Community-based, savings-led microfinance, most often in the form of savings groups, is a widely-used approach in PEPFAR OVC programming with caregivers. As evidence continues to build for the effectiveness of this approach with caregivers, practitioners are starting to look at whether the same approach can be taken with vulnerable children and youth to encourage early adoption of sound financial decision-making and promote positive psycho-social and health outcomes.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) undertook a literature review to investigate the following questions:

• What is the impact of directly engaging orphan and vulnerable children?

• What are the promising community-based savings-led microfinance programs/models?

• What do we not know and what do we need to learn more about?

To balance research with practice, the webinar also included a presentation highlighting the work of Plan Canada, which has been at the forefront of implementing community-based savings-led microfinance programs with youth in Niger, Senegal, and Sierra Leone.

This webinar was supported by ASPIRES and hosted by SEEP's Children, Youth and Economic Strengthening Network and Learning Platform, as a part of the "Growing Resilience: Financial Services for OVC Populations" webinar series.

Related Resources:

• An Integrated Approach to Empower Youth in Niger, Senegal, and Sierra Leone: Findings and Lessons from the Youth Microfinance Project

• Counting Change: How Youth Manage their Money

• Empowering Rwandan Youth Through Savings Led Microfinance

• Evaluation of Economic Strengthening for OVC: Using the WORTH Model in Uganda

• The Impact of Financial Education for Youth in Ghana

• Impact of Integrated Financial Services for Young People in Mali: A Comprehensive Research Report for the Freedom from Hunger Advancing Integrated Microfinance for Youth Project

• Saving for a (not so) Rainy Day: A Randomized Evaluation of Savings Groups in Mali

• Savings Groups and Educational Investments

• Youth Microfinance Project Most Significant Change Stories: Voices of Youth

Speakers:

Andrew Meaux - Program Manager, International Rescue Committee, Economic Recovery and Development Team

Andrew is responsible for managing IRC’s ASPIRES grant and authored the literature review. Prior to joining the IRC, Andrew was the Senior Program Specialist for Southeast Asia at Pact for three years. He has a master’s degree in development economics and conflict management from Johns Hopkins University SAIS and a bachelor of arts in international development from Tulane University.

M. Emrul Hasan - Director of Program Effectiveness and Technical Advisors, Plan Canada

Emrul is responsible for the Research, Monitoring and Evaluation Unit, and for the Child Rights and Protection, Economic Development, Microfinance and Food Security teams. He works to expand Plan's understanding of today's global economy, and its impact on international development. He has also worked across three continents with numerous NGOs, donors and multilateral organizations.

Moderator:

Nisha Singh - Senior Program Director, The SEEP Network

She previously supported the implementation of SEEP's Citi Network Strengthening Program. Nisha has more than 10 years experience working on issues related to microfinance, livelihood development in India. This includes setting up microfinance operations, action research in the area of livelihood development and food security, institution building of transforming MFIs as well as piloting technology for microfinance initiatives. Nisha holds a Masters in Non-Profit Management from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the University of Hyderabad, India. Nisha is a native of India.

Liked this webinar? Check out other webinars in the Growing Resilience: Financial Services for OVC Populations webinar series!