Microfinance Volunteers is a Ugandan non-profit organization started in 2012. It is a partner organization to Community Microfinance Ltd (CML), a small Ugandan microfinance institution. The organization was founded by CMLs manager with two purposes; to help CML success in reaching its social goals and to create an international network.
As a microfinance institution, CML has a goal that is twofold; one that is profit oriented but also a social oriented mission. This double bottom line causes problems for many similar companies as it is hard to balance between maintaining social and financial efficiency. CMLs solution to the dilemma is to separate these two goals in two different organizations; CML that is run as a profit driven company and Microfinance Volunteers (MFV) that is a nonprofit organization. Many of the activities that the volunteers have engaged in is charity oriented and goes beyond the activities that a microfinance institution usually do. MFV thus provides a valuable complement to CML.
For small organizations such as CML, it is very valuable to share ideas and thoughts with individuals that have an outsider’s perspective on the business, and to get inspiration from other parts of the world. This is an opportunity that CML wants to share with more of its clients and network organizations. MFV has therefor grown to become a platform that connects volunteers with different organizations in the society. The scope of volunteer opportunities involves things such as working with microfinance organizations, teaching computer skills in community ICT center, training entrepreneurship to youth and women groups, working in health centers or schools and working with community environment initiatives or other community based organizations.
A volunteer program should of course be mutually beneficial and MFV international volunteers have travelled back with not only practical experience of microfinance but with new perspectives on life. Also local students have been helped through the program. Due to the high youth unemployment in Uganda, students find it hard to find opportunities for getting practical experience. A volunteer experience offers the students an opportunity to apply their knowledge on real cases and in addition provides the student with a network that can be used when looking for jobs.
Kindly note that we are just about to build a new website. In the meanwhile check out CMLs website and email us if you have any questions!
Microfinance Volunteers is a Ugandan non-profit organization started in 2012. It is a partner organization to Community Microfinance Ltd (CML), a small Ugandan microfinance institution. The organization was founded by CMLs manager with two purposes; to help CML success in reaching its social goals and to create an international network.
As a microfinance institution, CML has a goal that is twofold; one that is profit oriented but also a social oriented mission. This double bottom line causes problems for many similar companies as it is hard to balance between maintaining social and financial efficiency. CMLs solution to the dilemma is to separate these two goals in two different organizations; CML that is run as a profit driven company and Microfinance Volunteers (MFV) that is a nonprofit organization. Many of the activities that the volunteers have engaged in is charity oriented and goes beyond the activities that a microfinance institution usually…