Where We Work: Sub Saharan Africa
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Volunteer Hours Contributed:
Skill:
Date Completed:
Ethiopia
Volunteer Hours Contributed: 500
Skill: Research and M&E
Date Completed: April 2012
Oxfam and the World Food Programme needed help conducting market research and analysis to determine which countries to scale up their joint R4 Rural Resilience Initiative. A BwB volunteer team developed an Assessment Tool, using Ethiopia and Senegal as the pilot countries, that provides a systematic process for vetting these and other possible expansion countries for the R4 Rural Resistance Initiative.
The country expansion assessment tool will help Oxfam America and World Food Programme ensure that their expansion strategy takes into account some of the macro-level influencers and risks inherent in initiating work in new countries as they work to scale their innovative approach. The analysis will also help them make a stronger case to philanthropic donors and investors, who are crucial stakeholders. Ultimately, this tool will help guide the delivery of new risk mitigation tools for the poor and poorest.
Ghana
Volunteer Hours Contributed: 452
Skill: Research and M&E
Date Completed: July 2009
A volunteer developed an in-depth knowledge of the mobile banking pilot at a microfinance institution partner headquartered in Kumasi, Ghana. For three weeks, the volunteer worked in the field to collect, combine, and analyze operational data and mobile banking data, for return on investment (ROI) analysis of the pilot.
Kenya
Volunteer Hours Contributed: 310
Skill: Finance
Date Completed: September 2012
A team of BwB volunteer consultants conducted research and made recommendations that will help Paradigm Kenya establish an internal funding facility to finance the purchase and distribution of cook stoves. The funding facility will overcome the high interest rates currently experienced in Kenya, and the relatively low margins from the sale of the cook stoves
Stories: Kenya
Everyone from Julia Roberts to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is touting the power of clean cookstoves as a critical tool to improve the lives of the poor.
To propel the clean cookstove movement forward, Bankers without Borders partnered with social enterprises Affirm Global Development and The... Read More
Nigeria
Volunteer Hours Contributed: 138
Skill: Human Resources
Date Completed: December 2009
A Bankers without Borders volunteer piloted the implementation of the Grameen Foundation Human Capital Management (HCM) assessment tool with LAPO, a Nigerian microfinance institution. The HCM assessment tool is designed to identify the organization’s current human capital management practices and identify HCM priorities based upon the institution's business strategy. The volunteer analyzed existing practices and developed an assessment report, including a prioritization of practices and a gap analysis.
Senegal
Volunteer Hours Contributed: 150
Skill: Accounting
Date Completed: In Progress
A team of Bankers without Borders volunteers developed an investment plan and provided legal and financial advice that will enable TrustAfrica to strategically invest their reserve funds and generate additional unrestricted resources needed to fund critical and cutting edge work.
South Africa
Volunteer Hours Contributed: 85
Skill: Research and M&E
Date Completed: May 2013
A Bankers without Borders volunteer traveled to South Africa to conduct an assessment to certify the Small Enterpise Foundation (SEF) as an approved user of the Progress out of Poverty Index (PPI).
The Progress out of Poverty Index (PPI) is a simple and accurate tool that measures poverty levels of groups and individuals. Using the PPI, microfinance institutions can identify poverty levels of clients to better determine their needs, which programs are most effective in serving their needs, and how quickly clients leave poverty. Organizations around the world are using the PPI to measure their clients’ poverty levels and track changes of their poverty levels over time.
PPI certification is recognized by industry bodies and investors alike, and will help SEF enhance their social performance transparency, improve relationships with external stakeholders, gain recognition within the microfinance industry, and may lead to receiving favorable terms from socially focused investors.
Tanzania
Volunteer Hours Contributed:
Skill:
Date Completed:
Uganda
Volunteer Hours Contributed: 320
Skill: Finance
Date Completed: April 2012
BwB volunteer Frederick Ndiwalana used his banking, research and product-development experience to help Grameen Foundation’s AppLab map out the banking product offerings in East Africa to generate insights that can be developed into mobile financial products to serve the poorest segment.
Stories: Uganda
“Do people still volunteer?” asked a bewildered bank official in the bustling city center of Kampala, Uganda. He was perplexed by Fredrick Ndiwalana’s frequent visits to the bank’s information center.
Unlike the average volunteer in Uganda – primarily foreign-born and barely out of college – Frederick is a native Ugandan with more than 15 years of financial experience working with... Read More