Global Youth Economic Opportunities Conference
YFS Videos
Video interviews with practitioners about what worked and what did not in designing and delivering financial services for youth.
Mohamed S. Al-Lai, Al Amal Microfinance Bank, Yemen
Founder and CEO of Al-Amal Microfinance Bank, Mohamed s. Al-Lai provides a brief overview of the bank, the first in the region to target women and children with savings and loan products. Mohamed addresses identification and collateral challenges the bank had to overcome working with women and youth. Special consideration is given to challenges overcome within the bank, such as youth-training and a redefinition of the notion of risk.
Kimanthi Mutua, K-Rep Group, Kenya
CEO of the K-Rep Group, Kimanthi Mutua, discusses the two youth financial products offered: Youth Enterprise Support for new entrant entrepreneurs in Kenya aged 18-35, and Go Girl, which provides savings accounts to vulnerable adolescent girls as a means to develop financial knowledge and discipline.
Ali Faroun, Palestinian Monetary Authority
Ali Faroun, Director of Consumer Relations and Market Conduct at the PMA, discusses the financial education initiative headed under his departments within the PMA and in cooperation with ESAF to raise the knowledge and understanding of financial products and services among Palestinians, especially in rural settings.
Beth Porter, United Nations Capital Development Fund
Beth Porter, policy coordinator for financial inclusion at UNCDF, discusses her work developing UNCDF's capacity in policy arenas for financial inclusion. The urgent need for equipping youth with the appropriate tools to take advantage of existing opportunities is emphasized, as is the importance of access to the broad range of financial services (insurance, savings, credit, payments etc.) that financial inclusion encompasses.
Corrinne Ngurukie, YouthSave, USA
Corrinne Ngurukie, Africa Regional Technical Advisor, explores how Save the Children's YouthSave project aims to understand whether and how the provision of sustainable savings to young people changes or improves the lives of youth.
Nick Cain, Vittana, USA
Nick Cain, International Partnerships Manager for Vittana, discusses the dual roles of Vittana as an engine for developing financial products (student loans), and as a person to person funder via its website, vittana.org. Specifics of how "risk-tolerant" capital provided by individual social investors around the world provide the capital Vittana's microfinance partners need for making student-centered education loans in the developing world is outlined with examples from actual students.
Ben Shell, Women’s World Banking, Mongolia
Ben Shell shares key lessons learned regarding the development of a youth savings product for girls between the ages of 7 and 24 in Mongolia. Specifically, Ben highlights the ways in which Women's World Banking adapted their market research tools to be more youth friendly and the role that appropriate marketing plays when developing financial products for young people.
David Mukaru, Equity Bank, Kenya
David Mukaru of Equity Bank outlines the tremendous opportunity for reaching out to 75% of Kenya's population, youth under 30. In addition to describing the challenges and adaptations Equity Bank underwent to better reach and serve youth, David outlines the business case for offering youth-inclusive financial products by outlining the benefits youth bring to product development and laying the foundation for long-lasting relationships.
Chandula Abeywickrema, Hatton Bank, Sri Lanka
Chandula Abeywickrem describes how Hatton Bank (HNB) of Sri Lanka links youth and rural poor to financial services through both formal and informal avenues. By investing in entrepreneurs at a young age, HNB believes that they are shaping loyal customers who will ensure sustainability of the program as they graduate from microfinance to larger loans.
Claudia Pompa, Fundación Paraguaya, Paraguay
Fundación Paraguaya's unique approach to providing youth in Paraguay with financial services includes imparting them with the necessary tools to better “navigate the system.” Credit officers receive special training on how to effectively communicate with young people, understand their needs, and relate to young clients’ sense of timing.
David James-Wilson, Hillside Family of Agencies, USA
David James-Wilson of Hillside Family of Agencies advises the youth-inclusive financial sector to recognize the similarities between young clients and adults, particularly in regards to the questions being asked in the initial stages of market research. However, thorough processes must be established in order to enact even the smallest adaptations to products that will better meet young people’s needs.
Famari Barro, Plan USA, Niger
Youth microfinance clients of Plan Niger self-organize into groups of 15-25 people, replicating the village saving loan methodology used for women’s groups. Famari Burro, Plan USA, shares lessons learned from Plan Niger’s pilot program, including the need to involve youth in project designs and the importance of providing appropriate training when working with young populations.
Farzana Kashfi, BRAC, Bangladesh
BRAC’s Social & Financial Empowerment of Adolescents (SoFEA) program offers a holistic approach to financial services, supplementing savings and credit products with a “club,” where adolescent female clients have a safe place to meet and access books, games, life skills courses, and livelihood training. Results from the pilot test indicate that, on average, clients participating in the SoFEA program feel a stronger sense of control over their loan, are more likely to continue with the program, and are able to successfully increase the size of their loan.
John Guerra, DUTO, Colombia
John Guerra of DUTO in Colombia shares his insight on the trials and gratification of being a young entrepreneur. Guerra’s passion for designing technological solutions to benefit society has led to the development of the revolutionary system, IRIS, which allows visually impaired people to see colors and shapes with their hands.
Karen Austrian, Population Council, Kenya
Population Council is working with two banks in Kenya to develop, pilot and roll-out a group based savings account for adolescent girls. Karen Austrian expounds on the challenges of working with financial institutions, particularly during the pilot phase of the project, when the path to financial sustainability is not yet apparent.
Lara Storm-Swire, Pro Mujer, Bolivia
Lara Storm-Swire highlights the challenges faced by Pro Mujer’s Youth Solidarity Group program in Bolivia, which offers credit to young people by inserting groups of 4-6 youth into existing Pro Mujer adult communal banks. Results from the pilot test and roll-out shed light on the many differences between youth and their adult counterparts, leading Pro Mujer to reassess whether combining the two segments is the most effective way of addressing their needs.
Shahana Nazneen, Save the Children, Bangladesh
Shahan Nazneed of Save the Children shares lessons learned from market research on group savings for adolescent girls in Bangladesh. In addition to stressing the importance of training officers on how to appropriate communicate with young people, she strongly recommends that both parents and community members be educated on the benefits of the products.
Kate Waiganjo, K-Rep Bank, Kenya
Kate Waiganjo, Customer Service and Product Development Specialist, shares experiences from K-Rep Bank's Go-Girl product in Kenya. Through the provision of a safe space to save and complementary non-financial services, K-Rep encourages healthy living and spending habits in young women between the ages of 9 and 18. In this short clip, Kate speaks with Go-Girl clients about their saving habits.
