Développement International Desjardins (DID)

One way of contributing to international aid efforts and reduce poverty is to increase access to financial services.

For over 38 years now, the Desjardins Group has been doing its part through the efforts of its component Développement international Desjardins (DID). DID helps set up and develop local networks of financial cooperatives based on the Desjardins model.

Each quarter, 22 of DID's 30 partner networks of community finance institutions measure their main financial and social performance indicators. These figures are compiled by DID and presented in a Performance Report such as this one.

Click here to visualize the Performance Report.

These institutions supported by DID constitute a community asset, in addition to strengthening local leadership, democracy and individual autonomy. They serve over 4 million families and entrepreneurs, mobilize nearly CAN $1.3 billion in savings and grant loans for an equivalent amount. These are enormous sums of money considering income in the targeted communities and the fact that the average loan in Africa is around CAN $515.

International development aid is different from humanitarian aid

International development aid is different from humanitarian aid in that it is intended to provide communities in developing countries with the necessary means to organize themselves and meet their own needs, notably for health, education and financial services.

This is possible when the aid provided bases its inter-cooperation activities on local resources (human, material, financial) and local capacity building. When we offer this type of international aid, we can really talk about sustainable development.

For example, when a coop is set up, it offers the community new and very real opportunities: a safe place to keep savings, or to get a loan for future plans or an urgent need, etc.

Since it is a cooperative, this also means the creation of an institution that belongs to the community where everyone has a say in decisions. In addition to helping individuals build up their assets, the coop is a prime asset for the community as a whole.

• In Mali, the spirit of cooperation and entrepreneurship within the Nyèsigiso network of financial cooperatives, encouraged by assistance from DID experts in microfinance, provided the inspiration for developing loans for housing purposes to allow Malian families to become homeowners… before they retire.
• In Vietnam, The 935 financial cooperatives in Vietnam have decided to form a federation similar to the Desjardins model in order to set up the services they need and improve their level of professionalism.