Community Micro finance ,Volunteers Needed In Uganda

Internship
description

Volunteer Abroad in
Uganda| Volunteer at Microfinance Project| Microcredit Volunteering

Are you interested in
volunteering with microfinance project in Uganda? You can volunteer with
Community Microfinance Limited (CML) www.communityfinanceltd.com a small
institution which is striving to improve the lives of the low income earners
through training in microcredit, entrepreneurship, capacity building and
technical ass
istance in Micro financing. Community Microfinance Limited
operates a microfinance project in Wakiso District, Uganda. This provides
financial support to people who are unable to access mainstream banks. In
particular, CML microfinance project provides loans to low-income women, youth
and men in the district, allowing them to set up and to grow their small
enterprises. CML is continually striving to improve its work, volunteers and
interns’ can help make a very big difference within the administration,
communities and individual beneficiaries being served. CML is committed to
community and Entrepreneurial development through education, networking,
technical assistance, and training. Change the attitude of over 80% unemployed
youth from being job seekers to become job creators, Connecting mentors in our
communities with entrepreneurs in the same communities and improve the
entrepreneurial environment for the youth in Uganda.

Community Development refers to
activities that help build capacity and create the building blocks for lasting
change. It encompasses a wide variety of tasks. CML has also created another
volunteer organization called www.microfinancevolunteers.org this orgnization
is directly in charge of the volunteer activities and volunteers are not
limited to only microfinance activities.

Role of Volunteers or
Interns:

CML is currently working with
groups (women groups and/or small scale farmers, Youths groups) to access the
funds they need to create a stable income for themselves and their families. At
present, the program needs to be evaluated and improved so that it runs more
efficiently. An intern or volunteer with a background in business and
accounting, and with an interest in social entrepreneurship, is needed to
evaluate this program and provide recommendations for improvement.

Group financial and business management
training·

Work with CML and Groups and see how affordable
loans can be accessed for their activities.·

Design approaches for recovery of loaned funds
for CML or Groups·

Train group members on entrepreneurship and
business·

Helping in project proposal writing to
potential donors·

Assisting the community to initiate income
generating projects for sustainable development·

Assisting in brand design and Risk/portfolio
management for CML·

Train group members in record keeping·

Help do a feasibility study for the proposed
new branch·

Be part of the community sensitization
meetings·

Attending weekly and monthly meetings of the
local community groups·

Facilitating training, monitoring, and
evaluation·

Be in constant touch with the Field Officer
who is the manager of the group(s) and individual borrowers·

Assisting the field officers in their work of
helping the groups· with the
financial contributions as stipulated in their group constitution and money
lending to members

Checking on the eligibility of members seeking
loans from the local groups·

Writing weekly and monthly reports about the
financial flows of the groups·

Assisting in any legal requirement in case of
a default by any member·

Working with the group secretaries for any
letters or documents needed by the groups·

Assist in updating company website·

Any other ideas are welcome·

Impact:

The aim of this project is to
support the economic participation of women and youth, promote equality and
improve the welfare of the beneficiaries.

Why is this project
important?

Uganda is burdened by extreme
poverty and faces significant challenges as it tries to meet the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs). Microfinance is proven to be an effective and
efficient means to combat poverty. However, in Ugandaless than 3 million people
are currently benefiting from microcredit. Many more people could benefit from
this help and therefore it is important to expand microfinance programs in the
country.

How does the CML’s
microfinance project work?

We believe that our community
challenges need special attention and our products are tailored to creatively
meet these needs. CML has designed an In-Kind Youth Loan product that meets the
needs of the young entrepreneurs. CML is using a strategy that goes beyond
collateral to give community members an opportunity to have access to capital
and tools to use in their businesses. In Africa and other developing countries
having no access to capital is ranked number two among the most pressing needs
for businesses.

Many financial institutions do
not mind the fact that entrepreneurs need to be helped in idea generation.
Through our mentoring program we encourage young entrepreneurs on their journey
to their dream enterprises by attaching them to community members that have
weathered though the storms of setting up and running businesses.

Vision:-To be the preferred world-class
microfinance institution in Uganda

Mission:-To provide efficient, affordable,
innovative and sustainable, customer-focused financial services to the
underserved communities in Uganda.

