Empowering Co-operatives through Information Technology (Part 1)

In 2004-2007, AWCF and InWent (Capacity Building International, Germany) implemented the Project "it@coops" (Information Technology for Southeast Asian Co-operatives). The Project was supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Germany. Participating organizations were the Credit Union League of Thailand (CULT), Thailand; Forum for Indonesian Co-operatives Movement (FORMASI Indonesia), Indonesia; and National Confederation of Cooperatives (NATCCO), Philippines. The Project's overall objective was to provide poverty-oriented co-ops in Southeast Asia with skills in, understanding of, and access to IT that will make them more competitive. The it@coops Project also aimed at transforming the new IT forms into popular and gender-accountable instruments to help co-ops pursue their social and economic goals amid the challenges of globalization.