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 France and internationally, for microfinance institutions and impact businesses supported by the Foundation. Discover the testimony of Stéphanie Thibesard, Solidarity Banker at CACEIS Bank, Luxembourg Branch, who went to Kosovo for a risk management mission with the AFK microfinance institution.

What prompted you to apply for a Solidarity Banker mission?

I knew about the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation but not the Solidarity Bankers program it offers to Crédit Agricole Group employees. I discovered it when a podcast by a solidarity banker, Andreas Brunner, was broadcast, sharing his own experience. I admit I completely recognized myself in what he described. So I consulted the Foundation's "catalogue" to see the different missions offered. The mission at AFK in Kosovo, corresponding to my activities at CACEIS Bank Luxembourg Branch, seemed obvious to me! And this, for several reasons: it allowed me to discover a sector of activity that was unfamiliar to me (microfinance), to share my knowledge, experiences and skills (help and contribution to the improvement of a system), it offered me a unique human experience (acting for others but also with others), it represented a new personal challenge and it was a unique opportunity to get out of my comfort zone!

To what extent is this mission relevant and enriching for your work within CACEIS?

As part of this technical assistance mission on behalf of AFK, we worked on setting up an operational risk map, which was previously non-existent within the MFI. This gave me the opportunity to share my knowledge on operational risks and more specifically on the mapping of these risks, to then work on a template adapted to the institution's activities, both simple and functional, but above all effective (which can be enriched during subsequent reviews and according to AFK's needs). This exercise allowed me to refocus on the essentials of a map, namely identifying the major risks linked to an activity in order to be able to remedy them through action plans. I realized that by sometimes wanting to enrich or expand it too much (both in indicators and in granularity), the map sometimes tends to lose in terms of readability.

What does this opportunity mean to you on a personal level?

Above all, this opportunity represents an incredible human experience! In Kosovo, and particularly in the AFK teams, I met very welcoming people, available but also transparent in their communication (important for the smooth running of the mission). The exchanges were truly constructive and very enriching. I also discovered a culture: the recent history of this country and its reconstruction, a way of life and customs, a sense of hospitality, a geographical and economic environment... During this immersion, I was also able to observe a real capacity for resilience among the Kosovars. I think that one necessarily comes back different from this kind of mission.

Would you be interested in new technical assistance missions on behalf of the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation?

Without a doubt! If a new mission of this type were to arise again, I would apply! However, I believe that such an experience should be shared by as many people as possible. I can therefore only encourage the group's employees to embark on a Solidarity Banker mission.

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I would like to sincerely thank the Management of CACEIS Bank, Luxembourg Branch (Philippe Bourgues, Country Managing Director and Dominique Lapierre, Deputy Managing Director) as well as Human Resources (Anne-Catherine Loiseau and Pauline Duburquoy) for their support in this project. I would also like to thank Séverine Pierret (ROCP Management) for her availability and wise advice, particularly during the preparation phase of the mission. And of course, a special thank you to the AFK teams (represented by Vahdet Anadolli, CEO and Xhevdet Spahija, COO) for the warm welcome they gave me and for the excellent conditions in which this mission was carried out.

Discover the Solidarity Banker positions available

On December 7, Violette Cubier, Technical Assistance Officer at the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation, participated in the plenary session of the UNHCR-organized event in Geneva, "The High Commissioner's Dialogue on Protection Challenges 2022." This provided an opportunity to discuss the role of development cooperation in advancing protection, inclusion, and solutions for refugees and stateless people, as well as for host communities.

Participants were able to discuss how to improve development cooperation in displacement contexts and launch concrete, tangible and multi-stakeholder initiatives to address the identified challenges.

For the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation, this event was an opportunity to present and promote its financial inclusion program for refugees and host communities in Uganda, in cooperation with UNHCR and the Swedish Development Cooperation (SIDA). This program aims to promote access to credit, savings, and other financial and non-financial services for refugees and their host communities.

The program has been hailed as an “exemplary initiative for the sustainable economic inclusion of refugees.”

To learn more about the program, Click here.

In the face of the Covid crisis, the circus, seeking funding, came up with something truly creative to attract attention: putting on a show that could break the Guinness World Record. 

Phare Ponleu Selpak, a Cambodian non-profit arts school, set a Guinness World Record by staging a circus show that lasted 24 hours, 10 minutes, and 30 seconds in Battambang. The show took place between March 7 and 8, 2021, but the record was confirmed by Guinness World Records (GWR) in November.

Phare Ponleu Selpak (PPSA) is an organization founded by Cambodian refugees to help children overcome the trauma of war and to restore the country's culture and education after the Khmer Rouge genocide. The organization now supports the education of 800 disadvantaged children and trains hundreds more in the visual, musical, and performing arts to help lift hundreds of families out of poverty and keep Cambodian culture alive.

Over the past decade, PPSA has taken innovative steps to avoid aid dependence by establishing a grassroots animal-free circus and a tourist attraction that funded their rescue programs. This included the creation of Phare Performing Social Enterprise (PPSE), in which the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation is a shareholder. This company is responsible for producing and distributing the circus performances while employing young performers from disadvantaged backgrounds trained by the NGO.

Faced with Covid-related restrictions that put an end to live performances, and therefore to artists' sources of income, PPSA sought alternative sources of income and came up with something truly creative to attract attention. An idea that drew on the same creativity and resilience that led to the creation of the association and that allowed it to break a world record and thus enter the Guinness Book of Records.

To learn more about the Phare Circus, click here.

On the occasion of the film's release "Same Same but different", directed by Tommy Pascal and filmed in Cambodia with Phare Performing Social Enterprise (PPSE), a social enterprise supported by the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation and which employs young artists from disadvantaged backgrounds, Crédit Agricole SA and the Foundation organized a round table at the Grand Rex on the “Finance for inclusion: challenges and opportunities”.

Moderated by Vincent Brousseau, Director of Impact Financing at the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation, the round table composed of Cyrille Langendorff (Phitrust), Florian Peudevin (Amundi) and Mathieu Cornieti (Impact Partners) offered insightful discussions. The speakers presented the impact investing sector in France, explained what patient investments are, and the risks and challenges of the sector. Punctuated with concrete examples of their activities, the discussions highlighted the importance of finance in achieving fairer and more equitable inclusion of vulnerable populations, both in France and abroad, as well as the importance of time in projects that can only be considered long-term.

“Take the time to support social innovations.” – Florian Peudevin

Time is a key concept in finance. Because it's linked to profitability, performance, and the clarity of their effects. Would moving quickly be a guarantee of success? Not when it comes to impact investing. To provide answers to major challenges, we must innovate and take the time to support these innovations. ", explains Florian Peudevin. Investing in a project with social impact means accepting that it will experience ups and downs and difficulties. We are in a long-term perspective. What we are adjusting is the level of risk we want to position ourselves on. », agrees Mathieu Cornieti. “ We don't desert in case of a problem " concludes Cyrille Langendorff.

Presented by Regis Wargnier, French director, President of PPS France, in the presence of Veronique Faujour, General Delegate of the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation, PPSE's experience is a concrete example of what impact investing can represent for the inclusion of vulnerable populations, and in particular young people in difficulty. This support is all the more necessary in times of crisis such as that experienced during the Covid pandemic, which has undermined the financial situation of the company and, consequently, that of the artists and their families. The support of the Grameen Crédit 10Agricole Foundation and the Crédit Agricole SA Group was crucial in enabling the company to overcome this milestone and continue to offer us unique shows such as the one from which an excerpt was screened as an introduction to the round table.

Find the extract from the film “Same Same but different” here.

The entire film East available on the Qwest TV platform (by subscription).