Approach #2

Contact people and organisations in your List A partner area to help identify CBOs worth supporting

My draft thinking in general for Approach #2 (to be included in the WWC: User's Manual) is as follows:

• If you belong to any worldwide organisations (e.g. Rotary, Scouts, YWCA, faith groups etc) that may have branches in your partner area, consider contacting them directly or via their national structure. This can be done simply to elicit information or part of a proposed twinning arrangement between two groups sharing common beliefs, interests or experiences.
• If there are international students or local residents with family members living in or near your partner area, consider approaching them about how best to make useful contacts there.
• Use the internet or members of the international community to find out how to contact the local media in your partner area. Send messages to explain what you are trying to do and ask for help in contacting CBOs in your Partner area that need support.
• Use the local media in your own List B area to publicise your aim of supporting projects in your partner area and to recruit others to your cause.

I think all of these versions of "Establishing contact points between partner areas (Approach #2)" can be considered as feasible options when applied to those whose interest is primarily in supporting microfinance schemes in WWC area #1412.

A little English-language googling has revealed no obvious links via worldwide organisations. There appear to be two branches of Rotary International in Niger, one of which is not in Niamey and the other I've failed to locate. There is a Scouting movement in Niger but I cannot easliy find any details. Faith group links might offer the best hope for making useful contacts, though bear in mind that 80% of the population is Muslim.

Even if contacts are made, knowledge about microfinance in Niger seems a pretty rare commodity. I came across this letter (albeit five years old now) in 'Grameen Dialogue - Issue 55` that suggests that even when people seem to be fairly well placed to know about any microfinance developments, either little information is circulating or little microfinance is actually being undertaken:

Curious About Microcredit in Niger

Hi, my name is Yoshihito Kawakami. I am now working in Niger as community development facilitator as a member of the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV)).

I just wanted to know if there is a micro credit program or any organization in Niger. If you send me any information about microcredit program in Niger, I would really appreciate it.

I just finished reading autobiography of Prof Yunus today. I was really moved. I can say it was one of the best books I ever read in my life.

Yoshihito Kawakami

Email: happybackpacker@hotmail.com

May 10, 2003

All in all, I wonder whether Approach #2 (Making direct contacts to discover information) might work better in places more remote than Niamey (when other approaches might be complete non-starters) or in places much less remote (where the web is awash with possible microfinance schemes to support, but where it is hard to "see the wood for the trees" and discern those most deserving of or needing support)