who developed the program in Jozani and our guide for field visits

to the Jozani Savings and Credit Associations groups.

 

Come to Zanzibar and explore Microfinance Plus!

 

For more information please visit

 

www.carseyinstitute.unh.edu/smdp/Tanzania-main.html

http://www.carseyinstitute.unh.edu/smdp/Tanzania-main.html  

Added by William Maddocks on August 18, 2010