Background
Goals and Objectives
Course Content
Course Description
Target Audience
Two Types of Certificate and Accreditation of Trainers
Costs, Fees and Sponsorship
Requirements of Participation
Important Dates for Videoconference
How to apply
Course Fee Payment
Background
Microfinance is recognized as an effective development intervention in enhancing access to financial services for low-income and poverty-level individuals. While there is great demand for microfinance services, the main constraint is not a lack of funds but a lack of capacity in operating a sustainable institution. To address this problem, the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), the World Bank Tokyo Development Learning Center (TDLC), which is a member of GDLN Asia Pacific, and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) launched the Microfinance Training of Trainers (MFTOT) Course in 2005. The interactive microfinance distance learning course (MFDL) developed by UNCDF is the core learning material for study.
Over the past three years, four courses were delivered successfully to the Asia and Pacific region and around the world. More than two thousand participants conducted self-study using the interactive e-Learning package and attended videoconference sessions. Over 400 participants received online tutoring for 11 assignments and took part in the final exam. Among them, a total of 224 in 28 countries were accredited to become a fully certified trainer of the UNCDF MFDL course. 15 top graduates from 9 developing countries including Cambodia, China, India, Lao PDR, Malawi, Mongolia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam were engaged to work as tutors for the courses, giving them further training on-the-job.
In 2007, the course materials (workbook and interactive CD-ROM) were translated from English into several local languages such as Chinese, Khmer, Lao, Thai, Vietnamese, Mongolian, and Bahasa Indonesia to increase accessibility. The local language versions will be used by certified trainers to meet learning demand at the grassroots level.
Goals and Objectives
MFTOT5 continues to pursue its goal to strengthen the institutional capacity of microfinance in the Asia Pacific Region by making high-quality microfinance training accessible to more decision-makers, professionals and practitioners in the field of microfinance; through increasing the number and country coverage of accredited microfinance trainers in the Asia Pacific region and around the world.
Course Content
The course consists of 3 modules and special topics in microfinance.
At the end of Module I (The World of Microfinance), participants will be able to:
- Describe fundamental concepts in microfinance
- Design client-focused services
- Apply effective microcredit methodologies
- Describe the effects of the local environment on microfinance
At the end of Module II (Financial Analysis), participants will be able to:
- Read financial statements
- Measure delinquency
- Identify key financial factors
- Identify effective interest rate practices
- Measure financial viability
At the end of Module III (Institutional Analysis), participants will be able to:
- Gauge institutional viability
- Strengthen relations between donors and microfinance institutions
Through interaction with experts in videoconference sessions on Special Topics in microfinance, participants will be able to broaden their understanding of key issues in microfinance.
Course Description
The course features a unique, blended approach consisting of:
- Self-paced study using the Microfinance Distance Learning (MFDL) package developed by UNCDF. The package will be available online at http://mftot.jointokyo.org. A CD-ROM version of the MFDL is also available.
- Online tutoring and e-discussion. Tutors will assist participants throughout the course in completing course assignments through grading and feedback. Online discussions will be moderated by the team leader of tutors.
- Meeting with international microfinance experts through four, 3-hour videoconference sessions at selected GDLN centers. The videoconference sessions will feature presentations and discussions on current issues and best practices in microfinance. The videoconferences will also be webcast live.
- Local courses in selected countries will be available during the same time period.
Target Audience
This course is aimed primarily at development practitioners, microfinance professionals, policy makers, donor staff, socially responsible investors, students, and others who want to improve their knowledge of best practices in microfinance. Participants who wish to develop their skills in delivering microfinance training and become fully certified trainers of the UNCDF course can earn accreditation by completing weekly assignments and the final examination for this course.
Two Types of Certificate and Accreditation of Trainers
Statistics of previous courses showed that submission of assignments and receiving online tutoring help participants to master the knowledge of best practice of microfinance. In MFTOT5, submission of assignments to a tutor will become mandatory for all participants. Two types of certificate will be available for participants depending on their learning objectives, level of commitment and performance.
