Economic Development Programming Overview:
CARE’s programs in Economic Development work in financial and non-financial services to improve the economic security and income opportunities of the poor. Currently, CARE is implementing 74 economic development projects in 66 countries throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Latin America. In addition, CARE maintains ties with over 14 independent institutions (MFIs, not-for profits, cooperatives, technical service providers and) that have grown out of CARE’s economic development programming. Programs reach more than 1.2 million individuals and are largely focused on women. CARE’s approach to economic development programs covers a wide range of interventions from improving market access to microfinance to business development services. Programs work in a variety of urban, peri-urban and rural setting including:
- Chronically Vulnerable areas such as rural Tanzania or Niger
- Post Conflict zones in countries such as Afghanistan or South Sudan
- Post Disaster regions such as in India or Mozambique
- Stable and/ or Growth Economies in places like Zambia or Peru
CARE’s economic development program designs do not follow one specific model but rather are founded on appropriate practices based on a combination of country specific situations, people’s varying needs and sector wide best practices. Rural entrepreneurs and farmers working at the micro and small enterprise levels comprise the majority of the sector’s target group.
CARE’s position as one of the world’s largest international non-governmental organizations allows its economic development programs the unique opportunity to make a lasting impact on poverty reduction.
While programs in the sector are run on solid technical expertise, they are also able to work in synergy with other programs in agriculture, health and education to more fully address the livelihood needs of the communities involved.
CARE is strongly committed to working in partnership to achieve its development goals and economic development programs are no exception.
Worldwide, CARE’s programs have extensive experience working in partnership with local non-governmental organizations and private sector enterprises such as commercial banks.
Please see the bios and photos of the unit members:
|
|
Laté Lawson- Lartego- Director of Economic Development Unit
Laté Lawson-Lartego is the Director of the Economic Development Unit (EDU) for CARE USA and has over 12 years of experience in the micro-enterprise development sector, including work in rural finance, agri-business, microfinance program design, and community-based savings and loan programming. During his tenure with CARE, Laté has worked as Project Director for the USAID-funded Project for the Institutional Reinforcement of the Microfinance Sector in Benin; has served as Microfinance Coordinator for Togo, Ghana, and Benin, was Country Coordinator for CARE Benin and most recently the Senior Technical Advisor for CARE USA/EDU. In this latest capacity, he provided technical leadership to over 20 CARE Country Offices across Africa, Asia and Latin America in the areas of microfinance and enterprise development. He has helped to develop CARE’s Signature Program, Access Africa aiming at providing a suite of financial services to 30 millions people in Sub-Sahara Africa by 2018. He also addresses such topics as HIV & AIDS and Economic Development, CARE Code of conduct in Microfinance and the CARE’s Economic Recovery Plan in Emergency. Prior to joining CARE, Laté was Team Leader for the FAO-funded Agriculture Census Project in Togo, Financial Advisor for an Audit Firm in Togo and Project Manager at PlaNet Finance in France. In his current position, he has developed with his team CARE’s new strategy in enterprise and market development with a primary focus on agriculture and livestock value chain, coordinates the provision of technical support to CARE country offices in economic development and provide leadership and oversight for CARE’s Microfinance spin-off entities in Latin America and Asia. He holds a Masters Degree in Economics with a major in Business Management from the University of Togo, an MA in Rural Social Development from Reading University in the UK, and a Post Graduate Certificate in Project Planning, Appraisal and Financing from Bradford University in the UK.
|
|
|
Farouk Jiwa - Senior Regional Technical Advisor
Since joining CARE in July 2005, Farouk has been the Director of CARE Enterprise Partners, a social venture capital unit of CARE Canada that seeks lasting solutions to poverty through market-based approaches designed to unleash entrepreneurship in emerging economies, as well as Technical Advisor for Economic Development in CARE Canada’s Strategic Programs team. From September 2008, Farouk took up the position of Senior Regional Technical Advisor in the EDU and provides technical assistance and program quality support to selected economic and value chain development projects in Africa and Asia funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation (through the Alliance for the Green Revolution in Africa), the Buffett Foundation and USAID. Prior to joining CARE, Farouk worked for the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development and ran his own social enterprise in East Africa. Achievements for his work in the field of social enterprise included being recognized as one of the "Most Outstanding Social Entrepreneurs" by the Schwab Foundation at the World Economic Forum in Davos (2005). Other honours include the Bryden Alumni Award from York University (2005), World Business Award from the Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum & UNDP for his contribution towards achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals (2004), Ismaili Youth Award for Entrepreneurship from His Highness Prince Amyn Aga Khan (2004), Equator Initiative Prize at the World Summit on Sustainable Development for his contribution to poverty reduction & biodiversity conservation (2002), and the International Development Marketplace Innovation Award from the World Bank & Soros Open Societies Institute (2002). Farouk has been a Sauvé Fellow (in Residence at McGill University) as well as an Aga Khan Foundation Scholar. He holds a Master’s in Environmental Studies from York University, a Post-Graduate Diploma in Business & Environment from the Schulich Business School, and a BSc. (Honours, First Class) in Environmental Biology from Queen's University, all in Canada.
|
|
|
Christian Pennotti- Technical Advisor, Learning and Impact
Christian joined CARE’s Economic Development Unit in 2009 as Technical Advisor for Learning and Impact bringing over 8 years of experience in international development and expertise in financial services, enterprise development and knowledge management. In his current role, Christian is leading efforts to enhance the EDU’s internal systems for performance monitoring and evaluation, staff capacity building and knowledge sharing across the value chain development portfolio. Prior to joining CARE, Christian served as a Program Manager in the AED Center for Enterprise & Capacity Development where he oversaw a portfolio of financial services and enterprise development innovation grants, led knowledge management efforts across the 26-member USAID FIELD Consortium and served as a principle facilitator of the Children, Youth and Economic Strengthening Learning Network. Christian has worked with a range of NGO and private sector development organizations including the Inter-American Development Bank and The QED Group and has country-level experience in Latin America and Asia. Christian has extensive experience working on strategy development, knowledge management, research and program administration. He holds a MA in International Development from the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs and began his career as a US Peace Corps Volunteer in Uzbekistan. |
|
|
|