A NEW VISION OF MICROFINANCE...

More than 10,000 people have visited the photo exhibition "Microfinance côté face" designed by ADA in collaboration with Luxembourg photographer Guy Wolff in order to raise awareness to microfinance. The pictures were exposed more than 20 times: in Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, and Africa (Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Mali, Senegal and Togo).

The photo exhibition has come a long way since the private viewing on September 28th 2008 at the Abbaye of Neumünster!

Guy Wolff, a photojournalist in Luxembourg and author of "Looks on Rwanda" exhibition, went to Burkina Faso and Mali to meet with micro-entrepreneurs in order to make us immerge at the heart of the microfinance system. From one micro-enterprise to another, throughout the pictures, the visitor will learn the essential characteristics of the financial services. Through the "Microfinance côté face" exhibition, the photographer brings out the light of an unexplored side of dedicated yet a brave Africa, a working Africa.

"Microfinance côté face" was presented for the first time from September 12th to October 22th 2008 at the Cloister of the "Centre culturel de rencontre Abbaye de Neumünster", in Luxembourg, in collaboration with the ABBL and with the support of the CCRN, the KBL-European Private Bankers, the Spuerkeess, the Banque de Luxembourg and the Luxembourg Cooperation.
After six weeks 2 385 people did see this photo exhibition, within 245 with a guide from ADA, expert in microfinance.

Organized by ADA in collaboration  and with the support the Luxembourg Cooperation, this exhibition has also been exported to Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), Bamako (Mali) and Dakar (Senegal) through the members of the network of the "Confédération des institutions financières" (CIF) of Western Africa.

It is sometimes said that Africans do not work. It is also said that the reason they are poor is because they don't want to work. If that was to be true, how can we explain the daily lives of Maïmouna, Marcelline, Odjouma, Ablassé, and many more? These microfinance clients, fathers or mothers, work non-stop in order to escape from poverty vicious circle. With a microcredit kick start, some manage to survive and improve their life conditions; whereas others are able to build real enterprises.

Partners of the photo exhibition in Luxembourg:

• [Translate to English:] 18 au 31 mai 2010: Centre Noppeney à Differdange (Lux)
• 07 avril au 07 juin 2010: BRS/KBC à Louvain et Bruxelles (BE)
• 16 au 27 mars 2010 : au CWBCI à Tournai (BE)
• 08 au 21 mars 2010 : Servior Esch/Alzette (Lux)
• 06 au 07 mars 2010 : Salle Agora Russange (FR)
• 28 janvier au 9 février 2010: Commune de Rumelange (Lux)
• 30 novembre au 18 décembre 2009: Lycée Aline Mayrisch (Lux)
• 01 au 16 décembre 2009: Espace d'Art du Conservatoire de musique à Thionville
• 03 au 12 novembre 2009: Gesondheetshaus à Lintgen (Lux)
• 05 au 23 octobre 2009: Centre socio-culturel à Bettembourg (Lux)
• 31 août au 11 septembre 2009: BEI à Luxembourg (Lux)
• 26 juillet au 16 août 2009: Centre socio-culturel à Untereisenbach (Lux)
• 06 au 31 juillet 2009: Office des Nations Unies, Genève (Suisse)
• 08 juin au 01 juillet 2009: Banque BGL BNP Paribas, agence Monterey, Luxembourg (Lux)
• 15 au 22 mai 2009: Lycée Classique de Diekirch, Diekirch (Lux)
• 04 au 15 mai 2009: Université du Luxembourg, Luxembourg (Lux)
• 07 au 30 avril 2009: Kulturhaus, Niederanven (Lux)
• 30 mars au 06 avril 2009: Centre Larei, Vianden (Lux)
• 10 mars au 16 mars 2009: Centre culturel, Mensdorf (Lux)
• 06 mars au 08 mars 2009: Commune de Strassen (Lux)
• 18 au 25 mars 2009: Conseil Régional, Metz (France)
• 19 février au 28 février 2009: Centre commercial Belle-Etoile, Strassen (Lux)
• 27 janvier au 5 février 2009: Lycée Raymond Poincaré, Bar-Le-Duc (France)
• Le 20 décembre 2008: Centre culturel Trifolion, Echternach (Lux)
• 12 septembre au 21 octobre 2008: CCR Abbaye Neumunster, Luxembourg (Lux)