The Commonwealth Youth Credit Initiative Toolkit

Lack of credit is a considerable constraint in the development of small-scale enterprises. Most lack access to traditional lending institutions. Micro-credit fills this gap by offering low-cost loans for sustainable enterprises that proved self-employment. The Commonwealth Youth Credit Initiative (CYCI) is a micro-credit and enterprise development initiative set up to promote youth employment and alleviate poverty among young people. Its holistic approach is based on the premise that running a successful business requires not only access to credit but also to skills which first-time entrepreneurs may not have. It offers an integrated package that combines loans, marketing and management training and business counselling. This Toolkit, essentially a synthesis of current good practice and lessons learned from CYCI pilot schemes, is hands-on, step-by-step guide to the implementation of a micro-credit package and is structured to be sufficiently flexible to meet the differing needs of range of users. Designed for policy makers, development agencies and NGOs planning to implement a micro-credit programme, it will be of particular use in helping those entering into entrepreneurial activity for the first time. It will also be of considerable value as a training resource for implementing staff. This toolkit will be of practical use to government agencies and other stakeholders in implementing micro-credit schemes.