Our Spanish language Bulletin, called MicroEval: El Boletín de Evaluación de Impacto e Investigación del Mercado de Microfinanzas en América Latina, is available on the web site of SEEP Network, the association of North American private and voluntary organizations, which support micro and small enterprise programs and institutions in developing countries, www.seepnetwork.org/boletin-list.html.

For a 21 page document on IDEAS’ work in Latin America, you can download “New Approaches to Microfinance Client Assessment in Latin America.” This description of the work in Latin American in client impact and market research was written by Carter Garber and Brian Beard. It is available in English only.

The AIMS-SEEP Manual and tools can be downloaded free-of-charge in Spanish, English or French from www.usaidmicro.org/pubs/pubsTemplate.asp?page=/componen/aims/
pubs/english/toolsmanual-eng-fr-sp.htm. The Executive Director of IDEAS, Carter Garber was the Associate Editor and authored numerous parts of the manual, Learning from Clients: Assessment Tools for Microfinance Practitioners. Brian Beard wrote the sections on EPI Info 2000 and was assistant copy editor for the 2001 version.

The AIMS (Assessing the Impact of Microenterprise Services) Project background papers are available at www.usaidmicro.org/pubs/aims/. Carter Garber co-authored and contributed to some of the publications.

Team members have assisted a number of grantees from the ImpAct Programme, such as Sinapi Aba Trust in Ghana, and ODEF and Fundacion COVELO in Honduras. The Team Coordinator participated at the invitation of the ImpAct Programme at their annual meeting in Sheffield, England in April 2002. Brian Beard participated in the 2003 Annual Meeting in South Africa. The ImpAct Programme has a Bulletin in Spanish, French and English. This and other valuable publications can be found on www.imp-act.org.

The Imp-Act Programme has set up a joint page with CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poorest). This Impact Assessment Centre, designed for practitioners, donors, and academics, can be found at www.microfinancegateway.org/impact/index.htm. It has information on current issues, methodological advice, reports from experts, and resources.

The Imp-Act Programme grantees in Latin America have a Spanish language website at www.finrural-bo.org/impact.

MicroSave-Africa has an important website for those interested in market research and microfinance. It is www.MicroSave-Africa.com. MicroSave-Africa promotes the development of savings and other more client-responsive financial services among microfinance institutions. It has developed 18 tools and a curriculum, which the IDEAS team is helping to share in Spanish in Latin America. For documents in Spanish, see www.ideasnet.org/microsave_s.html.

Each June, the Microenterprise Development Institute of Southern New Hampshire University brings about 100 leaders in microfinance from around the world to take three weeks of courses in specialized areas of microfinance and business development services. Dr. Garber is the current chair of the Advisory Board and others IDEAS members, Dr. Puneetha Palakurthi and Gaamaa Hishigsuren, serve on the Board and teach in the Institute. IDEAS is an Institute sponsor and is assisting in the formation of a similar training in Latin America. For a list of courses and instructors, see www.mdi-nh.org.


For an IDEAS publication on how to use impact indicators in an MFI’s management information system, please see the presentation by Carter Garber, Brian Beard, and Gaamaa Hishigsuren at www.seepnetwork.org/pres/Garber-Hishigsuren-Beard.ppt.

Some IDEAS team members belong to the Client Impact Working Group (CIWG) of the SEEP Network. CIWG has supported our recent trainings in Nicaragua with the national network, ASOMIF, and has a section on the SEEP Network page, www.seepnetwork.org/ciwg.html.