Working together on
microfinance and microinsurance
microfinance and microinsurance
BRS inspires managers from El Salvador and Honduras
Very practical and inspiring. This is how one enthusiastic participant described the Spanish-language BRS Management Training Course for managers from AMC from El Salvador and Pilarh from Honduras, two microfinance organisations from Central America. An inspiring case of cross-pollination.
First of all, the workshops offered the opportunity to inspire the management teams that had been invited to participate, with contributions by top managers and experts from KBC, CBC and Cera on themes such as cooperative governance, leadership, risk management, audit, product development and marketing, financial planning and human resources.
Guido Poffé, instructor of the workshop on Cooperative Governance, looks back: “Cera’s history really energised the participants. They realised that their growth path will also be difficult, and strewn with many obstacles. The directors and members of the management reflected in depth, with knowledge of the past, on the necessary strategic reorientation across the generations of customers and members.”
Olivier Félique, business architect at KBC and BRS volunteer: “I enjoyed Guido Poffé’s inspiring talk on the history of our own cooperative story. And also how - with lots of trial and error - we finally arrived at where we are today. From the workshops with the AMC and Pilarh delegations, I remember in particular how they are confronted with issues similar to ours, such as decisions about target groups, product range and pricing. Some themes, on the other hand, are of a totally different magnitude or even non-existent. Such as rising crime, climate change and emigration.”
The other workshops were also very popular: “These practical training courses are the ideal opportunity to promote the exchange of experiences between the participating organisations, thus further enriching the debates and workshops,” says Wilfredo González, Marketing Director of AMC.
To conclude the BRS Management Training Course, there was the Microfinance Lunch Break with the theme: “How do MFIs provide stability in the turmoil of Central America?”. The CEOs of Pilarh and AMC joined journalist Marjan Justaert in a debate on how microfinance can help poor people build a future even in turbulent times.
