More on it@coops shared in Berlin

AWCF always welcomes opportunities to share among co-ops and other development groups its experiences and learning from its activities undertaken toward its advocacy on gender equality in and through co-ops. Another such opportunity came on November 18-19, 2010 in Berlin, Germany, when AWCF Executive Director Ms Salome Ganibe spoke to the development community on the impact and learning gained by AWCF from its “it@coops Project.” This Project was implemented 2004-2007 in member-countries of AWCF in Asia. Ms Ganibe attended the “ICT (Information and Communication Technology) for Rural Economic Development” conference in Berlin, organized by the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

With participants from donor organizations, NGOs (non-government organizations) and the private sector, the conference convened 99 experts to discuss the support mechanisms to be provided to project implementers that will enable projects to reach the rural poor.

Ms Ganibe’s presentation at the conference used the it@coops Project as model, wherein she stressed the importance of using information technology (IT) to empower people, especially women, in rural areas, such as what the Project sought to do. Because co-ops abound in rural areas, and knowing that women compose half or more than half of many co-ops’ total membership, Ms Ganibe encouraged the conference participants to help women by supporting the capacity-building activities of co-ops as well as by establishing business development centers (BDCs), particularly because women are, by nature, entrepreneurs. Emphasizing that IT can bring increased economic empowerment to co-ops and their members, Ms Ganibe reiterated the need to allocate resources for IT-related activities.

The it@coops Project or the “Information Technology for Southeast Asian Co-operatives Project,” was a collaborative effort of AWCF and the Capacity Building International, Germany (InWEnt)—an organization that seeks to provide advanced ICT knowledge to Africa, Asia, and the Middle East—with funding support from BMZ.