Savings Groups are the primary safety net for millions of women in Africa, especially in rural areas. As such, they have a critical role to play in COVID-19 response and recovery efforts implemented by governments, funders, civil society organizations and the private sector.
Women are disproportionately affected by disease outbreaks. COVID will be no different, with gendered primary secondary effects across multiple dimensions:
The Peer Learning Group (PLG) aims to mobilize knowledge that is actionable and empower members through a self-designed learning process and peer-to-peer support.
The group will generate, consolidate and diseminate evidence on (1) the gendered effects of the COVID pandemic on Savings Groups and their members across health, economic and social dimensions, and (2) gender intentional response efforts to support Savings Groups during the crisis and engage them in local response efforts.
Fabiola Diaz, The SEEP Network
Fabiola Diaz is the Program Manager for Women's Economic Empowerment & Savings Groups. In this role, she is responsible for managing the Women’s Economic Empowerment Global Learning Forum and the Mastercard Foundation Savings Portfolio Partnership. She works with senior management to cultivate strategic alliances and support learning initiative design and implementation in the thematic areas of Women’s Economic Empowerment and Financial Inclusion through Savings Groups. Prior to joining SEEP, Fabiola worked at RESULTS Educational Fund as a Program Manager for the Microcredit Summit Campaign advocating for financial inclusion to improve the lives of the poor. She is originally from Venezuela and holds a BS and MS in Economics and Latin American Studies from the University of Cologne, Germany. She is fluent in English, Spanish, and German.
Brianna Fierro, The SEEP Network
As Officer for Learning & Programs, Bri works to enable innovative and effective learning opportunities and methods across SEEP programming through Peer Learning Groups, conferences, trainings and webinars. Since joining SEEP in 2016, she supports several ongoing initiatives focused on learning and collaboration within Women’s Economic Empowerment and financial inclusion through Savings Groups, including coordination of the Women’s Economic Empowerment Working Group.
Bri graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a BA in Political Science and Spanish, and a minor in Chinese Language and Culture. She speaks English, Spanish, and Mandarin.
The Peer Learning Group is composed of member representatives from governments, NGOs and research organizations across seven countries responsible for the development, design or implementation of gender intentional COVID-19 response and recovery efforts through Savings Groups in sub-Saharan Africa.
Ashutosh Raina, World Bank
United States
Colin Agabalinda, Ministry of Finance, Planning,
and Economic Development
Uganda
David Panetta, The SEEP Network
Canada
Dr. Fred Matovu, Policy Analysis and
Development Research Institute (PADRI)
Uganda
Friederike Strub, MarketShare Associates
Belgium
Kalkidan Lakew Yihun, CARE USA
Ethiopia
Martina Crailsheim, VisionFund International
Spain
Stephanie Leigh Plant, International Rescue Committee (IRC)
United States
Uloma Ogba, MarketShare Associates
United States
Virginia Nkwanzi Isingoma, IPSOS
Uganda
Yetunde Fatagun, World Bank
Nigeria
This Peer Learning Group is designed to run for an extended period of 18 months to respond and adapt effectively to practitioner needs and experiences during the ongoing global pandemic. Group members met virtually in early April 2021 to define the PLG learning agenda and workplan, and will hold a monthly videoconference through August 2022.
This initiative is facilitated by The SEEP Network as part of Women Saving for Resilience, a two-year program funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and implemented by SEEP in partnership with MarketShare Associates.
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