What can you learn from our new Ethics & Euros podcast?

“If you change the life of one woman, you change the whole community,” says Iris Lanao, Executive Director at Finca Peru. She was a recent guest on the Ethics & Euros podcast, produced by Oikocredit Germany. 

The monthly series aims to give people insights into the work of Oikocredit and our impact. Episodes are either in German or in English. 

Finca Peru, a longstanding Oikocredit partner, provides three different services through its Bancomunales programme. These include loans for business, savings programmes and  comprehensive training. It supports women entrepreneurs and mothers in the rural and urban areas of Ayacucho, Huancavelica and Lima with a view to improving their quality of life and that of their families and their communities. 

Investing in women catalyses economic growth and development. Women’s economic empowerment boosts productivity, increases economic diversification and income equality in addition to other positive development outcomes, research from the IMF shows. 

Iris touched on other areas of Oikocredit’s work during the podcast. In particular, she discussed the value of our cooperative’s Client Self-Perception Survey Programme, and the role that female empowerment plays in the survey. The Client Self-Perception Survey Programme interviews our partners’ customers about how their lives and about the impact of our partners’ work. The results enable partners to better understand their clients andimprove their products and services in response to local needs. 

Ethics & Euros focuses on issues connected to microfinance and impact investment. It aims to give current and new investors an insight into Oikocredit’s work and impact. Each episode, hosts Karen Zwissler and Sina Fischer interview a special guest over a cup of coffee or hot chocolate from one of our partners.  

In a previous episode (in German), Claudia Brück, Head of Communications and Politics at Fairtrade Germany, has talked about why global agriculture needs a transformation, and discussed the role of agroecology, food sovereignty and cash crops. 

In another episode, two investors at different ends of the demographic spectrum – one Baby Boomer and one from Z – discussed what sustainable investing means to them, and how age and gender impact their outlook. 

Tune in now! You find the podcast here: Podcast - Oikocredit Deutschland. It’s also available wherever good podcasts are found, including on Spotify, Apple Music and Deezer.