Bosnia and Herzegovina is a fragile, relatively small transition economy, open and dependent on the outside world, including the European Union. The agricultural sector accounts for 5.6% of GDP and almost 18.6% of total employment.
The institution:
Partner Microcredit Foundation is a Tier 2 microfinance institution that provides financial services to economically active people with difficult (or non-existent) access to commercial sources of funding. It thus supports newly created businesses and business development and helps improve the quality of life.
Impact:
Partner supports microentrepreneurs, promotes women’s participation in business and provides easier access to financial services in rural areas. The institution offers good quality products and technical support throughout the country through a door-to-door service thereby helping to improve living standards and employment.
The Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation continues to develop its activity in Bosnia and Herzegovina with the signing of a new partnership with the microfinance institution Partner Microcredit Organisation (Partner) to whom it has granted a first loan of € 2 million over a three-year period.
Partner is a multi-ethnic organisation founded by Mercy Corps in 2000. It is the first microfinance institution to work in both Bosnia and Herzegovina following the war. One of the largest MFIs in Bosnia, Partner provides a range of business, agriculture and housing loans through a network of around 30 offices. To date, the institution has over 40,000 active borrowers, 42% of whom are women and 87% of whom live in rural areas, and manages a portfolio of nearly € 70 million.
With this new partnership, the Foundation has three partners in Bosnia and Herzegovina and 16 partners in the Eastern Europe / Central Asia region, representing nearly 20% of the partners and 26% of the outstanding funds managed by the Foundation as of October 2019.
Created in 2008, under the joint impetus of the directors of Crédit Agricole S.A. and Professor Yunus, winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize and founder of the Grameen Bank, the Grameen Crédit Agricole SA Foundation is a multi-business operator that contributes to the fight against poverty through financial inclusion and entrepreneurship with a social impact. As an investor, lender, technical assistance coordinator and fund advisor, the Foundation supports microfinance institutions and social enterprises in nearly 40 countries.
Solidarity Bankers: a new mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Launched by the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation and Crédit Agricole S.A, Solidarity Bankers is a skills volunteering programme open to Group employees for microfinance institutions or impact businesses. The objective of this programme is twofold: it is a way of acknowledging the skills acquired by Crédit Agricole group employees and provides additional support to microfinance institutions and partner companies of the Foundation. Thanks to this scheme, the Crédit Agricole group reiterates its commitment to support employees’ solidarity initiatives.
What are Solidarity Bankers?
International volunteer assignment are available to employees on behalf of microfinance institutions or social companies, partners of the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation.
The missions are carried out within the framework of philanthropy or volunteer work. Crédit Agricole S.A. covers airline ticket and insurance. The beneficiary institution pays any internal transport costs, catering and accommodation expenses. The Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation will prepare and coordinate the mission.
Since the programme was launched in 2018, thirteen missions have been carried out, both in volunteering and in skills sponsorship.
A mission to fill!
A mission in the IT sector is available in favour of Partner Microcredit Foundation, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, from mid-March to mid-May 2020.
Partner Microcredit Foundation is a non-profit microcredit organisation located in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Founded by Mercy Corps in 1997 in the form of an NGO, it became a microcredit foundation in 2000. It offers financial services to economically active populations who have difficult or no access to funding sources for the development of their activity, and improvement of their living conditions. The institution provides loans as part of an individual technical and microcredit support methodology mainly to microentrepreneurs promotes the participation of women in the business world and provides easier access to financial services in rural areas.
Mission objectives:
Assessment of the existing IT infrastructure, the organisational structure and the applications used.
Development of guidelines for the future development of IT infrastructure and applications.
Recommendations for a 3 to 5 year IT investment plan and specific recommendations for 2020.
How to apply?
Submit your application on the CA solidaires website
Contact
Carolina HERRERA
Communication & Partnerships Director
carolina.herrera@credit-agricole-sa.fr
