Mowgli Foundation launches first mentoring program focused on the microfinance industry

AMC is a subsidiary of Jordan Ahli Bank and has provided JOD60m to small businesses, since its inception in 1999.

The Mowgli Foundation is a UK-headquartered mentoring organisation, which recruits, trains and matches mentors with entrepreneurs across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, with the aim of encouraging and facilitating the development and growth of sustainable businesses as well as job creation and social and economic development.

AMC branch managers (mentors) and micro-entrepreneurs (mentees), who are currently receiving loans from AMC, participated in the pilot 2-day mentor training and matching program and have embarked on their 1-year mentoring relationship. It is anticipated that this program will be extended to include more branch managers and loan officers in the future.

AMC has commissioned Mowgli's mentor training program in an effort to continue to enhance their value proposition, improve their customer service and the effectiveness of their customer communication and ultimately deepen their customer relationships. As with all of Mowgli's mentor training programs, this program is also expected to facilitate the development of the participants' leadership skills.

The General Manager of Ahli Microfinance Company (AMC), Fadi Shalabi, said, "This is a very powerful step in the path to excellence that Ahli Microfinance Company works on by transforming our clients to be our partners and by reshaping the relationships that allow us to be a shared success for both parties."

Mr. Shalabi considered this workshop to be an addition to the events that are continuously held by AMC to assess its clients on a social level. Ahli Microfinance Company aims to be proactive on social impact; accordingly they have introduced several policies designed to improve the wellbeing of their clients, such as medical days, life insurance, health insurance against cancer and the sponsoring clients' products.

In order to achieve their objective of placing mentorship at the heart of supporting all levels of entrepreneurship within the MENA region, Mowgli plans to conduct a further 3-5 microfinance focused mentor training programs across the region over the next 6 months.

The Mowgli Foundation's Founder and Trustee Board Member, Tony Bury said, "2012 has been a great year for Mowgli so far and we are continually looking for new and innovative ways to support entrepreneurship within the MENA region. Given this, we are really excited to be working with Ahli Microfinance Company on this project and entering into the microfinance arena, where we can ensure that our mentoring philosophy reaches a wider and more rural audience. This is a real milestone for Mowgli and the realisation of our mission."