Export Development Canada (EDC), Canada’s leading provider of trade financing and insurance, announced that it has renewed its community investment partnership with CARE Canada for another three years. The announcement was made on the fifth anniversary of the partnership.
Since 2009, CARE and EDC have worked together on several economic development projects in emerging markets. As part of the partnership, EDC assigns employees to CARE’s small business and micro-finance projects in the developing world.
Over the five-year partnership, 18 EDC employees have been seconded to support CARE’s work. They bring their wide range of specialized knowledge to four-month stints in the field, from business development and risk assessment to communications and information management systems.
“Our relationship with EDC has been very much a win-win experience,” said Gillian Barth, President and CEO of CARE Canada. “It has been valuable and mutually beneficial to bring the expertise and mentorship of their staff into the field with us. It offers a fresh perspective on how to help the communities in which we work reach their potential and EDC personnel also receive on-the-ground experience of the challenges faced by other global economies.”
“The Beyond Exports Program is a great example of our corporate social responsibility commitment in action,” said Pierre Gignac, EDC’s Acting President and CEO. “We’re delighted to continue contributing to CARE’s efforts to alleviate poverty around the world. Sending our top talent for up to four months to help small business development initiatives around the world gives them a greater ability to connect with all facets of these markets where we do business.”
EDC selected CARE Canada as a partner because of its extensive experience with small business development in emerging markets and its reputation for professionalism and excellence.