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LA BANQUE DU PEUPLE -
VECTEUR DE CHANGEMENT SOCIAL ?
EW travaille aux cotes de Leon Henson
et de l’equipe d’animateurs sociaux de GRACE-NGO depuis le tsunami meurtrier
qui a ravage les zones cotieres du sud du Tamil Nadu il y a maintenant 10
ans. Notre association a, tout d’abord,
fourni des medicaments et a contribue aux efforts de reconstruction. D'autre part, EW a participe au developpement des communautes affectees par la tragedie :
tutorats pour les enfants pauvres, “ateliers verts” pour ameliorer les
conditions de vie des familles de pecheurs de Kanyakumari - mal relogees a des
kilometres de la cote - et microcredit pour les aider a creer de petites
entreprises afin d’augmenter leurs maigres ressources.
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| La Banque du Peuple - Debut des travaux / Beginning of Construction Work for the People's Bank |
Debut 2014, EW a eu le plaisir d’accueillir Henson – Proviseur de lycee et President de GRACE – a Poitiers. Au cours de conferences publiques, Henson nous a fait comprendre ce qu’est la pauvrete dans la region de Kanyakumari (TN) et ce qu'il a fait pour la combattre. En retour, l’association lui a consacre une dizaine de jours pour lui permettre de faire le tour des organismes d’entraide socio-economiques qui tentent, ici a Poitiers (France), d’aider nos concitoyens en difficulte.
Deux decisions importantes ont ete prises a cette epoque. D’une part, on pouvait aller au-dela du microcredit en creant une veritable “Banque du Peuple”, basee a Nagercoil. EW a investi des milliers d’euros - sur ses fonds propres - pour creer un fonds de roulement pour les pauvres qui ne sont pas en mesure de fournir des garanties et desirent neanmoims emprunter, dans le but de creer une petite entreprise. Les benefices qu’ils en tirent suffisent a rembourser leur pret. D'autre part, EW s'est engagee a envoyer a Nagercoil un stagiaire dote d'un tres solide bagage en finance, en comptabilite et en informatique pour aider a demarrer toute l'operation. Alex s'est donc rendu sur place et y a passe pres de six mois - notamment pour creer tous les outils informatiques lui-meme dont la banque allait avoir besoin. EW est tres fiere de son engagement et de ses competences.
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| Une "colonie" - quartier des plus pauvres / A "colony" of Dalits - Nagercoil |
Au cours de sa derniere visite a Nagercoil (mars 2015), EW a pu mesurer le travail accompli en un an. Les travaux de construction sont termines, et les locaux sont pimpants et bien accueillants. Une petite equipe de trois professionnels suffit a suivre tous les besoins des nombreux clients actuels. Pres de 1,000 personnes ont deja montre leur entiere confiance, en ouvrant des comptes.
Le fonctionnement de l'institution peut, toutefois, etre ameliore. Bien entendu, nous avons tous besoin d'argent pour vivre, mais la poursuite du gain comme seule valeur est souvent assez incompatible avec la justice sociale... Le nouveau Pape Francois lui-meme, dans Envangelii Gaudium ("Joie de l'Evangile") lance cet avertissement : "le culte du Veau d'Or est de retour, sous une forme impitoyable. Il s'agit de l'idolatrie de l'argent et de la dictature d'une economie impersonnelle". C'est le meme message qu'il a adresse au Parlementde l'Union Europenne a Strasbourg (France) en novembre 2014. Il faudrait donc prendre garde a ce que la nouvelle Banque du Peuple ne soit pas un simple Mont-de-Piete, ou des deposants laissent leurs bijoux en or en garantie - pour courir acheter des ecrans plats et les derniers gadgets de Samsung...
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| Directrice de la Banque / Head if the New People's Bank |
Il faudrait sans doute proposer aux futurs clients des ateliers educatifs afin de mieux expliquer des concepts qui peuvent etre nouveaux ou compliques. Comment la macro-economie influe-t-elle sur le monde de la finance ? Quels pourraient etre les risques encourus ? Que sont les "bulles speculatives", les taux d'amortissement et les etudes de faisabilite en vue de creer une micro-entreprise ? Comment elaborer un budget et gerer l'endettement ? Nous esperons qu'un citoyen competent de Nagercoil pourra assurer benevolement une telle formation.
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| Boucles d'oreille en or - cela donnerait droit a un pret de 540 rps (8 euros) / Gold earrings - which would enable a loan of 540 rps (8 euros)... |
Enfin, EW et GRACE-NGO doivent s'assurer que le fonds de roulement existant fonctionne a plein regime, pour que meme les plus pauvres s'en sortent. Notre ONG a investi des milliers d'euros et a renonce au benefice des interets y afferents. Ceci permet de faire fructifier le montant global disponible pour les prets en faveur des clients pauvres - qui n'ont a offrir que leurs idees innovantes et leur dur labeur. EW continuera a suivre ce projet avec le plus grand interet.
