Telelearning Session 12: International Microfinance

Thank you to all who took part in this event!
TELELEARNING SESSION PODCAST

In recent years, donors and international aid organizations have been turning to microfinance as a way of providing their self-employed clients with financial services to support their businesses and households. These services have expanded to include not only loans and savings, but also insurance, money transfers and electronic banking as well. Please join us as we explore some of the issues surrounding international microfinance, including:

  • What is the difference between international and domestic microfinance?
  • Under what conditions do international microfinance programs thrive?
  • What are the challenges faced by international microfinance programs?

Sign up today to participate in this engaging telelearning session, featuring Nanci Lee (Writer, Microfinance Consultant, and Educator) and Dr. Julie Drolet (Writer and Assistant Professor at Thompson Rivers University), with facilitation by Annie McKitrick of the Canadian Social Economy Research Partnerships.

Spaces are free, but limited - Register today!

Call Logistics:

  • Session Date: Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009
  • Call begins at 9:00 am PST, 10:00 am MST, 11:00 am CST, 12:00 pm EST, 1:00 pm AST, and 1:30 pm NST
  • Call in information will be given upon registration
  • Register before March 1st to obtain dial-in information and background papers
  • This session is in English

Session Format: 1 Hour
Welcome: 5 minutes
Presentation: 10 minutes from each speaker
Discussion: 35 minutes

Registration: By Email or by Phone
Register by e-mailing telelearning@socialeconomyhub.ca with your name, location, and work or volunteer position. We will provide instructions on how to access the telelearning forum. Unfortunately, the session is only open to those residing in Canada. To register by phone call 1-250-472-4976.

Limited number of phone lines for session – Register today!

Background readings, presentations, and resources:

juliedrolet2793633.jpgDr. Julie Drolet
Julie Drolet completed a BA in History and Political Science (University of Toronto), BSW (University of Regina), MSW and Ph.D. (McGill University). Her Ph.D. in Social Work, received from the joint PhD Program between McGill University and Université de Montréal, focused on Women's Experiences in Micro Credit Programs in Cairo, Egypt. Dr. Drolet joined the Thompson Rivers University School of Social Work and Human Service as the BSW Field Education Coordinator in August 2006. She brings an international perspective developed, in part, from her international work and research experience in various countries (including Cameroon, Egypt, Mexico and France). Her diverse international and community organizing practice experience informs her teaching and research interests in international social work, social policy, informal economy, women's human rights, advocacy and empowerment. She is particularly interested in the shifting context of Canadian and international social policies, the social construction of women's lived experiences, and anti-oppressive social work field education. Dr. Drolet is the author of Women and Micro Credit: Women's Experiences in Cairo, Egypt.

nanci.jpgNanci Lee
Nanci Lee is a writer, a self-employed microfinance consultant and an adult educator (not always in that order) based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. She works in microfinance about 60% of the time largely with member-owned associations on issues of governance, market research, savings and asset building strategies, financial management and financial literacy. Most of her work has had both a rural and a gender focus. The rest of her time is dedicated to poetry and creative writing. In 2007, she won the Nova Scotia Federation of Writers' poetry contest for unpublished manuscripts. She is currently working on a book of poems. She is also working on a book of life stories in social change for Fernwood Publishing. As an educator and an artist, she is interested in the use of arts in community development and learning. She is a volunteer Board Member with her neighbourhood Halifax Community Investment Fund and an international Advisory Board Member of Kixi-Credito and Development Workshop, Angola. Development Workshop has been recognized for its community-based work in post-conflict, land rights, water, sustainable local housing and microfinance. For more information on Nanci's writing, please see her website at www.nancilee.ca.

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Date: 
Tue, 03/03/2009