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The Microfinance Pasifika Network is an alliance of institutions committed to supporting disadvantaged people in the Pacific to improve their quality of life, through the provision of inclusive and sustainable financial services such as savings, credit, remittances and payment services and insurance...News
PFIP: Mobile Money Gets Coverage in Vanuatu
Over 30 representatives from a broad range of organizations recently met in Port Vila to learn more about mobile money solutions and share ideas on how it could be set up in Vanuatu. This information exchange was organized by the Pacific Financial Inclusion Programme (PFIP) in Partnership with the Reserve Bank of Vanuatu. The meeting was attended by the Governor of the Reserve Bank, Mr. Odo Tedi, as well as representatives from commercial banks, Microfinance institutions, telecos, civil society organizations, government officials and donor agencies all of whom can play a role on setting up mobile money solutions.
ANZ Launches Financial Literacy Program in the Pacific
ANZ today launched a new financial literacy program in Fiji, for Pacific staff and their communities to improve their financial skills, knowledge and confidence.
Poor Decision Lead To Debt: ANZ Bank Manager
People in Fiji have a hard time identifying what their needs and wants are, and that is why so many people end up borrowing from loan sharks and never get out a cycle of debt, says ANZ Corporate Responsibility manager Vosawale Tamani.
MFPN Members attended a Microfinance and Clean Energy Workshop
In the first week of December 2009, MFPN member microfinance institutions from Fiji (Fiji Council of Social Services Microfinance and National Centre for Small and Micro Enterprise Development), Samoa (South Pacific Business Development and Women in Business Development) and Vanuatu (Vanwods Microfiance, Inc.) attended the “Pacific Renewable Energy and Microfinance” workshop in Suva, Fiji.
Marcella Willis' Report on the Microfinance Investments In Asia Conference (26th - 27th January 2010)
Marcella Willis is the UNCDF Chief Technical Advisor for the Inclusive Finance for the Under-served Economy (INFUSE) programme in Timor-Leste. She recently attended the Microfinance Investments in Asia conference held in Singapore from 26th - 27th January 2010. She agreed to share her thoughts and experience with her microfinance colleagues in the Asia Pacific region.
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VANWODS MFI Finances VANPEA'S Lighting Vanuatu Project
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n December 2009, VANWODS Microfinance Inc. in partnership with Vanuatu Renewable Energy and Power Association (VANREPA) organised the import of 3700 units of renewable energy lights for their “Lighting Vanuatu Project”.
Margaret Bohn, VANWODS Board of Trustees Chair, stated at a low key ceremony at the container park at Star Wharf that "VANWODS is facilitating Lighting Vanuatu, not only in terms of visual lighting but strategically in terms of education and social transformation.”
Winnie from VANREPA also attened the ceremony where she cut the ribbon to open the container load of lights for VANWODS Mamas and the public.
In the official opening of the container, David Stein of VANREPA acknowledged the confidence of the VANWODS Board of Trustees enabling VANREPA to import the first container load of lighting Units. He further elaborated that the VANREPA –VANWODS partnerships work in supporting homes in Vanuatu to move away from kerosene based lighting to solar powered lighting, would provide an important contribution to the economy of Vanuatu.
The small gathering of VANREPA and VANWODS staff raised a toast to the partnership in celebration of the arrival of the first container load of solar lighting.
In the ten days between December 15th and Christmas 2009, VANWODS and VANREPA moved 2,500 of the solar lighting Units to various homes in Efate, Santo and Malekula.
The solar lights not only provide lighting but also charge up mobile phones. The cost is an affordable 6,000 vatu per unit. Only nine hundred units remain available for public acquisition either from VANREPA in Vila or VANWODS Malekula, VANWODS Santo or VANWODS Head Office in Port Vila.
Vanwods staff were also part of the Pacific Renewable Energy & Microfinance Training held in Fiji in December 2009. The VANWODS PREM participants said the workshop was timely as the VANWODS Mamas had passed a resolution at their stakeholders meeting in July 2009 that a new loan product should be developed to finance the purchase of solar lights in order to assist mamas in reducing electricity bills, reduce fire hazard and enable children to have reading lights to promote education. The knowledge and training obtained from the PREM workshop will assist the VANWODs officers complete a needs analysis exercise for their clients to determine their other renewable energy needs.