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ePaper created 2015-12-01, 11:33:23 | version 1.43.00
12 akzente 3/15 IN THE SPOTLIGHT The farmers provide further examples of the difficulties they face. For example, one farm- er explains their current problems in access- ing markets. He says that more rice is now being produced in the region than distribu- tors are buying. Farmers are therefore often left with surplus produce. To make matters worse, production costs are high: because many young people are leaving the region to work in Bangkok or in other cities, he adds, farmers have to hire additional day labour- ers. Something has to be done to rekindle young people’s interest in agriculture, asserts one man. Another says that he hopes to low- er his production costs – which are simply too high – by using machines. Sievers and Verseckas listen attentively. New approaches to financing ‘For me, the meeting showed that there are ex- tremely dedicated people out there who are in- terested in improving the quality of their products,’ says Sievers after meeting the rice farmers. Sievers and Verseckas want to support the famers’ willingness to explore new avenues to improve their livelihoods by devising a fi- nancing model specifically for Thai farmers. ‘We plan to look at how much rice a farmer produces, what he gets for it, what his costs are, and what he needs to support his house- hold,’ explains Sievers. ‘We also plan to look at the other side of the coin: the lending options available to farmers, the costs incurred by them, and whether these are appropriate.’ Sievers and Verseckas are in Thailand as part of an international volunteer programme organised and coordinated by GIZ. German companies release their employees for one week to help charitable causes around the world. ‘This allows them to gain experience in a sector which is new to them, but still closely related to their day-to-day work,’ explains Matthias Bickel, from GIZ in Bangkok. Em- ployees from Deutsche Bank have already Deutsche Bank encourages its employees to take part in volunteer work. Why is that? What does the company gain? Our social commitment enables us to address pressing social challenges. We place particular emphasis on supporting the personal development of young people and contributing to a fairer education sys- tem. By encouraging our employees to take part in social projects, we also strengthen the impact of our initiatives. Almost one quarter of Deutsche Bank employees worldwide demonstrated their social com- mitment at a personal level last year. How does Deutsche Bank’s international voluntary programme work? As part of our Corporate Community Partnership Programme, specialists from a wide variety of areas within the bank take part in project placements lasting around four weeks, where they put their expertise to good use in charitable organisations in developing countries and emerging econo- mies. They are released from their normal work on full pay for the duration of the placement and advise groups such as lo- cal social enterprises or training estab- lishments. They develop marketing strate- gies and financing models or evaluate business plans. Our employees learn new skills and broaden their horizons by gain- ing experience outside their usual work environment. This also helps to improve identification and satisfaction with Deutsche Bank as an employer. We therefore strive not only to improve the socio-economic conditions in these countries, but also – and above all – to cre- ate a win-win situation at all levels. What feedback have you received from employees so far? There has been a very high level of satisfaction on both sides. Employees are motivated by the fact that they can achieve a great deal in a short time. We have noticed that, even after the project has ended, they stay in touch with our partners or members of the social organ- isations. Deutsche Bank works with GIZ on its in- ternational volunteer programme. Why is that? GIZ has a direct, local presence in the countries in which our projects are imple- mented. We therefore know that our em- ployees will receive both the professional and personal support they need during their voluntary placements. We are cur- rently planning a follow-up project for the supraregional rice initiative in Thailand, with another team of two specialists set to provide additional support and impetus for the project. ‘Social responsibility’ Suzana Schäfer is corporate volunteering project manager at Deutsche Bank. > INTERVIEW