Reflections on Partnering with The Mastercard Foundation

I recently spent a week traveling and visiting the microfinance multiplied program of BRAC Uganda with Reeta Roy and Peggy Woo of The Mastercard Foundation. As a new foundation, most people don't know much about it. Let me share a few reflections.

Our partnership is exemplary. Not only did Mastercard remove the capital constraint for BRAC to scale up its microfinance, livelihoods and youth programs, but its rigorous yet caring approach has made us better. I value the open communication and frank detail-oriented exchanges.

We also benefit from the generous way they share what they learn and network us with other good organizations. The partnership thus becomes an efficient learning network for best practices around microfinance in Africa and youth livelihoods development.

As BRAC International's Deputy Executive Director Imran Matin said, the partnership is also about "co-diffusion." The Foundation works with us to share insights and learning from the Uganda program. We value the strategic discussions, respect for our implementation abilities and overall trust.

Mastercard Foundation President Reeta Roy posted a daily blog on their website about our visit to Uganda from January 24 through 29. Her poignant writing captured not only the numerical results but also progress that matters to real people we got to meet.

In addition to all the people Reeta wrote about, I remember her saying after meeting with the adolescent club in a Kampala slum, "they were amazing-such energy. It was really hard to say goodbye, wasn't it?"

- Susan Davis