Course Graduates Spearhead Localization Activities

The third “Training of Trainers Course on Microfinance” (MFToT) began at the TDLC on August 3, 2006, incorporating new approaches to broaden its impact on building training capacity in Asia. Newcomers India, Pakistan and China joined Sri Lanka, Vietnam, the Philippines and Japan for the opening videoconference session connecting via the GDLN, with Beijing bridging to the China Development Bank’s national network to further expand the course’s reach. The session was also webcast live through the internet for the first time.

The MFToT Course, first conducted in February 2005, takes an innovative approach blending various technologies such as CD-ROMs, the internet and videoconferencing. With 46 certified trainers of microfinance to its credit, the success of the course has already been demonstrated, with trainers now working to organize local courses in their own languages.

For this series, the World Bank Institute (WBI) joined the TDLC and Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) as co-sponsor. One of the original sponsors, the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), which created the Microfinance Distance Learning (MFDL) text and CD-ROM, will continue to support the course by providing learning material.

In preparing for the third series, an announcement of the course on the ADBI and TDLC websites was combined with an on-line survey to assess demand, resulting in an expression of interest from over 250 people from 50 countries. Of the 150 who were interested in taking the course for trainer accreditation, 78 participants from 18 countries were selected based on the course’s relevance to their jobs, commitment to train others in the future, etc..

The first videoconference featured Ms. Heather Clark, International Microfinance Consultant, who connected from Turin, Italy to speak on “Commercial Microfinance”. Ms.Clark introduced the basic principles of commercial microfinance and pointed to six lessons learned from early adopters, including emphasis on customers, not donors. Questions were taken from all sites, as well as over the internet. Many expressed concerns over profitability and competition overriding goals of helping the poor, while a participant from Tokyo asked what role donors should assume in light of the growth of commercial microfinance. “Donors need to be careful when a country is developing a commercial microfinance initiative” answered Ms.Clark. “The donor must not undermine natural competition and distort the market”.

The audience for this session set a new record for the course. In China alone, 160 participated in Beijing, Shaanxi and Chongqing, with 150 participants joining from 28 sites within the China Development Bank’s network. Webcasting allowed participants from countries such as Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan to join the session as well, and many took advantage of the “chat room” attached to the cast to resolve technical problems among themselves or with help from tutors and TDLC staff.

Three more videoconference sessions are scheduled throughout the course, supplemented by e-discussions facilitated with the support of the WBI Multimedia Center. Four “graduates” from previous MFToT courses, who have been invited back to serve as tutors, will be moderating the discussions.

“Graduates” have assumed a vital role in expanding capacity building activities in their own countries. In Vietnam, localization of the course is moving ahead under the leadership of Ms. Minh Thai, the best participant from the first course and a tutor for the second. The MFDL course will be translated into Vietnamese to provide local training for microfinance practitioners.

The first videoconference from the Third MFToT course is available here as an archived webcast.

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ADBI UNCDF