Events

The last four African Microfinance Conferences in South Africa, 2003, Capetown,2005 Uganda, 2007 and Burkinafaso in 2009 have created a firm belief and experience that such a conference every two years adds value to the growth of Microfinance on the continent of Africa. It was on the basis of the reaction and the evaluation of the 2009 conference that we started planning the 2011 conference. We are really proud to bring the fifth African Microfinance Conference in Addis Ababa, the vibrant and exciting capital city of Ethiopia. The envisaged setting and planned programme of the conference creates an atmosphere fostering good discussion and events.

The theme of the 2011 conference, “ The Future of Inclusive Finance in Africa “ is a real and forward looking theme. According to ACCION International, inclusive finance is about all people who can access and use quality financial services at affordable price, in a convenient manner and with dignity for the clients. It means carefully considering the needs of different categories of clients, encourages participation of variety of actors in the sector. It is about democratizing the benefits of financial services and generating economic citizenship. Inclusive finance is an innovative approach and considers rural-urban dimension but also considers the disadvantaged groups of the society like disabled people. Inclusive finance has become a timely issue drawing the attention of practitioners but also other stakeholders. The G-20 has launched Financial Inclusion Expert Groups. Moreover, the UN is also interested in this issue and has appointed the Princess Maxima of the Netherlands as its Special Advocate. Papers are being published and conferences are held around the world on these issues. Africa needs to debate on this issue and clarify its position. With this conference, we want to bring the delivery of financial services to the excluded population of Africa to the forefront.

Half of the world's 6 billion people are below the age of 25. Eighty-five per cent of these young people live in the developing world and face limited opportunities for education, asset building and employment. Making Cents International, along with a growing cadre of international and local organizations including BRAC and the SEEP Network, believes that providing young people with tailored financial services at the right times in their lives and with the right support services can help them improve their education and livelihoods in the short term, and position themselves for more sustainably productive lives in the long term.

Starting now, we’re accepting applications for the upcoming Global Youth Summit 2011, which will take place in the UK from 13-19 November. The call for applications is open for social entrepreneurs, community activists and volunteers aged 16-19 from around the world.

Click here for details and for the online application form.

If you’re already a Changemaker who has taken part in one of our summits, you can apply for one of the positions as peer facilitator.

Please note that the application deadline is 24 July 2011!

This year, we’re mixing up our annual Zeitgeist conferences with the launch of Young Minds, a competition hosted by youth engagement agency Livity, supported by Google and hosted on YouTube. Starting this week, we’re searching for 12 inspirational young people who are making an impact on their world to attend Zeitgeist Americas 2011—our annual gathering of 400+ businesses and thought leaders from across the continent held each year in Paradise Valley, Ariz. 

The winners will be invited to the two-day event, where they’ll take part in a series of tailored master classes hosted by Google and meet some of the most powerful and thought-provoking people on the planet. We want the pioneers, changemakers and leaders of tomorrow to take their place alongside the greatest minds of today and use Zeitgeist as a springboard from which they can continue to do amazing things to make the world a better place.

The Young Minds competition is open to people aged 18-24 from the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina. For your chance to win a slot at Zeitgeist Americas 2011, go to www.zeitgeistyoungminds.com

2011 iEARN NATURAL DISASTER YOUTH SUMMIT (NDYS), JULY 17-23, 2011. 

Registration Closed for the 7th Natural Disaster Youth Summit, July 20, 2011, Kaohsiung, Taiwan: Thank you for your interest in NDYS. We are expecting your participation next year.  The Natural Disaster Youth Summit is a year round project in which students learn how to cope with natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, wildfires, floods, hurricanes, landslides, tsunamis, droughts and so on through communication and collaboration with global friends. This year, we will have a one-day-gathering in Kaohsiung, Taiwan with the support of NDYS Taiwan members. Please feel welcome to get involved in year-round school-based and online activities!  You can introduce original activities at your school related to disaster reduction or climate change.  Read More >

(Cross-posted from the