ENGLISH-LANGUAGE VERSION :
THE PEOPLE'S BANK- AN INSTRUMENT FOR SOCIAL CHANGE ?
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| Livre de comptes - une version papier est toujours necessaire a cause de nombreuses coupures de courant / Bank ledger - a paper version is still necessary, due to numerous power cuts |
EW has been working, side by side, with Leon Henson and his team of social animators at GRACE-NGO ever since the murderous tsunami that devastated the South Tamil coastal areas just 10 years ago. Initial EW activities focused on medical supplies and rebuilding efforts and then, in a larger sense, on overall community development : school tutorials for impoverished pupils, "Green Workshops" to improve the living conditions of the displaced fisherfolk, and microcredit to facilitate entrepreneurship and provide supplementary income for the stricken fishing families.
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| Une "Dalit" d'une des colonies de Nagercoil. Apres le deces de son gendre, sa fille s'est suicidee - donc elle eleve seule sa petite-fille / A Dalit woman from one of the Nagercoil colonies. Her son-in-law died and then her daughter committed suicide, so she is raising her grand-daughter alone |
In early 2014, EW had the pleasure of welcoming Leon Henson - School Director and head of "GRACE" - to Poitiers. He greatly contributed by giving several public conferences on poverty and on relief programs in the Kanyakumari District of Tamil Nadu and, in turn, EW provided him with a 10-day fact-finding mission and crash-course about the socio-economic problems faced by citizens in our own area around Poitiers, France.
At that time, two major decisions were in the making. Microcredit alone was not enough - so it would be necessary to "upscale" the entire process by creating an actual "People's Bank", based in Nagercoil (TN). EW invested thousands of euros of its own money to serve as a revolving fund for the indigent who could provide no real collateral, but who were interested in procuring "productive loans". The ensuing increase in their personal revenue would be more than enough to repay the amount borrowed. Secondly, EW agreed to provide an intern with a solid background in finance, accounting and computer skills to help get the new institution off the ground. Alex flew down and lived in Nagercoil for nearly half a year and he single-handedly did all the software programming that the new financial institution would need. EW is extremely proud of his huge and highly professional contribution.
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| Environ 30 familles habitent dans cette "colonie" / There are about 30 households living in this "colony" |
During EW's latest visit to Nagercoil (March, 2015), it was possible to assess first-hand the work achieved in just a year. The bank construction itself has been completed, and the new facilities are spotless and welcoming. A staff of three is able to oversee the daily needs of current clientele. Nearly 1,000 community members have already opened accounts...
There are still real improvements to be made, however. While we all need enough money to live, monetary gain in and of itself is often incompatible with real social justice. Even Pope Francis, in his recent Evangelii Gaudium (or "The Joy of the Gospel"), has warned : "The worship of the ancient Golden Calf has returned in a new and ruthless guise in the idolatry of money and the dictatorship of an impersonal economy. We can no longer trust in the "invisible hand of the market". This was the same message he delivered to the EU Parliament in Strasbourg (France) in November, 2014 - when he exhorted European leaders to go beyond a "simple welfare mentality" - and to attack the structural causes of inequality. So we should all endeavor so that the new People's Bank in Nagercoil does not become a mere Pawn-Shop - where depositors leave all their dowry gold as collateral so as to splurge on plasma TV screens and the latest Samsung gadgetry...
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| Preteur sur gages - pesee de l'or / The Gold Assessor |
Educational workshops should be offered to all prospective borrowers and depositors. What is the current macro-economic situation and how can speculative bubbles burst, creating ripple-down effects throughout all financial institutions ? How to budget ? How to assess the market feasibility of a possible new micro-business undertaking ? What is debt load ? Amortization rates ? Compound interest ? Hopefully, one knowledgeable individual in the community could step forward and provide such a little course for all potential clients...
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| La Banque en construction / Construction of the Bank |
And EW and GRACE-NGO have to ensure that the existing revolving fund is being used to its fullest, to help uplift the poorest of the poor. Our NGO has provided a substantial revolving fund and has forsworn any interest that that account might ever accrue. EW preferred that such annual gains simply be added to the total amount available for loans to those clients who have nothing to offer but their good ideas and hard work... When they repay their loans, the reimbursements never return to EW, but rather are put back into the general kitty, to be used by other poor borrowers. This thus amplifies the beneficial effects for the downtrodden themselves and the community at large. EW will continue to follow this new program with great interest.
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