As part of the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation team seminar held from January 13 to 17, the teams had the opportunity to discuss various areas of the 2019-2022 strategic plan and the levers of action to optimize the Foundation's action with the microfinance institutions and social impact businesses it supports.

More efficiency for more impact

During the week, the Foundation's employees were able to put into practice the discussions held during the previous team seminar in 2019 around the three axes of the Medium-Term Plan: consolidating the Foundation's expertise and offering in favor of microfinance, strengthening the resilience of rural economies and promoting social impact in the financial sector.

Several meetings were held to present the 2020 outlook and the action plan to improve the Foundation's effectiveness and impact. In particular, a thematic workshop focused on three key issues for the coming years: digital impact finance and the Foundation's positioning in this sector, environmental performance, and measuring the Foundation's impact on funded organizations and end beneficiaries.

A workshop was also held with representatives from Plastic Odyssey, a social enterprise supported by the Crédit Agricole group, whose crew will sail the seas for three years to combat plastic pollution in the oceans. The Foundation will in turn partner with Plastic Odyssey to support their project to develop small-scale plastic waste reprocessing units in Africa.

A treasure hunt at the Arts et Métiers Museum was the team-building activity of the week, with the participation of Crédit Agricole SA's CSR team. These rich moments of exchange and sharing will contribute to achieving the objectives of the Strategic Plan, alongside Crédit Agricole Group entities, technical and financial partners, and supported organizations.

Launched by the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation and Crédit Agricole SA, Solidarity Bankers is a skills-based volunteer program open to Group employees that supports microfinance institutions and impactful businesses. The program has a twofold objective: to enhance the skills of Crédit Agricole Group employees and to provide additional support to the Foundation's partner microfinance institutions and businesses. Through this program, the Crédit Agricole Group reaffirms its commitment to supporting employee solidarity initiatives.

What are Solidarity Bankers?

Volunteer missions abroad are offered to employees on behalf of microfinance institutions or social enterprises, partners of the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation.

The missions are carried out through sponsorship or skills-based volunteering. Airfare and insurance are covered by Crédit Agricole SA. Any internal transportation costs, meals, and accommodation are paid by the beneficiary organization. The Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation will prepare and coordinate the mission.

Since the launch of the program in 2018, thirteen missions have been carried out, both in sponsorship and skills-based volunteering.

A mission to be filled!

A mission in the IT sector is available for Partner Microcredit Foundation, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, from mid-March to mid-May 2020.

Partner Microcredit Foundation is a non-profit microcredit organization located in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Founded by Mercy Corps in 1997 as an NGO, it became a microcredit foundation in 2000. It provides financial services to economically active populations who have limited or no access to financing to develop their businesses and improve their living conditions. The institution provides loans through a methodology of individual technical support and microcredit, primarily to micro-entrepreneurs, promotes the participation of women in the business world, and provides easier access to financial services in rural areas.

Mission objectives:

• Assessment of existing IT infrastructure, organizational structure and applications used.
• Development of guidelines for the future development of IT infrastructure and applications.
• Recommendations for a 3-5 year IT investment plan and specific recommendations for 2020.

Contact

Carolina HERRERA
Director of Communications & Partnerships
carolina.herrera@credit-agricole-sa.fr

 

The Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation is publishing its Quarterly Letter #34, which features a new section dedicated to the Foundation's partners: supported organizations, founders, technical and financial partners share their experiences on their actions, projects, connections with the Foundation, and the impact of their work in the field. Also featured in this edition is Sara Belbachir, a Solidarity Banker on a mission to the Moroccan microfinance institution Al Karama.

Furthermore, the Foundation's Letter presents its latest news and in particular its partnership signed with the UNHCR and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) for the implementation of a four-year program aimed at promoting access to financial and non-financial services for refugees and host communities in Uganda.

