Microenterprise & Development Institute-New Hampshire (MDI-NH)
The 2008 MDI-NH Program Sheet (PDF 93 kb) is now available for download.
Founded in 1999, the MDI-NH is held each June in New Hampshire, and focuses on both financial and non-financial practitioner skill building with emphasis on "Double Bottom Line" approaches to address the needs of poor families, their communities and building sustainable microenterprise development institutions.
The Microenterprise and Development Institute - New Hampshire is distinguished as a program dedicated to building financial as well as social capital. The institute recognizes the challenge to practitioners in the field of Microenterprise in being able to find a balance between these two important interests that will stimulate sustainable growth, and aims at providing practitioners with an intensive learning opportunity for exploration of current topics with fellow practitioners and experts from around the world.
Participants in the MDI-NH will also get an opportunity to learn from some of the top practitioners in the field and network with peers from all over the world. In the past nine years of the institute in New Hampshire and three in South Africa, we have trained more than 800 practitioners from approximately 100 countries and 500 INGO's, NGO's MFI's, Universities, Banks and other organizations. The MDI serves as a significant professional development training opportunity to the field.
The Microenterprise and Development Institute is designed for Microenterprise Managers, Executive Directors, Program Directors, NGO managers and CEOs, Financial Managers, Operations Managers, Board Members from Micro Finance NGOs, Credit Unions, Banks, and other Micro Finance institutions, staff from State and National governments, Donors of Micro Finance institutions, Regulators, Policy decision makers and newcomers to the field. Students have come from five continents, providing a unique opportunity for learning and networking with a diverse group of fellow practitioners.
Courses taken in the MDI can be used to earn up to six academic credits toward the 39 credits required for a master's degree in Community Economic Development (CED) at Southern New Hampshire University. Fees are $200 for three academic credits and $400 for six academic credits.
Earn a Masters Degree
Southern New Hampshire University's School of CED, located in Manchester, New Hampshire, USA is the oldest graduate program of its kind in the United States. Those students who garnered academic credits through their participation in MDI courses and who seek a graduate degree can apply to the School of CED's low-residency Summer Intensive Program based in Manchester, N.H. Our fully accredited 13-month intensive master's degree program requires that students spend only two six-and-a-half week summer sessions in class in the United States; between summers they take courses online and carry out a project in their home communities. The program is designed to serve practitioners committed to social change and interested in gaining skills, forming networks and learning from the experience of others. For additional information visit www.snhu.edu/ced
Take MDI Courses Online
In response to the demand for flexible program delivery, the School for CED is now online. The Graduate Certificate in Microfinance Management (GCMM) program is the first of its initiatives. While maintaining the same internationally recognized quality curriculum and faculty, some of the MDI courses will now be offered online in a format that allows Microfinance practitioners from anywhere to attend and study at their own pace. This certificate course offers a dual pricing system to meet the needs of those who want to earn academic credit and those who only want to participate in the course. GCMM will be practitioner friendly and offer a dynamic learning and sharing platform.For additional information on the GCMM, please contact Dr. Puneetha Palakurthi at p.palakurthi@snhu.edu
Registration occurs in two steps:
1. Completion of a short Registration Survey which will ask you for information on your experience, sponsorship and other background.
2. Completion of the Full Registration Application. A link will be provided for you after you submit your completed Registration Survey.
You may register for one or two weeks of the Institute. You can register for only one Knowledge Track per week (Pro-Poor Enterprise Development, Microfinance or Community Economic Development) but you can switch track between weeks if prerequisites are observed. Applicants will be notified no later than April 30, 2008 of class availability. Please visit the MDI-NH Enrollment & Costs for complete registration and payment details.
To make it possible for more African practitioners to attend the MDI the institute has been offered in Africa since 2004. Rotating venues include South Africa, Tanzania (Zanzibar December 2007) and Ghana (April 2008). With a global perspective on economics and social change, the MDI Africa has a primary focus on African based development models and offers highly practical courses in Microfinance, Pro Poor Enterprise and community economic development. We organize the Institute in partnership with regional networks such as the Association of Microfinance Institutions of South Africa (AMFISA) and the Ghana Microfinance Institutions Network (GHAMFIN). Visit the MDI website for the latest Institute venues and offerings.
Together with its affiliated Center for Community Economic Development, SNHU has helped create new institutions and models of CED, including three new community development financial institutions and 'Working Capital', the largest peer lending microfinance program in the United States. In 2000 the School of CED, in a partnership with the Open University of Tanzania, inaugurated the first Master's in Community Economic Development on the African Continent. In 2004 and 2006 with co-sponsorship of the University of Limpopo (formerly the University of the North) and the Small Enterprise Foundation we offered the Microenterprise and Development Certificate in Limpopo province which was attended by more than 150 students. In 2007 with the support of the Association of ProPoor Microfinance Institutions in South Africa (AMFISA) and the Ford Foundation we brought the African based Institute to Johannesburg.
- Education promotes critical thinking and empowers the learner to act effectively.
- Experience is a rich resource for learning. Participants' prior experience is integrated into the learning process.
- The participants play an active role in the planning, implementation and evaluation of his or her learning experience.
- Cultural diversity and a respect for cultural diversity enhance the learning process and is an integral part of CED practice.
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