Owner managers have varied approaches to CSR. For Paul Galvin, it’s about lending money to Africa’s poorest, writes Emily Styles.

Menswear shop Galvin Tullamore is celebrating 65 years in business this year, and has ‘booted and suited’ generations of midlands men since John Galvin opened the store in 1950. John’s son, Paul Galvin, now runs the business with his sister, Teresa, and he’s a dedicated follower of fashion, with the emporium stocking international labels including Boss, Gant, Hilfiger, Ted Baker and Armani and Barbour.

Though he enjoys his job, what Paul Galvin really gets a kick out of is travelling to the poorest parts of the world to help out people who are a lot less fortunate than he is. He’s a donor and supporter of Gorta-Self Help Africa, the NGO with a focus on sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Zambia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Malawi and Kenya.

“I got involved with Self Help Africa through a friend of mine and every two years or so I pay my way to visit some of the projects,” says Galvin. “I meet some of the farmers and see how things are going on the ground. There is nothing like seeing for yourself how small amounts of money can make a massive difference.”

Micro Finance

Last year, at the government’s urging, Gorta and Self Help Africa merged to make the organisation more efficient. The NGO had income of €15.8m in 2014 of which 81% was spent on programme aid. The cost of raising funds was €2.1m while the overhead amounted to €590,000. One third of the charity’s income comes from public donations with the rest provided by government bodies in Ireland and overseas.

In Association with

Galvin’s most recent trip was to Kenya was in May. “You hit the ground running and it’s from early morning to late at night,” he says. “I wasn’t doing any manual work; the idea is to visit some of the projects and see how the money is being spent. Some friends of mine give money too and when I get back home I’m able to tell them about the woman I spoke with who availed of some micro finance and the change it has made to her life.”

Businessman Paul Galvin funds microfinance loans to Kenyan farmers

Micro finance loans can start off as little as €50. “One woman we met was into her fourth loan. She had a shed where she was rearing 200 chickens and with the income from that all her kids are attending school. It’s remarkable to see the pride the family takes from their children going to school. They know that education is a step up the ladder that will make their lives easier. What occurred to me was that entrepreneurs are the same all over the world. This woman’s main issue was that she couldn’t borrow enough money.”

On his visit up-country in Kenya, Galvin was accompanied by three members of Rotary Ireland. Last year Rotary embarked on a three-year campaign to raise €300,000 to support Gorta-Self Help Africa’s work in Kenya. Galvin is convinced that the more monetary donations the NGO like receives, the greater the number of poor Africans who will get a chance to work their way out of poverty. However, payment in kind is also useful.

Added Value

“It’s not just about helping the small farmer,” he explains. “For instance, in Kenya we visited a small dairy. There are hundreds of farmers supplying the dairy but they might only have two cows each. And then there’s the farmer with a couple of who sells his crops at a miserable price because the buyer has all the power. They’re only starting to get to grips with the co-operative idea and how to add value to primary products.

“I think that’s where the input from Irish business people is very useful. I have heard of accountants who give up two weeks of their holidays and to audit the books or maybe set up a whole bookkeeping system.”