The municipality of Glanges in Haute-Vienne has managed to collect 65,000 euros for the renovation of its future health center.
“Settling in the countryside, I won’t do it, in itself it wouldn’t bother me too much, but being a country doctor requires a lot of work, you’re not very well paid and besides, it’s not super stimulating , it’s mostly comfort medicine.says Étienne, 21, a third-year medical student. This statement can partly explain the initiative of the municipality of Glanges: to acquire a nursing home by renovating the old post office of the village thanks to a citizen loan. The mayor of Glanges, Emilie Gillet, declares that this unprecedented financing will probably allow “to anticipate the retirement of physicians in the surrounding area who cannot find replacements“. In the meantime, two nurses and an orthoptist are already officiating in an old building in the town.
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A response in a tense medical area
Although Haute-Vienne is an area where healthcare is relatively accessible, the fact remains that a car is essential to get to a doctor. Thierry, 65, retired, lives in Glanges, in Haute-Vienne. Limoges is 25 km away and the nearest health center is in Saint-Germain-les-Belles, about fifteen kilometers from the village of around 515 inhabitants. “And doctors in rural areas are not youngadds Thierry. So when Mayor Emilie Gillet, on the initiative of two nurses, talked about Villyz, an investment platform serving communities and their citizens, which would make it possible to finance a nursing home, Thierry did not hesitate to lend his money.
Some 65,000 euros were collected online, more than in the metropolis of Rouen, which had set up crowdfunding in 2018.
With an interest rate considered interesting at 1.2%, this investment for the municipality has brought together the population of Glange and its surroundings: 52% of lenders are inhabitants of Haute-Vienne. “ It’s more interesting than a booklet A and I find the proposal very attractive. We followed the dynamic. Even people who did not know how to do on the Internet wanted to contribute something, they made donations.says Thierry.
An initiative for more participatory democracy
According to Emilie Gillet, the call for civic engagement explains such enthusiasm. She speaks of a form of participatory democracy: “You have to start from needs, that’s democracy. We have a collective of citizens that is forming, it has triggered a dynamic. Of the 500 inhabitants, 231 are involved in the Glanges health center: there is a real interest in local life.»
For Arthur Moraglia, co-founder of Villyz, the idea was to enable transparent and impactful investment. “The city council was for such a projectAccording to this former executive of the Prudential Control and Resolution Authority. And if some were unable to donate, because of outdated identity papers in particular (necessary to lend on Villyz, which strictly regulates this practice), crowdfunding in Glanges has the advantage of being balanced. Reimbursement by the municipality will be spread over 7 years. 46% of investors for the Glanges health center are women, an unprecedented figure since only 29% of women generally invest.