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Learning is an Afterthought at Most Donor-Funded Programs: Here’s How to Make it a Priority
Despite the millions of dollars funders spend on it each year, learning remains a low priority within donor-funded programs. Why? According to Anne Maftei at the Mastercard Foundation Rural & Agricultural Finance Learning Lab, it's because these programs are built for implementation rather than knowledge creation. But while this is understandable, it's not ideal – Maftei explores ways funders can make learning less onerous and more useful for their partner organizations.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment
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Navigating the Informal Economy Is Vital for Africa’s Rural Youth: How Do We Help Them Do That?
Growing the formal employment sector is vital to the long-term health of African economies, but it’s not generating jobs fast enough for young people just entering the workforce. A partnership between the Mastercard Foundation and TechnoServe has provided training and mentorship to nearly 69,000 young people across rural Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda by helping them navigate existing opportunities in the informal sector. Chris Donohue at TechnoServe shares how helping young people build multiple sources of income is creating meaningful change in their lives.
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- Entrepreneurship
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Next-Generation African Leaders Announced As Winners Of The Resolution Social Venture Challenge
Winning projects address a wide range of challenges Scholars have observed first-hand in their communities, including financial literacy among rural women, access to nutritious foods in orphanages, and safe and affordable biomedical devices to reduce the impact of preventable diseases.
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- Entrepreneurship
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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The Superplatforms are Coming … And They Will Transform Financial Inclusion
With their big brands, big budgets and big data, superplatforms like Google, Amazon, Facebook and Alibaba already know more about most banks’ customers than the banks themselves. As these internet giants make increasing inroads into financial services, what are the implications for low-income customers – and their existing providers? David Porteous of BFA and Olga Morawcynski of MasterCard Foundation explore how these platforms are reshaping the face of financial inclusion around the world.
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- Finance, Technology
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Winners of 2018 Resolution Social Venture Challenge announced
A total of 30 teams of Mastercard Foundation Scholars gathered in Kigali, Rwanda to compete in the challenge, for a fellowship that includes seed funding, mentorship, and access to a network of innovators seeking global change through high impact community projects.
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- Entrepreneurship
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Press release: IFC, Mastercard Foundation present key tool to expand digital financial inclusion
“Agent banking and mobile money have begun to transform the financial landscape in many African markets, and there is an increasing body of evidence to show that this has real, positive impact on people’s lives and livelihoods,” said Riadh Naouar.
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- Finance
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Report: Mobile Money Driving Financial Inclusion in sub-Saharan Africa
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, together with the Mastercard Foundation, have released a new report today, 16 May 2018 in Nairobi, documenting the transformation underway in financial inclusion in sub-Saharan Africa.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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How a Foundation is Looking to Help Millions of Young People Find Work in Africa
By 2035, there will be more young people entering Africa's workforce each year than in the rest of the world combined. Can that high-stakes challenge be solved with better training and education, savvy use of technology, and wider financial inclusion?
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa