UNITED NATIONS CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT FUND    Microfinance

Issue 12 / May 2005

Issue Table of Contents

Update

on the International Year of Microcredit 2005

Marketplace

Made by Microentrepreneurs

Upcoming Events

Conferences, events and trainings.

Links

New websites and publications.

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Based on the experience and success of its popular CD-Rom and textbook-based microfinance course, the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) has launched a new web-based distance-learning tool to make basic knowledge of microfinance globally accessible. The only difference between the online and offline courses is that the web version is available everywhere immediately - and without cost.

"Making this course available free and online is part of UNCDF's effort to promote the development of inclusive financial services worldwide," said Henriette Keijzers, Officer-in-Charge of UNCDF. "Aside from promoting awareness of the power of microfinance in empowering choice and reducing poverty, this course actually teaches basic skills that are needed to operate a microfinance operation sustainably and efficiently."

The launch of the web version of the course is part of UNCDF's ongoing programme to build support for making financial services more accessible to poor and low-income people through the International Year of Microcredit.

The Microfinance Distance Learning Course was designed for new entrants to the field of microfinance and has appealed to a broad range of people, including policy makers, donors, practitioners, academics and students. Staff of microfinance operations have found this course extremely useful - a chance to step back and see how their work fits into global microfinance initiatives. Through the self-training online tool, new staff of agencies working in development or staff engaged in other fields are able to expand their knowledge of microfinance as an important part of efforts to fight poverty and contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

The course curriculum is delivered through a user-friendly, interactive and attractively presented interface. Using the main menu as a road map, an expert narrator guides the student through eleven modules. Case studies come alive as customers talk about microfinance services and products. Students interview staff members, the board and management of different microfinance institutions to assess the institutional strengths and challenges for growth. Exercises and computer graphics make financial statements easy to understand and analyze. The University of Washington has been offering the CDRom/ textbook-based version of the MFDL lessons as a graduate-level course, sponsored by the Evans School of Public Affairs.

To migrate the course to the Internet and to ensure an interactive experience for users accessing the site from around the world through different bandwidths, UNCDF contracted with Iconys Informatica Inc., a consulting group in Canada that specializes in rich media and application development for the web.

The course can be accessed at www.uncdf.org/mfdl.