Working together on
microfinance and microinsurance
microfinance and microinsurance
Lieve and Alpha met each other when BRS selected them as volunteers to apply their banking expertise on behalf of the savings and credit cooperative UIMCEC in Senegal. Like large commercial banks, this microfinancing institution (MFI) must be able to demonstrate that it has mechanisms against money laundering. Lieve is offering her services following a long career in audit, while Alpha is still active as a KBC employee. They agree that a project assignment like this is pretty hard work. Nevertheless, they talk about their experiences with great enthusiasm.
“We are two very different people. And when we went on a project visit for BRS together, we formed a whole that was more than the sum of its parts. Can I put it like that?”, BRS adviser Lieve Meganck asks KBC employee Alpha Peeters. “Absolutely,” agrees her travelling companion. “We formed a perfect team.”
Lieve: “I’ve been given many opportunities in life and I want to give something back to society in return. I’ve been volunteering all my life, especially with underprivileged young people. At the end of my career at KBC, I was looking for a new challenge. When a colleague told me about his assignments for BRS, it seemed like a great way to learn new things. And I’d been curious about Africa for a long time. That’s how I became a BRS volunteer.”
Alpha: “For me, the seed was planted at a travel fair in Bruges 16 years ago. There, I met a man who spoke very passionately about his travels to Rwanda. And about BRS, because Wim Moens - that was his name - was president of the BRS Institute at the time. Ever since that meeting, I’ve known that I wanted to do something for BRS as a KBC employee. After all, it’s wonderful that I can contribute something tangible to society with the knowledge and experience from my daily work. That, and the desire to discover new things, motivated me. At the time, I knew very little about microfinancing itself.”
Lieve: “For me too, it was a whole new world. For my first assignment in Burkina Faso, I’d prepared a tight weekly schedule as a KBC employee trained to plan things carefully. But when we started on Monday morning, we just kept on drinking tea and exchanging news. By 11 o’clock, I was shifting so nervously in my seat that my more experienced BRS colleague whispered to me: ‘Relax, it’ll be fine’. And indeed it turned out just fine. Just not the way I had it in my head - straight from A to B. I learned immediately how important it is to be flexible.”
Alpha: “My first assignment in Togo also went differently than planned. For the assignment, I’d attended training at BRS on Microvision, their financial projection tool, and was all set. And then COVID happened. Out of necessity, we held our workshop online. Still well worth doing, but not the same as working together at the location for a week.”
Lieve: “Going to the location is a must. Especially if you want to go deeper into fundamental processes. And we don’t just give pats on the back. Sometimes we deliver a difficult message. That’s not something you do online.”
Alpha: “For that, you first need to develop a relationship and build trust. And that only comes when you spend time together, discussing things, exchanging ideas and getting to know each other between sessions. That creates a very different dynamic.”
Lieve: “After all, we go there as outsiders, asking all kinds of questions and giving critical feedback to people who have their own expertise. This is not straightforward. When doing so, you are working in an environment that is often more hierarchical than ours. The male-female aspect also plays into it. Such a workshop requires some balancing, between being transparent while still being respectful in delivering the message.”
Alpha: “Especially when cultural differences come into play, it’s best to approach this with caution. Now we always look first at what is already right. Then we ask: where do you want to go? And then we go into more detail on what can be improved. When doing so, their ideas and input are equally important, because ‘I’ll tell you how to do it’ doesn’t work.”
Lieve: “By the way, the participants of those workshops are very motivated. They participate actively and want nothing more than to learn how to improve their MFI.”
Alpha: “Their work is also really important socially. “MFIs give small loans, but for people who can’t get a loan at regular banks, they make a world of difference.”
Lieve: “The difference between making a living or not, between letting the children study or not.”
Alpha: “Microfinancing is an incredibly powerful lever to give people opportunities and build society.”
Lieve: “The cooperative aspect is very important here. Villagers unite in groups which together make up the MFI and jointly guarantee each other’s credits.”
Alpha: “And it is precisely that cooperative element that creates the social cohesion that makes MFIs so energetic.”
Lieve: “Besides being fascinating, a BRS assignment like this is also hard work, in a different language and an unfamiliar setting. You have to be very flexible. As a result, you are constantly mentally switched on.”
Alpha: “Precisely because it is so intense, it is important that you click with the people you go on a project visit with. You have to be willing to work together and help carry the whole thing. A BRS volunteer heads out full of enthusiasm and gives 100%. At a minimum.”
Lieve: “But you get a lot in return. Human warmth, for example. And it keeps me mentally on my toes.”
Alpha: “Added to this is the drive of the MFI staff themselves. That really shines through and motivates me tremendously. Volunteering for BRS is a wonderfully enriching experience.”
