Summer Fellowships in Microfinance
CGAP and Grameen Foundation USA (GFUSA) are pleased to launch a Summer Fellowship in Microfinance program. The program will expose current and newly graduated students to various dimensions of the microfinance industry while providing participating organizations with vital intellectual and organizational support for their research and programmatic initiatives.
As many as 12 Summer Fellows will be selected to participate in the inaugural summer program. Fellows will participate in summer learning and networking sessions sponsored by CGAP and GFUSA. The sessions will include other fellows interning with ShoreBank International, The Microfinance Information eXchange, and The Calvert Foundation.
Who should apply?
Entry-level professionals, including recent college graduates, first-year master’s degree candidates, and recent master’s graduates may apply.
Candidates in the following fields are urged to apply: international economics, business, finance, international development, and social science (anthropology, sociology, and political science). Fluency in English is required, and languages such as Spanish, French, Arabic, or Chinese are advantageous.
Successful candidates will have excellent written and oral communications skills; business acumen; a strong commitment to the highest quality output; and the ability to take initiative, solve problems, and handle a variety of activities simultaneously in a fast-paced and hard-working environment. We seek high-energy candidates who are eager to learn and contribute substantively to the development of the microfinance industry.
The application process:
To apply, kindly submit a cover letter indicating your preferred assignment(s), along with a resume and three references (2 academic, 1 professional). Applications should be submitted online at ./.
All applications should be submitted by Wednesday, May 9, 2007.
Group interviews are expected to be held the week of May 21st.
Selections will be made by May 26th.
Summer Fellows begin assignments in June.
All Summer Fellowship opportunities are paid. Salary will be based on academic qualifications and experience.
Assignment: CGAP Poverty Team The Fellow will work with the CGAP poverty team to research and analyze the products, practices, delivery systems, and institutional structures of microfinance providers that are reaching very poor clients. Candidate providers will include those such as SEF in South Africa or institutions targeting the “ultra-poor” in India and Bangladesh that offer a special program, window or package of services to their poorest clients. They will also include institutions that assist very poor people to start successful livelihoods (whether such assistance is offered by the provider or a partner institution) as well as providing microfinance services.
Deliverables: The final product for the internship would be a description of the most promising programs identified, a typology of approaches, and an analysis of the relevance of these models to mainstream microfinance providers.
Qualifications: • First year master’s degree candidates, recent master’s graduates • No language requirements
Supervisor: Kate Mckee and Evelyn Stark
