Mercy Corps Sacco Consultant Job in Kenya – Yes Youth Can National

Sacco Consultant – Yes Youth Can National

Yes Youth Can, funded by USAID, endeavors to empower Kenya’s youth in new and meaningful ways. 

Yes Youth Can is an unprecedented program that puts youth truly in the lead of their own and Kenya’s development. The core of the program is that it is:

• Youth-led: Youth ideas, local knowledge and innovations drive the process.
• Youth-managed: Youth implement program elements (grants, investments, Youth Bunges, research) while leveraging mentoring and coaching.
• Youth-owned: Youth are in control of all decisions within the institutional structures as a result of fair democratic elections, using a bottom up, localized demand approach.

By integrating the principles of youth-led, managed and owned throughout each element of the program, young people throughout Kenya will begin to identify with and internalize these principles through a process where they lead youth self-help groups (called Youth Bunges), implement community grants, network with youth throughout the country, find linkages for their communities and increase their income through microenterprises and jobs. 

Through this process, youth will recognize that they are in charge of transforming their society and will become catalysts for development in their communities.  Such an approach to youth development programming has the ability to change the paradigm for youth programming both in Kenya and around the world.

The Yes Youth Can initiative comprises five implementing partners in six regions of Kenya as well as the national partner (Yes Youth Can National), Mercy Corps.  

Yes Youth Can National comprises four entities: a youth trust, a youth sustainable development think tank, a youth non-governmental organization to disburse community grants, and finally Tahidi Youth Fund to manage innovative micro and SME venture capital to youth enterprises. 

Purpose of the Consultant

Provide analysis, strategic recommendations and work plan for creating 25 county-level Youth SACCOs as potential lending vehicles for the Tahidi Youth Fund Company as well the creation of a National level “NACCO” to provide governance for the 25 county level SACCOs..  

The analysis must take into account the current SACCO environment, including but not limited to the deployment of best practices as it relates to overall governance, development, deployment and management of financial products, lessons learned, particularly in cases where SACCOs were not successful and/or dissolved and the efficacy of the regulatory environment.  

Additionally the consultant must provide data related to the “all in, start-up costs” of creating a SACCO as well as the “all-in time” required to get a SACCO formed and running such that they can absorb external financing.  

Recommendations provided by the consultant must provide guidance on SACCO formation and governance best practices to be used by the Youth SACCOs as well as a training and capacity development curriculum to be implemented to ensure Youth SACCOs are develop the skills necessary to absorb and manage external funds and their repayment.

Dates: July 14 – August 1

Tasks

• Engage with Tahidi Youth Fund Company Manager to clearly understand the goals of the Fund and the current operating environment.
• Engage with Mercy Corps Senior V.P. of Financial Services and CFO to get technical inputs and to provide them with general overview of Kenya’s SACCO environment.
• Meet with USAID AOTR, Benson Kimithi and USAID’s Director of Education & Youth, Dwaine Lee, to get a clear understanding of their goals and vision as it relates to creating county-level Youth SACCOs.
• Engage with Ministry of Co-Operative personnel to get a clear understanding of their goals and vision as it relates to creating county-level Youth SACCOs. 
• Engage with NYBA President and/or Executive Council, as well as Investment Advisory Council members to get a clear understanding of their goals and vision as it relates to creating county-level Youth SACCOs.
• Visit select SACCOs and Youth SACCOs

Outputs/Deliverables

Work-plan for the formation, training and management of 25 county-level Youth SACCOs which takes into account recommended governance best practices.

Interested candidates who meet the above required qualifications and experience 

Should submit on or before 18th  July,2012 a cover letter, detailed Curriculum Vitae (CV) listing three professional references (including a recent supervisor) to hrkenya@ke.mercycorps.org

Applicants must clearly indicate on the email subject; “Application for the position of “Sacco Consultant”.   

Applications without this subject heading will be disqualified. 

Please do not attach any certificates.CV’s will be reviewed as they come in.

ONLY qualified short-listed candidates will be contacted