Accelerated Microenterprise Advancement Project (AMAP)

Name: Accelerated Microenterprise Advancement Project (AMAP)
Donor(s): United States Agency for International Development (USAID) (primary donor) and DevTech Systems
Duration: October 2003 – September 2008

The Accelerated Microfinance Advancement Program (AMAP) is intended to advance USAID’s microenterprise learning agenda by taking advantage of targets of opportunity that lead to improvements in the design and implementation of USAID-supported microenterprise programs. Pact works with funded partners to mine this learning. Activities, both ongoing and completed, include:

Poverty Assessment Tools Practicality Testing. Thirteen grantees, in partnership with the University of Maryland’s Institutional Reform Informal Sector Center, tested the practicality and cost efficiency of a set poverty assessment tools and survey questionnaires designed to determine whether a microfinance and/or microenterprise organization’s clients were very poor or not. More information about poverty assessment tools and their application is available at http://www.povertytools.org/.

Building Effective Learning Organizations. This activity funds four organizations to increase knowledge sharing and learning applications within their organizations as well as support horizontal-learning opportunities. Activities focus on increasing an organization’s ability to integrate internal and external lessons learned and best practices into idea generation, developing or improving upon reiterative knowledge systems that utilize and disseminate learning and incorporating them more deeply into program design and management. Partner lessons and experiences in building an effective learning cultures are being compiled for general dissemination.
 
Partners
CARE
http://www.care.org/

Freedom from Hunger
http://www.freedomfromhunger.org/  

Practical Action
http://www.itdg.org/

WOCCU
http://www.woccu.org/

Promising Approaches to Effectively Reaching the Poor. Using a case study methodology and framework developed by the SEEP Network’s Poverty Outreach Working Group, Pact is working with eight organizations to more deeply explore programs and approaches that hold the promise of effective inclusion of the very poor for poverty reduction. These case studies will contribute to broader research.

Value Chains in Conflict Environments. Building upon the USAID Office of Microenterprise Development’s value chain work, this activity funds 11 organizations to adapt a value chain approach to conflict and post-conflict situations for accelerated economic reconstruction and recovery. Through case study research this activity will increase understanding of how best to design and implement activities in post-conflict areas that accelerate the transition from conflict to sustainable growth. Conclusions and recommendations under this research will be available at a future date.
 
Partners
ACDI/VOCA
http://www.acdivoca.org

Chemonics
http://www.chemonics.com/

CHF International
http://www.chfinternational.org/

International Development Enterprises
http://www.ideorg.org/

International Alert
http://www.international-alert.org/

International Rescue Committee
http://www.theirc.org/

MEDIC

Mercy Corps
http://www.mercycorps.org/

OTF Group
http://www.otfgroup.com/

Social Performance Audit. The purpose of this funding stream is to learn from the experiences of seven different microfinance programs as they apply social performance audits (SPAs) to internal performance evaluation and management decision making vis-à-vis the program’s social objectives. Partner microfinance programs will implement the audit, participate in interactive learning conversations and experience sharing, and provide management and board perspectives of the tool. The organizations participating in the SPA practicality test will share learning among themselves and the project facilitators for documented learning, which in turn will be shared within the industry as how-to tips in monitoring of social objectives.
 
Partners
Catholic Relief Services
http://www.crs.org/

Finance for Development
http://www.imf.org/fandd

Moznosti Saving House
http://www.mixmarket.org

Save the Children
http://www.savethechildren.org/

XacBank
http://www.xacbank.mn/
 
Other activities
The Microfinance Centre (MFC) for Central & Eastern and the New Independent States, an international grass-roots network, seeks to reduce poverty by promoting a socially oriented and sustainable microfinance sector.

The William Davidson Institute is increasing understanding of market-based approaches development strategies by mapping “base of the pyramid” and social enterprise joint development agency perspectives. The institute is looking at the experiences that various  organizations have had in facilitating these approaches and developing a framework that shares best practices.

The Education Development Center is examining the Georgian labor market in tourism and construction in order to identify priorities and supply shortfalls. Findings will be used to determine the most productive vocational education programs in these areas.

The World Resources Institute’s “Funnel the Money” activity seeks to help government officials and other decision-makers design and implement policies that allocate government resources in ways that maximize poverty reduction, deliver services vital to peoples' well-being, maintain a healthy environment, and invest equitably in economic development.