Global Youth Economic Opportunities Conference
Blazing a Trail, Addressing Obstacles: Lessons from Save the Children and Foundation Zakoura’s Youth Microfinance and Training Program
This case study examines the challenges of Save the Children and Foundation Zakoura in implementing a USAID-funded financial services program for youth and the ways the institutions sought to address these challenges. This document examines the institutional, local market, and programmatic difficulties encountered, and offers recommendations and lessons learned.
Authors
The SEEP Network and Social Enterprise AssociatesAbstract
This case study details how the project unfolded, where challenges developed, and what hindered the LYKOM project from being as successful as it could have been, and makes recommendations for practitioners to use in their own pro¬grams. The primary audiences for this document are agencies involved in microfinance and microenterprise develop¬ment, particularly those interested in reaching new target populations or linking finance to supporting services, and the microfinance institutions (MFIs) with whom they partner. MFIs delivering integrated non-financial services along with finance, particularly those who are new to doing so, may also find this document of interest.
Some of the lessons and recommendations presented here may seem basic. However, this document chronicles two well-established, experienced organizations and a highly experienced donor, which despite their considerable knowl¬edge and skills, found themselves managing a challenging project. Readers should bear this in mind and consider what aspects of their own work might face similar obstacles.
