Mission diary of a Solidarity Banker in Kyrgyzstan

Launched by the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation and Crédit Agricole SA in 2018, Solidarity Bankers is a skills-based volunteer program open to all Crédit Agricole Group employees, supporting microfinance institutions and impact businesses supported by the Foundation. Discover the opinion piece by Andreas Brunner, Solidarity Banker at Crédit Agricole Assurances, who carried out a field mission for Oxus in Kyrgyzstan in October 2021.

A social commitment to financial inclusion

From the moment I started at Crédit Agricole (14 years ago!), I was drawn to the group's charitable initiatives. I first learned about the Solidarity Bankers program when a colleague shared with me the call for applications for a marketing consulting role. He himself had completed a Solidarity Bankers role in Africa, and his feedback motivated me to apply. So, in October 2019, I applied for this marketing role for OXUS, a microfinance institution in Kyrgyzstan.

After several interviews, I was delighted to learn that I had been selected for the mission. It fully met my expectations: to put my skills to good use in a solidarity project and discover a new culture and activity. My mission was initially planned for March 2020 and we believed in it... until the lockdown. Then another attempt in April 2021 which again ended in a postponement. Finally, I was able to leave in October 2021.

Mission preparation

My mission for OXUS Kyrgyzstan consisted of two main components: defining an annual marketing plan and creating a loyalty program to increase their client retention rate. A few interviews with the teams at the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation and OXUS allowed me to better assess and understand the challenges and objectives of the mission. To prepare for my arrival in the field, I analyzed documents on the institution's strategy and the microfinance market in Kyrgyzstan before my departure. I also had a long discussion with a colleague of OXUS's main shareholder, the NGO ACTED. After defining my schedule on site, all that was left was for me to leave!

In the footsteps of the Silk Road

I must admit that I didn't know much about this magnificent Central Asian country, not even its capital. In addition to doing some research before my departure, the long flight was a good opportunity to brush up on geography and learn more about the country's history. I'm already arriving in Istanbul: the airport reminds me of the crowds before the Covid-19 crisis, and I feel like I'm embarking on the Silk Road. After a second 5-hour flight, I finally arrive in Bishkek (IATA code: FRU, for those in the know) where I'm welcomed—by the General Director himself! The first stone laid in our friendship.

Two weeks of intense work followed: interviews, agency visits, analyses... Time passed very quickly, but I could count on the great availability of my interlocutors. The exchanges were mainly in English, but I was happy to be able to get in a few words in Russian, which helped me not only in the interviews, but especially at the restaurant. I devoted the second week of the mission to finalizing my deliverables (strategic and tactical analyses, annual plan, loyalty program, and practical tools for the teams) and testing my proposals. It was also an opportunity to look ahead with the OXUS Kyrgyzstan teams to the work they would have to carry out in the coming months. Thanks to the support of the CEO and the Board of Directors, I left confident that they would be able to, on the one hand, carry out a large number of actions planned in the 2022 marketing plan, and on the other, implement their new loyalty program.

A unique human experience

I especially remember a warm welcome and wonderful encounters. The Kyrgyz introduced me to their culture and showed me great hospitality. I was able to discover the capital with its history, its architecture, its Russian heritage. An organized weekend excursion allowed me to better understand this country with its yurts, its cuisine, its agriculture, its petroglyphs, its enormous salt lake at an altitude of 1600m, and above all, its high mountains culminating at over 7000m and which surround the city.

I would like to thank the CEO of OXUS Kyrgyzstan, Denis Khomyakov, for his generosity and trust, the entire team at the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation for their support (Carolina Viguet, Cécile Delhomme, Julie Serret, Philippe Guichandut), Aurélie Cacciotti of Crédit Agricole SA for the logistical aspect, as well as all the people at Crédit Agricole Assurances who contributed to making this mission possible.