Microfinance and Development Onlus Association, Italy

One of the key activities of the Association is a business plan generator tool or StartToolKit. The tool guides entrepreneurs through important steps for business creation, such as business ideation, defining a business plan and preparing financial estimates. StartToolKit was based on the experience and technical knowledge of entrepreneurs and was designed to be flexible and adaptable in order to address the needs of vulnerable people as they pursue entrepreneurship. Moreover, the tool is able to provide financial estimates and help to define the financial needs of the participating businesses. It also includes a monitoring system on economic results. 

Another tool offered by the Association is QEF, which is a financial education toolkit. The toolkit aims to improve financial knowledge and skills through providing training modules, tailored to migrants, refugees, youth, women, rural residents as well as training trainers. The online training modules cover five primary categories: monitoring cash flow and planning expenses, savings management, debt management, access to formal financial services, and entrepreneurship and financial negotiations. Within each category, trainings also explore sub-topics and themes. For example, entrepreneurship modules consist of lessons and resources related to business model designs, creating a business plan, financial and governance management and marketing among other topics. In addition to the training modules, QEF also includes exercises, games, practical tools and resources (e.g. account book, expense planning, savings management).