![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.gca-foundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Kirghizstan_Salym-finance-Salym-finance-2.jpg\")
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Launched by the Grameen Cr\u00e9dit Agricole Foundation and Cr\u00e9dit Agricole SA in 2018, Solidarity Bankers is a skills-based volunteer program open to all Cr\u00e9dit Agricole Group employees, supporting microfinance institutions and impact businesses supported by the Foundation. Discover the opinion piece by Marc Diakhat\u00e9, Business Manager in the Structured Finance Distribution team at CACIB, who went to Kyrgyzstan in September 2021 as a Solidarity Banker to support Salym, a microfinance institution supported by the Foundation.<\/p>\n
Program discovery and preparation<\/strong><\/p>\n I have always had a keen interest in the fight against poverty. I participated in community projects based on microcredit in Vietnam in 2008 and then in Senegal in 2016, and I took a microfinance course during my university exchange in Manila in 2011, but I had not yet had the opportunity to work in a real financial institution offering this type of product. Applying for the Solidarity Bankers program and in particular for the mission to Salym in Kyrgyzstan was an obvious choice for me.<\/p>\n Salym is a microfinance institution that provides financial services to low-income populations in Kyrgyzstan and the mission was to introduce the environmental and social (E&S) risk management approach into the lending process.<\/p>\n To frame the mission, I was able to draw on my skills in internal control and risk management \u2013 having been an internal auditor and then a credit analyst \u2013 and I benefited from training from the Grameen Cr\u00e9dit Agricole Foundation on Salym and Kyrgyzstan. From mid-July, we began preparing for the mission with Salym so that I could become familiar with their organization and procedures. In addition, I researched various resources on microcredit and took some private lessons in Russian \u2013 which was my third language during my studies \u2013 in order to be able to have simple conversations on site without an interpreter.<\/p>\n The mission to Kyrgyzstan<\/strong> During the second week, I discussed with management a first version of the risk map, then possible developments in the credit process to integrate E&S risk management. At the end of the second week, I conducted training on E&S risk management for Salym's Management Committee and presented the roadmap for deploying the E&S risk management system. The pace during the mission was fast. Thus, I was able to finalize the initially planned deliverables (E&S risk matrix, proposal for a new credit process, training, roadmap) during my stay on site.<\/p>\n Coming home<\/strong> I was delighted to be able to put my skills to work for a high-impact company, in a culturally unknown environment (Central Asia remains a landlocked and relatively untouristy area) and a particularly exotic one. I returned with the image of a dynamic country, rich in numerous entrepreneurial opportunities.<\/p>\n Lanc\u00e9 par la Fondation Grameen Cr\u00e9dit Agricole et Cr\u00e9dit Agricole S.A. en 2018, Banquiers solidaires est un programme de volontariat de comp\u00e9tences ouvert \u00e0 tous les collaborateurs du groupe Cr\u00e9dit Agricole en faveur d\u2019institutions de microfinance et d’entreprises \u00e0 impact soutenues par la Fondation. D\u00e9couvrez la tribune de Marc Diakhat\u00e9, Charg\u00e9 d\u2019affaires dans l\u2019\u00e9quipe de […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":18680,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"pays-actualite":[],"types-publications-media":[],"class_list":["post-18679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-actualite"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nI visited Salym's premises in Bishkek for two weeks in September 2021.
\nI arrived in Bishkek on the first Sunday of September and, on Monday morning, I presented the mission during a kick-off meeting with the entire Management Committee. During the first week, I met with the main managers and also some borrowers, with the aim of learning about Salym's operating conditions and mapping the main E&S risks inherent in lending activities.<\/p>\n
\nBack in Paris, at the request of Salym's CEO, I proposed a new, more comprehensive version of the Kyrgyz microfinance institution's E&S policy. In mid-October, we held a final videoconference meeting to discuss my proposal, with a view to rolling out the E&S risk management system in 2022.<\/p>\nI sincerely thank Carolina Viguet, Maxime Borgogno, Gabrielle Ferhat of the Foundation but also my hierarchy at RPC (Natacha Gallou, Hubert Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric, Michael Beucher) and Human Resources at CACIB (Virginie Halipr\u00e9, Nawel Frioui), who allowed me to participate in this mission as a Solidarity Banker.<\/h5>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"