CML GROUP LOAN

Community microfinance provides
loans to groups of 5-20 women, youth and men. Each member in the group has
his/her business idea appraised and receives five training sessions covering
topics such as, group dynamism, simple book keeping, loan management, business
plan, and cash flow management. These training sessions take place in the
community at a designated place of convenience to all members or at the branch
for those that stay close to our offices. All group members are required to save
money before they take the loan. Groups meet with a credit officer at least
once every month to review their progress. Repayments against loans are made
weekly, bi weekly and monthly by each group member. In cases where things are
not going well the group through its committee informs the credit officer who
convenes a meeting to resolve the problem.

SMALL BUSINESS LOAN (SBL)

This product targets Individual
Entrepreneurs who have been in business for more than one year and are seeking
for capital to boost their business.

IN-KIND LOAN

The conventional microfinance
institutions normally give loans in form of cash but this comes with its own
problems. CML has designed an in-kind loan product as a test to minimizing any
undesirable consequences that arise as result of giving cash especially to the
young entrepreneurs. This product mainly targets the young entrepreneurs that
have little or no experience of using borrowed funds. We mainly help our
clients acquire business assets such as motorcycles, solar, carpentry tools,
fridge, acquiring driving licenses, and any other business related assets.

COMMUNITY MICROFINANCE
YOUTH ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM

Community Microfinance Youth
Entrepreneurship Program (CMYEP) provides a unique experience for youth to take
an idea of their own and turn it into an actual business that serves their
community and also helps them have a livelihood. About 80% of the youth in
Uganda aged 35 are unemployed but this does not mean that they cannot engage in
meaningful production given an opportunity and those that have started
businesses do not cerebrate their first birthday. Our programming is built
around the idea that youth shouldn’t just learn the concept of entrepreneurship
-they should get the chance to put it into practice.

Our program provides youth with
the opportunity to engage in entrepreneurial efforts within their community to
create an economically self-sustaining community. Youth learn how to capture a
market share of their “micro-economy” (i.e. the money that circulates
in their environment), and they get to determine how to use the profits from
their businesses for re-investment and taking care of their everyday needs like
health feeding, and school fees. SOLAR
LOAN We have over the years realized that many of our clients
in the rural area face several challenges notably the lack of access to
electricity or other forms of power.About 20% of rural household budgets go to
paraffin, wax candles, and dry cells. This represents a million dollar
business, but it does not empower Uganda: the goods are imported, and the money
leaves the country. The country’s paraffin consumption for lighting alone is
1.7 million barrels of oil per day, greater than the oil production of Libya.
Our solar products help the community members live a better life. Volunteer Accommodation:The
accommodation is a volunteer house detached from the hosting family. The
volunteers will stay in the same complex with the hosting family. The distance
to the office is about half a kilometer and it is a walkable distance that
takes about 10 minutes. Language

Requirement: English Sex: Both, Age: 21+ Typical Volunteer Hours: Typically volunteers
have an average 5-8a day, 5 days a week. Volunteers may be needed evenings and
weekends. You can take long weekends to travel and explore Uganda, just let
your supervisor know in advance. We know that you are volunteering your
valuable time. Therefore, if you would like to volunteer for fewer hours, this
is ok. You can arrange this with your supervisor once in Uganda. Duration: 1 month + When: Year Round Asset Skills: Excellent
knowledge of accounting and business, especially social entrepreneurship and
other skills in finance.

Program Fees: (USD$) Placement Booking fee: USD$100
(non-refundable), paid upon acceptance into the program Fees Paid upon arrival in Uganda

1 week- $150

2 weeks- $ 200

3 weeks – $ 300

4 weeks- 400 Any additional week-
USD$100 Airport pickup fee: USD$60 What’s
included: Pre-departure support: You will have a staff member
available to support you throughout your time preparing to come to Uganda. In
addition, you will be provided with all the resources you need including your
Volunteer Information Pack. Accommodation (single or double occupancy in
shared, self catering apartment) Food (3 meals daily) Weekly Laundry and
cleaning Organization
placement Reference letter and/or compliance with your college
or university for course credit What’s
not Included