LightCastle Partners has recently signed a contract with WFP for implementing advocacy and capacity development interventions for ensuring greater digital financial inclusion. During the first phase of the project, LightCastle and James P Grant School of Public Health conducted a detailed study on the status quo, barriers and enablers of digital financial inclusion for rural and urban based vulnerable women. Based on the study findings and subsequent validation with private and public stakeholders, a number of interventions have been designed. These interventions will be implemented under the Vulnerable Women Benefit Programme (VWBP), funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, in association with the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (MoWCA) and WFP.
During the research phase, findings from the grass-roots level in terms of barriers and enablers to digital financial inclusion were identified and then presented through two validation workshops. The workshops were attended by relevant private-sector players, development partners, supply-side enablers, policymakers and other notable stakeholders. Their expertise and insights validated the field findings and provided an aggregate understanding of the status quo of DFI as well as identifying and fine tuning relevant intervention strategies.
LightCastle Partners will be facilitating sensitization and capacity development support relevant for government agencies and private-sector stakeholders. Alongside, a number of training for trainer (TOT) sessions will be conducted with field level staff—‘Totho apa’– who would subsequently be conducting training sessions for Social Safety Net Programme (SSNP) beneficiaries.
LightCastle will be creating e-learning content for MFS agents and call center representatives catering to SSNP beneficiaries. Alongside, LightCastle will be finalizing code of conduct for dealing with SSNP beneficiaries in collaboration with financial institutions and MFS providers.
The Vulnerable Women Benefit (VWB) Programme’s overall aim is to ensure that the essential needs of these vulnerable women (including food and nutrition needs for themselves and their families) are provided. Additionally, this programme would also catalyze improving their resilience and overall livelihoods through the creation of a more accessible and enabling financial ecosystem, mainly through a digital cash transfer programme.
For further clarifications, contact here: [email protected]
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