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Created in 2008, under the joint leadership of Crédit Agricole SA's management and Professor Yunus, 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner and founder of Grameen Bank, the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation is a multi-sector operator that contributes to the fight against poverty through financial inclusion and social impact entrepreneurship. As an investor, lender, technical assistance coordinator, and fund advisor, the Foundation supports microfinance institutions and social enterprises in nearly 40 countries.

By Sarah Belbachir, Crédit Agricole SA

Solidarity Banker is a skills-based volunteer program open to all Crédit Agricole Group employees. Read the opinion piece by Sarah Belbachir, Solidarity Banker at Crédit Agricole SA, who went on a mission to Morocco.

Launched by the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation and Crédit Agricole SA in June 2018, Solidarity Banker is a skills-based volunteer program open to all Crédit Agricole Group employees, supporting microfinance institutions and impactful businesses supported by the Foundation. Discover the opinion piece by Sarah Belbachir, Solidarity Banker at Crédit Agricole SA.

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Solidarity banker… but why?

The first time I mentioned the Solidarity Bankers program to those around me, they responded, "Banker and solidarity... aren't they a bit contradictory?" For many, these two words struggle to resonate in unison. However, when I discovered Solidarity Bankers, I encountered passionate people, sincere ambitions, and concrete actions. Far from being just fine words, the program won me over with the values it inspires and its commitment to working directly on the ground.

So I immediately applied for a mission to strengthen the system for combating money laundering and the financing of terrorism (LCB-FT) ofAl Karama, an institution funded by the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation and Crédit du Maroc which offers microcredits to people excluded from the traditional banking system, particularly women.

Very soon after applying, I received confirmation that my application had been accepted. My mission therefore began in Montrouge, at the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation for the preparation phase. With the help of Edouard, Violette and Carolina (1), we defined the schedule and objectives. They introduced me to the main concepts of microfinance, and gave me specific background information on Al Karama, the Moroccan economy and the world of microfinance in Morocco.

Top departure for Rabat!

On July 13, I finally flew to Rabat. For 10 days, I would focus on a subject that was within my area of expertise, but in a different sector, in a different-sized organization, and in a different cultural context than my daily life.

The first two days were devoted to raising awareness among senior management about the risks associated with AML/CFT and how to prevent them. AML/CFT training session was organized by Crédit du Maroc's skills sponsorship teams. This provided an opportunity to discuss Crédit du Maroc's VSE/SME financing practices and to understand the market into which Moroccan microfinance institutions are diversifying.

The discussions that followed with the Al Karama team allowed me to familiarize myself with the functioning of the institution, to identify the strong points in terms of AML-CFT and the elements requiring strengthening.

The next step was to draft an action plan in more detail so that Al Karama could gradually and prioritize its AML/CFT obligations. Working with Edouard Sers of the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation, who joined me for this part of the mission, we defined specific recommendations, with a person responsible for each action and a three-year implementation schedule. The challenge was to create a realistic and achievable action plan for Al Karama, given its resources and staffing levels.

The action plan was very well received by the Al Karama Management Committee, to whom we presented it on the last day of the mission. The next step is now in the hands of Al Karama, which will implement this roadmap.

Unforgettable encounters

My mission was punctuated by two visits that left a lasting impression on me. Al Karama organized two branch and client visits, one in an urban setting and the other in a rural setting. The first took place in the town of Temara, a suburb of Rabat. After a few discussions with the branch manager and loan officers, we visited a client in his traditional Moroccan clothing store, who had received a microloan for his business. This first visit allowed me to better understand how a microcredit agency operates and to see how procedures are actually applied in the field.

The second visit took place in Larache, in northern Morocco. We first visited a rural agency that provides specific agricultural services to the region's residents. We went to a watermelon and peanut field to meet a farmer who had benefited from a microcredit to expand his land. I was able to confirm the impact of microcredit on the development of small-scale agriculture and the strengthening of rural economies.

These meetings allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of microfinance and to see what inclusive finance can actually accomplish. But above all, they were an unforgettable human experience.

It was just a taste... I returned to Paris with the desire to get more involved.

Letter #34 to download here