Poverty Assessment Tools - IDEAS has been selected as the lead trainer in 2005 for institutions that will perform the Practicality Tests for the new Poverty Assessment tools being designed for future USAID applicants. Recent US Congressional legislation mandated that half of USAID microenterprise funds assist the very poor. Thus, tools must be developed to measure which clients are very poor. IDEAS was selected as lead trainer by IRIS (the Center for Institutional Reform and the Informal Sector) at the University of Maryland. IRIS is developing the Poverty Assessment tool with USAID's Microenterprise Development division under the Enabling Environment component of the Accelerated Microenterprise Advancement Project ( AMAP). Starting in October 2006, all of the USAID applicants will need to use the final version of the tools. For more information, see www.povertytools.org

Recent International Contracts - During the last 12 months, IDEAS has had international contracts with 15 different institutions for consulting, training and technical assistance. These activities have taken place from the Philippines to Peru. Clients ranged from NGOs working in one country to large private voluntary organizations like CARE, which work in over 60 countries. Contract topics included due diligence for a lender, fair trade coffee, impact evaluation, market research, poverty assessment, impact assessment, institutional evaluations, women’s empowerment, formulating new tools, assisting local economic development, poverty reduction strategies, and assisting a donor to select grantees.

Clients find that one advantage in working with IDEAS is our ability to carry out complex projects throughout the world. For example, in 2004, IDEAS worked with World Vision US and World Vision International to carry out impact evaluations in Ghana, Guatemala, and the Philippines. At the same time, IDEAS conducted institutional assessments of the MFIs that were started by World Vision in two of the countries. The evaluations helped the MFIs improve their strategies during the remaining years of the Matching Grant. In both Ghana and the Philippines, IDEAS subcontracted with local MFIs that IDEAS had previously trained in the methodology. Thus, IDEAS assisted Sinapi Aba Trust and CARD to develop their capacity for selling their services nationally, while improving its performance of the international contract.

Partnership venture in the Philippines and SE Asia – The Center for Agriculture and Rural Development (CARD) in the Philippines and IDEAS have entered into a partnership with the mutually envisioned objective of encouraging the economic development of poor communities in Philippines and rest of the South East Asia region. Together we will develop the capabilities of practitioners in microfinance and community-based development through the provision of technical assistance and the intensive upgrading of skills.

The Trickle Up Project (TUP) -- After the TUP Board adopted a new strategic direction in 2002 which strongly emphasized the role of impact assessment, IDEAS was awarded a contract to help the TUP staff design and implement an Impact Assessment System. We have reviewed and refined the conceptual framework of the TUP, developed an impact assessment system, and designed the quantitative and qualitative tools. The tools are currently being field tested for their practicality, feasibility, validity and reliability.

New Imp-Act Book - In early 2005, IDEAS has written a book chapter for Imp-Act, the international project sponsored by three British universities, with funds from the Ford Foundation (www.imp-act.org). The chapter focuses on how national associations of MFIs can stimulate their members to engage in client assessment. It covers work that IDEAS performed as the lead trainer in a series of seven workshops for the Nicaraguan network of microfinance institutions, ASOMIF (www.asomif.org) and compares that model with the four workshops IDEAS led for the COVELO Network in Honduras. The lessons learned over the three year period will assist other MFI associations in their future planning.

El Salvador Sub-Regional Office - The IDEAS sub-regional office based in El Salvador has developed an active strategic alliance with the Microfinance Learning Center based in San Salvador. The two are working together to offer a variety of services to institutions in Latin America. The alliance allows us to offer a broader array of training services, including institutional diagnostics, strategic planning, the balanced scorecard, business development services, and a systematic way of documenting previous experiences.

Nicaragua Sub-Regional Office - The IDEAS office based in Nicaragua has continued to carry out contracts in Nicaragua and Honduras funded by donors from Finland and the Netherlands, , as well as working with local MFIs. In 2005, the Nicaragua team will be carrying out a series of trainings on impact evaluation and market research for graduate students. These students are MFI practitioners who are studying every other weekend in intensive Masters classes. Both Central American offices continue to do consulting with the MicroSave tools that IDEAS helped to translate and disseminate in Latin America.

New Curriculum Development – IDEAS is working with FAO (the Food and Agriculture Organization) to develop a new course on rural finance. It will offer the course first at the Microenterprise and Development Institute at Southern New Hampshire University in June of 2005 in. A new website provides more information on Rural Finance, see http://www.ruralfinance.org/ .

IDEAS is developing two other new courses for June 2005. The second is a course on “ Managing Growth and Transformation: Institutional Options” by Dr. Gaamaa Hishigsuren. The third course is “Using Client Feedback to improve Microfinance Products and Services,” which will be taught by Dr. Carter Garber and Dr. Puneetha Palakurthi.

For more information on the June 2005 Microenterprise and Development Institute, see our Section on Future Trainings at http://www.ideasnet.org/future.htm or at www.snhu.edu/MDI/ .

Other New Initiatives - IDEAS recently did work in Mexico and is exploring ways to bring additional services to MFIs, especially in the areas of market research and impact evaluation.

IDEAS recently updated its Capability Statement that is used to introduce our work to institutions that are seeking our services. If you are interested in receiving a copy, please contact leslie@ideasnet.org

Advisory Board - IDEAS has formed an International Advisory Board is providing the guidance and advice to the IDEAS team to strengthen and diversify its core competencies and services, explore innovative opportunities, and expand its client base. Their biographical information will be gradually added to the website at http://www.ideasnet.org/ouradvisors.htm.