Recently our colleague Adriana travelled to Peru to support ADA, a Luxembourgish NGO working to promote an effective, sustainable and social inclusive finance sector worldwide, on the evaluation of a specialized microfinance environment unit. The unit, structured as collaboration between ADA and COPEME – Consorcio de Organizaciones Privadas de Promoción al Desarrollo de la Pequeña y Micro Empresa – aims to assist microfinance institutions to develop environmentally friendly financial products and services. It also seeks to support players within the technology value chain to revitalize the market and facilitate access to green energy in rural and semi-urban Peru. During the mission Adriana had the opportunity to meet with great professionals from different types of institutions (DFIs, NGOs, MFIs, Governmental institutions) who gave unselfishly of their time and talent to serve on the mission trip and provided remarkable insights on market needs and opportunities.
Before coming back to Europe Adriana had the chance to visit Althelia Investment programme in Madre de Dios, an inspiring project currently financing the long-term conservation of 570,000 hectares of natural forest. The project covers the National Reserve of Tambopata and the National Park of Bahuaja-Sonene as well as 4000 hectares of degraded land in a buffer zone around the parks and it is possible thanks to the ground-breaking partnership between Asociacion para la Investigacion y el Desarrollo Integral (AIDER) and SERNANP, the Peruvian Ministry of Environment’s National Service for Natural Protected Areas, which is a key supporter of private participation in nature conservation and environmental services. This investment enables the restoration of the buffer zone through agroforestry systems aiming to produce fine aromatic ‘deforestation-free’ cocoa and improving the livelihoods of the farming communities.
