Training MFIs to improve financial access for youth

FPBMC staff enjoying a joke

For the past year our project, YouthInvest, has been working to shift strategies to its second phase - training Micro-Finance Institutions (MFIs), commonly referred to as AMCs (Associations de micro-credit) here in Morocco, to improve their services and products to meet the needs of the sizeable youth market. 

Hind Jalouni, MEDA Maroc Director, training FBPMC staff

In 2012 MEDA signed an agreement to train credit officers and branch managers for one of the larger MFIs - the Fondation Banque Populaire de Micro-Credit (FBPMC) in cooperation with another NGO that is funding the training on improved customer service for youth clients. MEDA Maroc has been training their staff in week long sessions across the country, With the goal being to train the staff from about 50 branches. The evaluations coming out of these sessions show how successful the program is, and the participants' satisfaction with the content and delivery.

Casa training. The photo used in the display is one I took.

This past weekend, February 8-10, 2013, MEDA Maroc offered a short overview training on the "Financial Solutions for Youth" training suite we will be offering to all Moroccan MFIs. There were nearly 20 participants at this select workshop, representing MFIs large and small, as well as a few individuals interested in the sector. Training for Trainers (TOT), Better Customer Service for Youth Clients, Developing Financial Products for Youth, Risk Management for Youth Clients, and Technical Assistance for Product Development are the components of this new YouthInvest phase. MEDA will also be conducting a study of financial products and services currently available to youth, as well as current youth client satisfaction surveys before commencing the training suite for MFIs. A similar study is being conducted in Egypt, the other country where YouthInvest is active.

The photo of the girl is one of mine!

While this phase has taken some time to get off the ground, partnership agreements are being signed with MFIs presently, and the materials and content for the three training topics are being finalized. A good deal of my time at work has been dedicated to supporting this phase in recent months (helping with customer service materials, translating partnership agreements, and taking photos at the FBPMC training in Khouribga in order to use some shots for upcoming publicity. 

Included are a few photos from our training on "Financial Solutions for Youth" in Casablanca and the FBPMC training on Improving Customer Service for Youth Clients in Khouribga the last week of January. 

Adil Sadoq, YouthInvest Field Project Manager, presenting in Casablanca

FBPMC staff trained in Khouribga, along with 2 MEDA staff

Holiday in Paris

view from Place de la Concorde to l'Arc de Triomphe

January 24th was Eid el-Mawlid (the birthday of the prophet Mohammed), and as such, we were given the 24th and 25th off for the holiday. Conveniently this was a Thursday and Friday, so I  met up with a few friends from my university days to rendezvous in Paris, for a jam-packed long weekend.

I booked early with EasyJet and got a great, cheap round trip flight from the Wednesday evening to Sunday afternoon - the perfect length of time for some serious visiting. I met up with Georgie - a British friend who I first
met at Carleton U in my first year, where she
stayed on for a year exchange - on the

group photo

Wednesday night at a hostel and we trekked around the Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysées, Place de la Concorde, Sacré-coeur Basilica, the Trocadero for Eiffel tower photos, Jardins Tuilleries, as well as doing a boat tour on the Seine, and delighting our taste buds with 'North African' hot chocolate (I got a kick out of this coming directly from said place and never having seen it) and a selection of macaroons at Angelina's a fabulous tea room and shop that has been open for a century. I hadn't seen Georgie in 5 years, it is astonishing how good friendships can withstand great distances in time and space.

The north rose window at Notre-Dame de Paris, dating from 1250-1260

We met up that night with Rebecca and Rachel, more Brits, who I also met the same year I met Georgie. Rebecca was my suitemate in residence that year, and Rachel visited Ottawa while on exchange in Utah. The following year I went to their university in Norwich to study abroad.

the perfect size

The four of us spent Friday and Saturday doing all the typical sights in Paris - the musée d'Orsay, Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral, Versailles palace, the Eiffel Tower, while enjoying the crèpes, quiches, tartiflette reblochon, fondues and wines that make french gastronomy famous. Staying in the latin quarter was great. It was only a 5 minute walk to Notre-Dame, and quite close to rue Mouffetard, the oldest street in Paris I believe. 

Unfortunately the weather wasn't overly cooperative - it was foggy most of the time we were there. But the advantage of going in the winter was a limited number of tourists. I can't imagine how busy everything must be in the summer. 

Saturday night Georgie and I ventured back to the Eiffel Tower and saw the light show at midnight. It was dazzling. There is something about Paris, the "je ne sais quoi" that other cities don't have. 

The Hall of Mirrors at Versailles

Georgie had to leave early Sunday, but R, R, and I managed to fit in a good long visit to the Louvre in the morning, before I headed back to Roissy-Charles de Gaulle in the afternoon. The Mona Lisa of course captures a lot of attention but the sheer number of fabulous works of art is breathtaking. It would take many visits to appreciate everything. I particularly enjoyed the royal apartments that are decorated in the mid-1800's style. 

Then back to Casa to catch up on some much needed sleep, and get back into the groove at work. There's nothing like a four-day weekend to reinvigorate you. This was my last European adventure while I am interning in Morocco, though it isn't the end of my travels.