Completion Certificate: Those who do not plan to become a certified trainer can earn a course completion certificate by submitting assignments to his/her tutor. They don't need to take the final exam. For earning the completion certificate, several local languages could be used for assignments if the local language version of CD-ROM and a country tutor are available. The learning material translation has been undertaken in China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam.
Accreditation Certificate: The accreditation is an important element of the course offering, and has great impact on the institutional capacity building for microfinance sector. Course participants will earn this certificate and become a fully certified trainer of the UNCDF MFDL course through submission of all assignments and final exam in English with quality up to a standard.
*Certificates will be issued electronically in PDF.
Costs, Fees and Sponsorship
The course organizers, in keeping with their development objectives, emphasize development impact and therefore attempt to deliver the course to the maximum number of qualified and interested participants. Accordingly they have sponsored much of the course costs in previous years. With the maturing of the course and the need to ensure sustainability, corporate sponsorship is now being sought.
The full course fee is $300 per participant. Trainees will be charged a nominal fee of $50 as in the previous year, while the remainder of the fee will, it is hoped, be met by sponsors. Sponsors may choose to pay for one or more trainees, or contribute towards the costs of the entire course. Trainees are also encouraged to seek local sponsors wherever possible.
Interested sponsors should contact Montira Narkvichien email: Montira@gdlnap.org
Requirements of Participation
To successfully complete the course, participants should have:
- English proficiency. Videoconference sessions and final examination will be conducted in English. For participants who wish to receive the accreditation certificate, English proficiency is crucial.
- Strong commitment and self-discipline. The course will require between 10-20 hours of self-study per week, depending on the participant's background in microfinance and language proficiency.
- Support from employer. To ensure that participants can devote enough time to the course activities, we encourage participants to seek endorsement from their employers.
In addition, participants will need:
- A computer with 486 processor using Windows 95 or later, with a CD-ROM drive, speakers or earphones, monitor of 800x600 resolution and at least 256 colors.
- An e-mail account
Important Dates for Videoconference
VC#1: July 16 (Wednesday), 2008
VC#2: August 28 (Thursday), 2008
VC#3: October 2 (Thursday), 2008
VC#4: October 30 (Thursday), 2008
Time: 2pm to 5pm Japan time
Visit http://www.worldtimeserver.com/meeting-planner.aspx to check your local time.
How to apply
Registration Period: May 15 - June 23, 2008
Step 1: Create your account
- Click here
- Fill in all the fields and click 'Create my new account'
Attention!: Fill in all the fields in English. The name on your certificate, which you receive upon completion of the course, will appear as registered in your profile.
- Upper and lower cases will be reflected.
- Names (First Name + Surname) should be no longer than 40 characters.
For example,
If the name registered in your profile is:
First Name: john
Surame: smith
Your name on the certificate will appear as
If the name registered is longer than 40 characters:
First Name: John Peter Frank Carl
Surname: Brown Green Smith Stafford Harris
Your name on the certificate will appear as
John Peter Frank Carl Brown Green Smith Staffor
- You will receive an email from the system. Click on the link provided in the email to activate your account.
Step 2: Enrol for the 5th Microfinance Training of Trainers Course
- Select 'The 5th Microfinance Training of Trainers Course (MFTOT5)'
- Choose 'Yes' to the question.
- Fill in the registration form at MFTOT5 course page
Course Fee Payment
Follow the payment instruction of your country. Participants are charged a nominal fee of $50 only.
| Country
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Payment Method
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| Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Lao PDR, Mongolia, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Thailand
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Payment to be made locally before or on July 16. Several payment methods, such as cash payment, money transfer and cheque will be available. The detailed instruction will be sent in late June by email.
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| Other countries
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Online Payment by June 30. The link to proceed with payment will be given when you have completed the Step 2 of How to appy.
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