Related Materials
Highlight Paper: Microfinance & Disability [coming soon]
Microfinance from the point of view of women with disabilities: lessons from Zambia and Zimbabwe, By Cindy Lewis [PDF 184KB]
Private Sector Development Forum 2006

Abstract

“Access for all” is a much used slogan in microfinance. However, still very few disabled persons have access to microfinance services.  Disabled persons, their advocates and donors have begun to demand better access to mainstream microfinance services without understanding some “rules of the game” such as MFIs charging market interest rates on loans and the practice of strict screening of clients. Conversely, MFIs tend not to have much information about disability and how to better serve this segment. Therefore, what we are facing is a situation of asymmetric information where both sides will gain from awareness building and information dissemination. In the following we try to initiate a much needed discussion aiming at building a bridge between the microfinance and disability communities. We advocate a win-win situation.

Agenda

Disability & Microfinance: Framing the Issue
[ppt - 56 KB]
By Roy Mersland (‘20)

Twin-tracking to promote increased access of people with disabilities to economic empowerment opportunities
[ppt - 3.9 MB]
By Enzo Martinelli (‘15)

Microfinance and Disability: Where can this relationship go?
[ppt - 42 KB]
By Mike Goldberg (‘5)

Microfinance for the Disabled: Direct Action through Benchmarks and Best Practices
[ppt - 113 KB]
By Christopher Magarian (’15)

Q&A (‘35)

Speakers:

Roy Mersland is a microfinance specialist with more than 15 years of extensive management and consulting practice from Latin America, Africa, Asia and Europe. Mr. Mersland holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the Federico Santa Maria University in Chile, campus Ecuador and a Master of Business and Marketing degree from the Norwegian School of Management. Besides working as a consultant he is also Research Fellow at Agder University College in Norway. He recently wrote the report “Microcredit for self-employed disabled persons in developing countries” available at www.microfinancegateway.org/p/site/m/template.rc/1.9.24229/.

Enzo Martinelli has been working for 17 years in Italy and in the UK for various international development organizations. His areas of expertise include microenterprise development, international trade, disability issues and human rights promotion.  Enzo has worked in West Africa and South America as ACRA’s Regional Manager and later worked for PLAN International UK as Program Funding Manager for child-focused programs worldwide. He spearheaded fair trade in Italy and later established a producer support network in Latin America and East Africa for FLO.  Since 2003 Enzo has been working for LCI as Resource Development Manager and a year ago started supervising the new Regional Program for Latin America.

Michael J. Goldberg, World Bank Staff, Sr. Private Sector Development Specialist from September 01, 1999. Previous assignments: LCS-LCR Sector Units, Private Sector Cluster as Sr Private Sector Development Specialist; PSD-Private Sector Development Department, Small Enterprise Development Unit as Private Sector Development Specialist; PSD-Private Sector Development Department, Small Enterprise Development Unit as Private Sector Development Specialist; and CGP-Consultative Group for Assistance to the Poor, Consultative Grp to Assist Poor.

Christopher Magarian is Director, Finance Group, for Japonica InterSect, a global benchmarking and best practice research firm focusing on developing economies.  He has overseen the firm’s 60% productivity growth in the first quarter 2006.  Mr. Magarian also administers Community Micro-Commerce, an entrepreneurial co-venture between the CAKE Foundation (parent of Japonica InterSect) and Pyunic, the Armenian Association for the Disabled.  CMC’s objectives include advocacy and technical assistance, business development services, job training and placement, and microfinance.  Prior to joining Japonica, Mr. Magarian traded equity options on the floor of the American Stock Exchange.  He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania.