Solidarity Bankers: Much More Than a Mission
Skills volunteering program launched in 2018 by Grameen Crédit Agricole and open to all employees of the Crédit AgricoleSolidarity Bankers invites professionals from various Group entities to work for several weeks, alone or in groups, in favor of microfinance institutions and impact businesses supported by the Foundation.
Beyond the usefulness of their missions for their beneficiaries, the Solidarity Bankers also mention positive tripartite effects for Crédit Agricole and the volunteers.
Anne Duval, HR and Organization Performance Leader, CA-TS, Delphine Testemale, Talent, Careers and Diversity Manager, Crédit Agricole Centre Est, François Galland, retired from Crédit Agricole SA returning from Benign And Penelope Cellier, Audit Manager – General Inspection, CACEIS and Thierry Boîte, Director of Development, LCL after their mission at Togo shared their experience.
From 2018, there is no doubt that the missions carried out by the Group's employees met the expectations and needs of the beneficiaries. More than 70 missions were carried out by more than 60 Solidarity Bankers in favor of 45 partners distributed in 24 countries. More than 750 active contacts within the group, eligible for skills sponsorship have also been identified, in particular through the J'agis Platform since 2023.
For Solidarity Bankers, as indicated Penelope Cellier, a mission represents much more than just discovering the country, the functioning and culture of a microfinance institution and those who locally run it. A personal contribution "well beyond my expectations" underlines Thierry Boite.
- Strengthening expertise and personal development
Whether it is a mission related to human resources, compliance or any other expertise, it is essential for a Solidarity Banker to master broad skills on the theme of his mission indicates François Galland in order to be able to exploit them and benefit from them in a completely different context.
At the start, I didn't necessarily expect the mission to challenge me about my own daily practices and attitudes. On site, I was surprised: the mission offered me concrete lessons on how to work with people from very different cultures and backgrounds. An enrichment that now helps to optimize the exercise of my profession" says Delphine Testemale.
All are convinced that this produces a sort of mirror effect which contributes to their personal development which they, upon their return, use to their benefit. of their teams.
And this is all the more true since the preparatory work can be very comprehensive and long and encourage us to take a step back, reflect and even innovate.
- Very strong human relationships
These missions create very strong human bonds that last both professionally and personally. Anne Duval who completed her second mission maintains relationships with the people she met in Senegal and Benin. She plans to return to Benin to see them again and is currently organizing a clothing collection for children.
"We were welcomed with open arms. Carrying out missions like these allows us to establish strong human relationships, authentic communication, and genuine sharing, including personal ones."
- An embodiment of the Group's Purpose
In several ways, these missions serve the Group's purpose and are part of the Human and Societal Projects. Utility, inclusion, innovation, and personal development can easily be associated with them. Their added value is not limited to the beneficiaries alone, but also serves the Solidarity Bankers, more indirectly their teams and stakeholders, but also the image of Crédit Agricole and even according to Thierry Boite “its radiance”.
