How does it works ?

In order to better understand some words and the way we work, we encourage you to read some definitions and our terms and conditions (in French).

Where are our resources coming from ?

From members and donors : until 2008, Zebunet was entirely funded through membership fees, PEA subscriptions and spontaneous gifts from members.

Public and private partners : since 2009, on top of funds coming from our members, Zebunet maintains some public and private partnerships, such as région Ile de France, Fondation Veolia Environnement or Coopération Internationale Monégasque. In 2009, our association won the competition « Prix et Trophée en Economie Sociale », organized by the Crédit Coopératif. 

Where do our funds go ?

In the countries where we operate : only 5€ of the amount of a PEA subscription are kept in France to cover operational costs at our administrative base. The remaining amount is fully allocated to projects in the countries where we operate in the form of micro loans for farmers or small grants to support the launch of livestock activity (veterinary services, food, etc). The lent amount is naturally reimbursed and systematically reinvested in those countries to fund local staff, pre-finance new projects and lead some support projects (reforestation, biogaz, etc).

In France : membership fees and open donations help finance operational costs of our association, which include staff charges (one permanent position) and overhead costs (website, banking fees, office material).

How does a project work effectively ?

In each country where it operates, Zebunet is partnering with some local organizations -mostly associations or local law non-profits-, whose mission is to perform the fieldwork. These organizations usually work on a well-defined area with various type of population: vulnerable farmer families, widows, withdrawn areas, ethnic minority, etc.
Local organizations are the one who define a project with those populations: some are mostly doing agriculture, some others want to diversify their activity because they cannot meet their needs with only their land, some other need to switch activity after a climate disaster.
Local partners propose a pilot project to Zebunet and we work together to assess financial return, feasibility and relevance.
Once an action has been defined, Zebunet develops a formal partnership with a contract and an agreement, and the project can be funded. Generally, 90% of allocated funds are targeted at micro loans for families, the remaining 10% being support projects (partner support, education, etc). The loans offered on Zebunet’s website are the ones granted in these projects. They are used to buy the animals and last from 12 to 36 months.
Depending if they are offered under « donor » or « investor » status, these loans once refunded by the families allow to pre-finance new projects or fund some support actions such as some biogaz projects or some chicken coops.
This virtuous cycle allows Zebunet to carry on and develop its actions, while maintaining a base financial balance.