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Global Microentrepreneurship Awards
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The 2005 GMA Programme
  What is new for the 2005 GMA Programme?
  Who is involved?
  Timeline of events for the 2005 GMA Programme
  Participating Countries
  How can I get involved?
  GMA Handbook
  GMA Country Team Participants Only
   

Timeline of events for the 2005 GMA Programme

March: Formation of Country Teams.
Country Teams are responsible for designing and implementing the GMA Programme in their respective countries, generally consisting of one member from the United Nations local office, two members from the Microentrepreneurship Student Alliance (one U.S.-based student and one locally based student) and in select countries one volunteer member from the local Citigroup Inc. office.

April: Formation of country-specific Advisory Councils and communication to Microfinance Institutions about the GMA begins.
Country Teams will engage key members of the local microfinance sector, local personalities, representatives from local universities, governments, the media, and civil society to get involved in the GMA Programme through participation in the GMA Advisory Council. Advisory Council members will be able to provide valuable insight and counsel on the design and implementation of the GMA Programme. Their participation may also increase awareness of the program, fostering additional volunteer interest in the GMA Programme.

Country Teams will also reach out to local Microfinance Institutions to make their clients aware of the contest and to encourage them to participate in the GMA.

May: Nominating period for Awards Selection Committees.
Each Country Team will have the task of organizing its Awards Selection Committee of nine impartial judges. These judges will evaluate the GMA applications submitted by local contestants and will choose the winners in each participating country.

June — July: Enrollment Period for Contestants.
During this time local microfinance institutions will nominate clients who own and operate innovative and sustainable businesses that reflect the entrepreneurial spirit represented by the GMA Programme.

August — Mid-October: Pre-selection of contestant applications and selection of finalists
Each Country Team will have the task of pre-screening the nominations to ensure that only qualified applicants are submitted to the Awards Selection Committees. From this pool of qualified applicants, the best applications will be passed on to the Awards Selection Committees for selection of the finalists in accordance with the prize categories of the contest.

In some cases the Awards Selection Committees or members of the Country Team will visit finalists' places of business.

October 17 to November 8: GMA Programme Awards Ceremonies and Stock Exchange Openings.
The pinnacle of the GMA programme in each country is the Awards Ceremony. It is at this event that the winning contestants will be recognized for their accomplishments and claim their prizes. Each Awards Ceremony will reflect the culture, style and attributes of the country where it takes place. In many of the participating countries select winning contestants will be given the opportunity to ring open the bell at their local stock exchange.

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Participating Countries

Asia Latin America and the Caribbean
Bangladesh
China
India
Indonesia
Mongolia
Philippines
Brazil
Chile
Colombia
Dominican Republic
Mexico
Peru
Venezuela
Africa Middle East and North Africa
D. Republic of Congo
Kenya
Liberia
Madagascar
Malawi
Nigeria
Senegal
Sierra Leone
South Africa
Afghanistan
Egypt
Jordan
Lebanon
Morocco
Pakistan
Central & Eastern
Europe
Poland
Russia

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How can I get involved?

One of the GMA Programme's goals is to create the next generation of microfinance networks and partnerships, comprised of public, private, and nonprofit organizations, students, practitioners, and community groups. Therefore, we are actively seeking to mobilize graduate student groups from public policy, business, economics centers, and international affairs schools around the world to form Microfinance Clubs at their universities. The objective of these clubs is to raise awareness of microfinance, including current and future trends within the sector, and to organize activities to promote microfinance as a tool for alleviating poverty, both locally and globally. We encourage those interested to contact us.

  • Students and student groups looking to get involved can contact: Gayle Tzemach, Microentrepreneurship Student Alliance - ytzemach@mba2006.hbs.edu
  • For all other inquires please contact: Carola Saba, UNCDF Associate Programme Manager - Carola.Saba@undp.org

For guidelines on how to organize a Microfinance Club click here.

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