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One of the things I have learned, and experienced, throughout our long partnership with SIDI, which has lasted since 2008, is that there is not one SIDI, but as many SIDIs as there are SIDI collaborators or project managers. Each has his or her own style, temperament and approach, so that we cannot speak of a “SIDI culture”, but one thing unites everyone: a commitment to solidarity!
In 2008, Silvia, our gateway to SIDI, fought to obtain a €200,000 loan for us, at a time when no Lebanese bank would lend to an NGO that had only been in existence for 2 years! Not only did she get it for us, but we saw her with us, at trade fair stands in Lille, fighting to help us get our fair trade products into the stores of the fédération des artisans du monde, and at Etiquable!
Later, in 2011, a historic figure for FTL took over, with Bernard, an “old hand” in fair trade, who pushed with FTL for SIDI to enter the capital of the new company, FTTL, founded in July 2011. Bernard and I have had our ups and downs, (lately a lot more downs, in fact). but he’s always been there to support the cause of small Lebanese producers. This was made possible by a director, Christian, who was willing to take the risk with us and believed in this mission to Lebanon.
Then Catherine, who loved Lebanon so much – and who was deeply marked by the history of FTTL and FTL, by the founders’ commitment to farmers and the rural world – that she decided to make it a personal and family project by bringing her family back to Lebanon for a year… Except that it was in 2019, at the start of the crisis and the big demonstrations, which got the better of her project. She never gave up, however, and fought hard to get SIDI to convert its loan into an equity stake, before successfully putting together a project to support FTL and FTTL with AFD.
Last but not least, how can we not mention Julie and Dominique? At a time when Lebanon was collapsing, when Société Générale dropped its Lebanon subsidiary, when all the banks collapsed as well as the central bank and the Lebanese state announced its bankruptcy, SIDI stood by its Lebanese partners, in particular FTL, through these terrible times. At a memorable lunch for FTL, with Dominique and Julie, I told them: we don’t want to die! We don’t want to be deregistered or liquidated, we want to fight! They were there. They held out. And supported FTTL.
That’s what SIDI is to me. A long-standing partner, FTTL’s2nd associate and, above all, men and women of conviction, values and commitment.
Today, FTTL is starting to pull through. It’s been 2 years since the accounts were balanced, despite an unprecedented and ongoing crisis in Lebanon. And the FTL Group is going from strength to strength, with large-scale agricultural development projects planned for 2024. This is thanks to each and every one of the people who have supported us, but also to the solidarity investors who accept to make long-term investments that change the lives of hundreds of people.
For me, that’s what development is all about, and that’s what solidarity finance is all about: finding lenders where no one else will lend to you; people who accompany you and help you grow and strengthen governance and local impact.
Many thanks to SIDI. Don’t change a thing!