Manila, The Philippines

Early this morning I returned to Kolkata from the 6th International Microinsurance Conference in Manila (via a layover in Bangkok, Thailand).  I thought I would share a few brief comments about it while it is still fresh in my mind.  I still need to report on my first weekend & week in Kolkata, so that will be my next post.

I was invited by the Microinsurance Innovation Facility (MFI - a part of the Int'l Labor Organizations, which is part of the UN) to attend a 2-day seminar prior to the main conference.  It was intended for consultants to assist them in improving their skills so that can be of more value to their clients.  It was a small group made up of some fantastic people.  It was extremely helpful to me and well worth the time.

The day before the actual conference, the MFI had a forum for their grant recipients, consultants, Fellows, etc. to share their ideas and lessons learned.  I met a number of people and learned a great deal about the other projects going on in the field with regard to innovation of new products and processes in microinsurance.  I will be following up with several of the attendees to see if we might be able to implement some of their projects with Calcutta kids.

The conference lasted from 11/9-11/11 and had morning and afternoon sessions that allowed those of us attending to learn as much as we could about what seems to be working and what isn't in this somewhat new field of microinsurance.  There is a lot going on out there - think it is now a matter of finding the best ways to make all the programs & projects work, most importantly, for the recipients (the poor), as well as for the sponsors or deliverers.

I met some amazing people and made some new friends while in Manila.  Hello to my new buddies around the world - you know who you are, so please keep in touch!!!  It was nice to have friendly faces to look for each day as we attended the sessions.  And we did find a little time for fun in the evenings.  I will post a picture of the group soon!  Unfortunately, didn't get much time during the day to see Manila.  I guess a return trip will be needed. : )