Travel Diary of a Solidarity Banker in Bosnia and Herzegovina

By Daniel Hoarau, IT Manager, Crédit Agricole de La Réunion

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 in support of microfinance institutions and impact businesses supported by the Foundation. Discover the opinion piece by Daniel Hoarau, Solidarity Banker at Crédit Agricole de La Réunion, who went to Bosnia in 2020 to support Partner Microfinance Foundation.

Dream of discoveries

Once upon a time, there was an employee of the Caisse régionale de la Réunion who dreamed of getting involved in a solidarity project and exploring other cultures and businesses. A colleague, a friend, told him about the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation and its Solidarity Bankers program. This was the beginning of my story as a Solidarity Banker. I applied and was selected to support Partner MKF, a microfinance institution in Bosnia, in structuring its IT system.

Partner is a local microcredit organization that offers banking products and services to people excluded from the traditional banking system. Today, Partner serves more than 40,000 clients, 46% of whom are women and 86% live in rural areas. It has been funded by the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation since 2019.

Preparation for the mission was marked by regular exchanges with the Partner and Foundation teams. I was also able to study several documents and assess the existing IT infrastructure as well as the initial avenues for development envisaged by the institution. I was ready for my mission in the field.

Departure for Bosnia

The departure is announced, after several postponements due to Covid-19, thanks to the tenacity of the Foundation and the Crédit Agricole SA logistics teams. Due to Covid-19 testing planning, the flight plan is established: Saint-Denis, Paris, Vienna, Sarajevo, Tuzla: a 24-hour journey, departing on October 31st at 25°C, arriving on November 1st in Tuzla at barely 10°C.

First contact upon arrival: Salih, the driver, or when two beginner English speakers meet. Once safely arrived, the light shines: Ivana, the interpreter assigned to accompany me. Thanks to her, everything becomes simple and fluid. She will be the guide throughout the entire mission.

The very next day, I discovered Partner: the teams and the welcome were remarkable, everyone put me at ease and helped break the ice, both literally and figuratively. The mission was short, and I had to be efficient. Multiple interviews with the various department heads (information systems, human resources, compliance, credit) were followed by an audit of the technical installations, an analysis of user needs, and the first scoping suggestions. As the days went by, things became clearer, and recommendations were made. The final step was the review meeting with Partner's management: the analyses were presented, and the IT structure's development plan was validated.

Bosnians have a very different work schedule: starting at 8 a.m., breakfast break at 10 a.m., no lunch break between 12 p.m. and 2 p.m., and finishing work at 5 p.m. This leaves plenty of opportunity for friendly moments organized by Partner. Dinners, moments of discovery of Bosnian culture and customs, and even climbing a local mountain added even more color to my mission!

Return to Reunion Island

After another 24-hour flight home, I arrived in Reunion Island. I finalized my 34-page report, which aimed to inform Partner's choices for framing its system and IT infrastructure.

I have returned wonderfully enriched by this experience working with teams committed to their company's values: Responsibility, Fairness, and Honesty. Values shared by Crédit Agricole de la Réunion, Crédit Agricole SA, and the Foundation that made this adventure possible.

“If you want to build a ship, don’t start by gathering wood, cutting planks and distributing labor, but awaken in men the desire for the great and wide sea,” Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

My thanks to all the people at my regional bank, Crédit Agricole de la Réunion, who helped make this mission possible; to Jasmin Smigalovic, Selma Jahic and all the Partner teams, not forgetting Ivana Bilić the interpreter, for their welcome; to Caroline Brand and Carolina Viguet of the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation for their support during the mission; and to Aurélie Cacciotti of Crédit Agricole SA for their logistical support.