MCPI attends Senegal Social Performance Task Force meeting

The Microfinance Council of the Philippines, Inc., represented by its Executive Director Allan Robert Sicat and the Program Manager for Capacity Building and Social Performance Management Therese Marie Rico, joined other members of the Social Performance Task Force (SPTF) in a week-long annual meeting last June 2 to 6 in Dakar, Senegal.

During the pre-meeting activities, Ms. Rico, along with representatives from other networks, shared updates on the implementation of the Social Performance Fund for Networks where technical assistance extended to Peoples Bank of Caraga, Inc. (PBC), AlalaysaKaunlaran, Inc. (ASKI), and Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation (NWTF) are on its final phase. Write-ups on the tools of ASKI, NWTF, and Community Economic Ventures, Inc. are on final review. MCPI was also invited to share its experience on the Beta Testing of the CERISE-SPI IV tool. The tool, which was employed in ASKI, provides a clearer process on how to go about an MFI’s gaps after assessment; and serves as a good basis in assessing the technical assistance needs of an MFI.

In the SPTF meeting, MCPI joined other microfinance stakeholder groups who took an in-depth look into case studies of MFIs implementing the Universal Standards for Social Performance Management. Sessions explored, among other things, new and emerging digital delivery channels and the issues they present in social performance such as in client protection and consumer education. The meeting also provided MCPI an insight on where it is compared to its global counterparts in terms of project implementation as other networks revealed similar challenges and successes.

Representatives of ASKI, NWTF, AhonsaHirap, Inc., the Center for Agriculture and Rural Development, Inc., and ECLOF Philippines attended the meeting.

SPTF also launched its Resource Centre and the new set of resources available for organizations to guide them in the implementation of USSPM. They can be accessed from this link.

sptfAttendees fill the conference room on the first day of the SPTF meeting proper.