FEEEDS & Operation HOPE Co-Host CSO Panel @ 2014 World Bank Spring Meetings

Press Release

 

FEEEDS Advocacy Initiative & Operation HOPE

Co-Hosting Key 2014 World Bank Civil Society Forum

 Focus: New Technologies & Financial Literacy Tools for Global At-Risk Communities

 

 

Dr. Sanders, Former Surgeon-Gen Benjamin,
OperationHOPE Govt Affairs VP Roscoe, CSO panelists

Washington, DC, April 8, 2014  -  The FEEEDS Advocacy Initiative and Operation HOPE will co-host a Civil Society Workshop  on Saturday, April 12, 2014, from 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm under the auspices of the World Bank's 2014 Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C. The joint session, entitled “Agile Innovation and Technology: Lessons From the Developing World,” is FEEEDS first co-hosting opportunity alongside the world renown NGO Operation HOPE, which leads the way on implementing financial literacy programs and tools for at-risk communities world-wide.

The FEEEDS-Operation HOPE session will bring together leading subject matter experts to highlight new technologies, which FEEEDS CEO Ambassador Robin Renee Sanders calls "agile," and unique programs being used to address education and poverty, while Operation HOPE will highlight  its ground-breaking financial literacy projects and tools from business in a box, to banking on our future.  Co-Host, FEEEDS CEO Ambassador Robin Sanders, and Operation HOPE Senior Vice President for Government Affairs Jena Roscoe, will also provide key presentations on the role that young people can play in changing the world's wealth inequalities.  Ambassador Sanders will kick off the session with a presentation examining Africa’s Youth Bulge as an asset to economic development for the region, while Ms. Roscoe will present the latest financial literacy tools that Operation HOPE has launched to encourage financial well-being for young people, encourage entrepreneurship, particularly its 5117 project with the goal of changing the financial lives of 5 million at-risk youth.

 

Other speakers will highlight ways to better address development, best practices to overcome conflict, and the elements of leadership that are vital for progress in the 21st Century. This workshop, conducted under the auspices of the World Bank 2014 Spring meetings, is inspired by the work that all of the committed activists who focus on development and making the world a more inclusive place for everyone, particularly the next generation.

 

Other panelists include Bill Knapp, Manager African Technologies in Education – a FEEEDS Strategic Partner, Patricia McCants, Founder, African Diaspora Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Ditu Kasuyi, UFSC International, Advisory Board Chair & International President Emeritus, and  James H. Parks, Founder, The Parksonian Institute & Advisor SHADOKA.

 
The FEEEDS Advocacy Initiative focus on food security, education, environment, economic, development, and self-help projects (The FEEEDS pillars), particularly in Africa, and also provides business solutions in this areas. It supports a range of agricultural, educational, and affordable housing projects, and  also provides business solutions in these areas. For more on FEEEDS go to http://www.ambassadorrobinreneesanders.com, or www.blogitrrs.blogspot.com

Operation HOPE hosts an annual Global Financial Dignity Summit, http://summit.operationhope.org 

in November and welcomes global citizens focused on financial inclusion, dignity, and capability initiatives to attend.  To learn more about Operation HOPE Initiatives, please review our website:  https://www.operationhope.org/Global-Initiatives

 

Sanders FEEEDS Groups works with Nigeria's Bank of Industry on SME Development

BOI, OTHERS MOVE TO REDUCE SME’S MORTALITY RATE - Nov 7, 2013
http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php/business/business-news/137869-boi-others-move-to-reduce-smes-mortality-rate

FEEEDS @ the World Bank Annual Mtgs: Focus on Financial & Techonology Inclusion

A FEEEDS series:
 
The FEEEDS Advocacy Initiative participated in a panel for Civil Society organized by Operation Hope during the World Bank Annual Meetings Oct 8-12. Under the FEEEDS umbrella, Dr. Sanders made the following key points highlighting and underscoring that financial inclusion needs to be broader than just providing banking services to the 2.5 billion people in the world who are not connected to the global financial system, or linked via digital technology to be included in services that help them improve their quality of life or enhance their employment or business capabilities-- even in the informal sector. 
 
Hence Dr. Sanders highlighted her view and simplified and broad definition of financial inclusion -- what it should do and a way forward in addressing e-empowerment and global dignity:
 

Financial and Technology Inclusion for FEEEDS Advocacy Initiative means: Access, Education, Acceptability, Ease of Usability to interact – based on needs or what one does for a living -- with the global financial system or via the digital technology world. This is key particularly for rural areas/at risk urban communities, youth, women, persons with disabilities, and the elderly.

What does this do:

•       Provides global dignity, empowerment, improved quality of life, hope, emotional satisfaction

Who does financial and technology inclusion address:

• Initially and globally, the 2.5 billion working age people who are currently excluded & adolescents so they don’t add to the 2.5 billion.
• We need to begin to education adolescents and teenagers on inclusion early so they do not become part of the cycle of exclusion and add to the current 2.5 billion currently not connected.

What are the game changers:

For advancing financial and technology inclusion and also addressing the points of: access, education/accessibility, ease of usability? Mobile Phones/Digital Technologies.  Why? 

•  1 billion mobile phones in the world in 2000; over 6 billion in 2013, of which nearly 5 billion are in the developing world. Applications or “apps” also have exploded in the last 5 years, with approximately 30 billion "apps“ downloaded in 2011. 
• Africa is ahead as most wireless Continent (736 million mobiles by end of 2013, 100 million in Nigeria), China nearly 8 million & India 7 million new mobile phone users per month.

 

What financial & technology inclusion doesn’t do:

They don't address income disparity. Africa, Latin America, Asia, have greatest income disparity, with South Africa reportedly leading the way as the country with the world’s great inequitable income distribution (CCTV-news).  

Why is financial & technology inclusion as game changers important?

According to a 2005 London Business School Report – in addition to improving quality of life when 10 people out of 100 use a mobile phone GDP rises about .59 percent.

Financial and technology inclusion also has to come with job creation and entrepreneurship development in order to reach true global dignity as it is defined by Operation Hope.