Resources on social finance

  1. News

    New wave of cooperatives in Cameroon help HIV-positive women gain economic independence

    01 February 2010

    A number of HIV-positive women in North West Cameroon are taking the initiative by generating income through cooperatives, with the assistance of the International Labour Organization (ILO) funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida)

  2. Publication

    Zanzibar. Social protection expenditure and performance review and social budget

    14 January 2010

    Zanzibar's lack of social protection has left it vulnerable during the current financial crisis and economic downturn, and basic social services are urgently required. The ILO-DFID funded project sets out the current situation of existing social transfers within Zanzibar's social protection system.

  3. Publication

    Briefing Note #1: The landscape of microinsurance in Africa

    01 October 2009

    Microinsurance is growing and expanding throughout Africa. Led by the ILO's Microinsurance Innovation Facility and the MicroInsurance Centre, Briefing Note #1 identified over fourteen million low-income people in Africa who were covered by microinsurance at the end of 2008. The outreach almost doubled over the last 4 years. Even with such growth, there are clearly significant gaps. Substantial parts of the continent remain almost barren of microinsurance. Health, agriculture and property covers, all significantly in need by the low-income market, are evident as a mere fraction of life insurance coverage. This study provides a detailed picture of microinsurance in Africa and discusses challenges in the years to come in order to facilitate broader, high-quality expansion.

  4. Publication

    Briefing Note #2: Microinsurance that works for women: Making microinsurance programs gender-sensitive

    01 October 2009

    Led by the Women's World Banking and the Zurich Insurance Company, Briefing Note #2 is intended to generate discussion of a gendered approach to microinsurance. While insurance companies are beginning to design and deliver a variety of products to the poor, the paper focuses primarily on health and life insurance because these two risks typically are reported to exert significant financial pressure on poor women. The authors explore how health and life microinsurance could be designed to more effectively respond to women's needs, and offer practical advice to insurance companies for delivering such schemes. They conclude with a call to action for insurance companies, delivery channels, researchers and donors to make insurance more gender-sensitive, which will serve the dual mission of poverty alleviation and profitability.

  5. Publication

    Microinsurance that works for women : making gender-sensitive microinsurance programs

    01 October 2009

    Microinsurance Innovation Facility - Microinsurance Paper No. 3 (Electronic resource)

  6. Publication

    Microinsurance that works for women : making microinsurance programs gender-sensitive

    01 October 2009

    Microinsurance Innovation Facility - Briefing Note 2

  7. Publication

    The landscape of microinsurance in Africa

    01 October 2009

    Microinsurance Innovation Facility - Briefing Note 1