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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 St\u00e9phane Fr\u00e9n\u00e9at, UNEXO's Solidarity Banker, who went to Senegal to support La Laiterie du Berger, a social enterprise in which the Foundation is a shareholder.<\/strong><\/p>\n The Grameen Cr\u00e9dit Agricole Foundation has been a partner since 2010 of Laiterie du Berger (LDB), a social enterprise based in Senegal (Dakar and Richard Toll), created in 2006 by Bagor\u00e9 Bathily. LDB fights poverty by building a local dairy sector (from production to distribution) in harmony with the environment, and thus promoting healthy eating for as many people as possible. It deploys a specific training program based on the "school farm" concept, located in Richard Toll (Mauritanian border), close to the production plant. This training allows many young Fulani village women to access the profession of livestock breeder and thus earn an income from the milk they produce and sell to the dairy. They thus acquire, among other things, financial independence.<\/p>\n The proposed mission consisted of supporting Laiterie du Berger and its manager in (i) structuring financing (mix of equity, private and public debt, hybrid financing) and (ii) considering the governance to be put in place in order to ensure the development of the company and its sustainability.<\/p>\n The profile sought and the content of the mission could correspond in every way to my professional skills, my experience, my passion for travel and the discovery of other cultures. It allowed me to combine my profession with my values and a certain quest for meaning... "Finance" in the service of solidarity and sharing.<\/p>\n It was therefore only natural that I submitted my application to the Foundation, with the support of my management and UNEXO. Once approved, we immediately prepared the mission with the Foundation and Bagor\u00e9 teams. Together, we "reformulated" the mission's objectives and its schedule. Bagor\u00e9 and the Foundation sent me all the necessary information so that I could familiarize myself with the Dairy's strategic plan and its economic and financial challenges.<\/p>\n Before the trip, the preparation phase is essential. It allows us to clearly validate everyone's expectations, clarify the objectives, the approach, and the expected deliverables. Thus, on Bagor\u00e9's suggestion, in collaboration with the Foundation's teams, we developed my work schedule for my entire stay: the people to meet, the sites to visit, the work and feedback sessions. 10 days is very (too) short...<\/p>\n The big day is here! I'm flying off, happy and excited to spend 12 days in the field in Senegal! I was leaving for a mission that aligned with my skills and knowledge in corporate finance, but without any specific knowledge of the microfinance and impact business sector, in a structure and cultural context different from my daily life.<\/p>\n Welcomed by Bagor\u00e9 upon my arrival, the adventure begins! Located not far from the Dakar headquarters of Laiterie, I prepare for this busy week of meetings and working sessions with the LDB teams based in the capital.<\/p>\n After a weekend spent meeting the family shareholders of the Dairy to immerse myself in the company's shareholder context, Ortence, Executive Assistant, Jean, who will be leading me throughout the mission, and Bagor\u00e9 welcome me to LDB's headquarters to begin our week of meetings with the various managers. The objective is to immerse myself in the company in order to fully understand the challenges and development strategy:<\/p>\n Back in Dakar and armed with a clear vision of the company and its challenges, particularly financial ones, I spent the last two days discussing with Bagor\u00e9 and Emma the two themes of my mission (structuring financing and governance) and writing the first drafts of deliverables (capitalization tables, governance model, financing plan, etc.) which will be adjusted upon my return to France and then shared with the Foundation team and Bagor\u00e9...<\/p>\n I returned to Nantes, happy to have had this experience. This mission brought me a lot, especially on a human level; I was able to discover another culture, have enriching exchanges and meet inspiring people. It is, certainly, a significant investment in terms of time and workload, but the mission is truly worth it. I will forever keep deep inside me the laughter and smiles of the students of the Richard Toll farm school, their sense of hospitality, and the immense hope they embody for future generations of this beautiful country that is Senegal.<\/p>\n ________________________________________________________________<\/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 St\u00e9phane Fr\u00e9n\u00e9at, Banquier Solidaire d\u2019UNEXO qui est […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":19844,"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-19841","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-actualite"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSolidarity Banker\u2026an incredible professional and personal adventure of riches!<\/h4>\n
Flight to Dakar and Richard Toll<\/h4>\n
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My thanks to Eric Campos, Vincent Brousseau, C\u00e9line Hyon-Naudin, Aur\u00e9lie B\u00e9chara and Maria-Teresa Calvo of the Grameen Cr\u00e9dit Agricole Foundation for their support throughout the mission and the trust they placed in me. A huge thank you to Bagor\u00e9, Jean, Ortence, Emma and the entire team at the Laiterie for their warm welcome, to Arona for introducing me to St Louis, Djoudj, Richard Toll and the farm school, to Florence Pelletier, Aur\u00e9lie Cacciotti and Christian Bodenes of Cr\u00e9dit Agricole SA and to Jean-Luc Creach, Managing Director of UNEXO without whom I would not have been able to have this experience.<\/h6>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"