In March 2017, MicroLead partners and financial inclusion experts met in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to share their project knowledge and experiences.

The core of the Peer Learning Workshop took insights from behavioral economics – including Human-centered Design (HCD) and other methods – to help financial service providers (FSPs) become more client-centered. For example, participants had a chance to actually practice rapid prototyping exercises and go into the field to test their work.

“I was excited to bring the Tanzanian perspective to the MicroLead programme," said Ivana Damjanov, MicroLead Programme Specialist, "by organizing sessions and panels that showcased examples of the Tanzanian experience in DFS and HCD as well as bringing in PSI which used HCD in its public health work and Shujaaz which targets youth and develops exciting new financial education for youth.”

“In the most recent conference, the highlight for me was the sense of community and the sense of achievement," said Prabhat Labh of The MasterCard Foundation (MCF). "The willingness to share and learn from each other was fantastic. And there were really cool sessions –on the matrix for alternative channels by the MIX, small balance deposit mobilization, and an interactive workshop on the Human Centered Design process. Developing those rapid prototypes was fantastic. The session on new approaches to delivering financial education was quite remarkable too, as well as all the tools and knowledge products that the MLE programme has developed.”

If you missed the conference, never fear! The presentations are online. And be sure to check out the video, below.

About MicroLead

MicroLead is a UNCDF-managed global initiative challenging regulated FSPs to develop and roll-out deposit services which respond to the rural vacuum of services. With the generous support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The MasterCard Foundation and the LIFT Fund in Myanmar, MicroLead works with a variety of FSPs and technical service providers to reach rural markets, particularly women, with demand-driven, responsibly priced products offered via alternative delivery channels such as rural agents, mobile phones, roving agents, point of sales devices and group linkages. This is combined with financial education, so customers not only have access but can effectively use quality services.

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