Papua New Guinean receives first-of-its kind scholarship

Suva, Fiji: A Papua New Guinean was one of three recipients of the inaugural Reuben James Summerlin Scholarships.

The Pacific Financial Inclusion Programme (PFIP) awarded three of the women on Friday.

The awardees were:

  • Ms Zenash Fox Galmai, Bima (mobile micro-insurance) – Papua New Guinea
  • Ms Arishma Prasad, HFC Bank - Fiji
  • Ms Joyce Nukumunam, Bank of the South Pacific – Solomon Islands

The scholarship was established in honour of PFIP’s former program manager, Reuben Summerlin, in keeping with his passion for capacity building and education.

The scholarships were open to PFIP’s partner financial institutions in the Pacific to send a nominated staff to attend a three-week course at the prestigious Boulder Institute of Microfinance Training Program (the world’s premier financial inclusion and microfinance program) from July 18th to August 5th in Turin, Italy.

Each applicant was asked to submit an essay on how they would further develop and scale financial inclusion innovation in their respective financial organisations upon their return.

The scholarships have been awarded to three women in recognition of their demonstrated passion and commitment to financial inclusion in the Pacific. A total of 16 applications were received from three countries.

The three-week intensive program brings together world renowned experts in microfinance and financial inclusion, with the objective of equipping professionals with practical tools for innovative financial inclusion from across the globe.

Upon completion of their training, recipients will be expected to:

  • Organise and lead a knowledge sharing event, either within their own institution or for other stakeholders; and
  • Author and present a brief policy memo for their institution within 30 days, outlining best practices and include specific recommendations for their institution.

Rueben Summerlin joined the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) in 2012 to manage PFIP. During this time in office, he expanded PFIP’s activities in both scale and scope, overseeing the fastest expansion in financial services the region has ever seen.

Summerlin passed away on July 6th, 2015, in Fiji after a tragic biking accident.

(Picture: Zenash Fox Galmai. Picture: Google+) 

Author: 
Press Release