AWCF welcomes 2013!

A Video Story--Gender Equality: Empowering Women and Men, and Co-ops

Message from the Asian Women in Co-operative Development Forum (AWCF): This video was produced by AWCF and presented at the "Public Awareness Conference on Gender Equality (GE): Empowering Women and Men, and Co-ops," held Dec. 6, 2012 in Quezon City, Philippines. AWCF organized the Public Awareness Conference as the culminating activity of the Project "Promoting GE Among Co-operatives in the Philippines," done 2010-2012, participated in by 15 of the most active and progressive co-ops in the Philippines, now also among the most gender-fair co-ops in the country (the 15 co-ops represent a total of 449,856 women and men members, nationwide). The Project is under the "ACCESS to the Poor" country program in the Philippines of the Swedish Cooperative Centre (SCC), supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). This video and the 200-page book "Gender Equality: Empowering Women and Men, and Co-ops--Stories of the Gender Journey of Co-ops in the Philippines," also produced by AWCF, give the backgrounder on the GE Project, and the various accomplishments of the 15 co-ops based on the Project objectives and even beyond. The Public Awareness Conference and the materials produced by AWCF hope to convey to even more co-ops that when they promote and advocate GE, it's a win-win situation for them and their members. The co-ops and members get to enjoy enhanced socio-economic benefits made possible by the integration and practice of GE in the co-ops' people, policies, programs/projects/activities, and enabling mechanisms. In this way, the co-ops live out even more the "Statement on the Co-op Identity (SCI)" that promotes the "Co-op Values and Principles."

AWCF acknowledges the use in this video of some footages from the United Nations-produced (1983) "The Impossible Dream" animated video. "The Impossible Dream" is a popular training material used in gender-sensitivity training (GST). This video also uses some footages of the "Liberating Co-ops" video produced by AWCF (1995). Music credits: Music by AWCF, and from "Time Lapse" (from i-movie).

AWCF is a resource center and advocacy body on gender and co-ops, with national member-organizations in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. For more information on GE in co-ops, please e-mail AWCF via awcf@coopwomen.org, or visit coopwomen.org. This video is not to be used for commercial purposes.

Gender Equality in Co-ops: Empowering Households

"Gender Equality in Co-ops: Empowering Households," presented by Ms Salome A. Ganibe, Officer in Charge, Asian Women in Co-operative Development Forum (AWCF). She was one of the speakers in the 11th “National Cooperative Summit,” organized by the Philippine Cooperative Center (PCC), October 10-12, 2012 at the Lim Ket Kai Center, Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines. Summit theme was “Cooperative Enterprises Build a Better Philippines: Transformative Cooperatives for People, Planet, Prosperity and Peace."  

Co-ops give update for GE Project

On July 25-26, 2012 in Antipolo City, Philippines, the Asian Women in Co-operative Development Forum (AWCF) convened the “Third Monitoring Forum” of the "Promoting Gender Equality Among Philippine Co-operatives" Project. AWCF is implementing the Project (2010-2012) under the “Advancing Civic Capacities for Effective and Sustainable Services to the Poor (ACCESS to the Poor),” which is the country program for the Philippines of the Swedish Cooperative Centre (SCC), with funding from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).

Representatives of the 15 Philippine co-ops taking part in the AWCF-SCC Project attended the Monitoring Forum. They presented updates of the Project’s implementation in their respective organizations. The co-ops were represented by their General Managers/Chief Executive Officers, Board Chairpersons/Directors, Chairpersons/Members of their GE Committee, and some Gender Focal Persons (GFPs) (31 co-op representatives: 21 women and 10 men). Also present at the event, upon invitation by the AWCF, were the SCC Philippine Country Director Ms Anneli Leina (who was to leave her office in early August 2012), Ms Jessica Soto (Ms Leina’s successor), and Administrative staff Mr. Jun Gandingan. Representing the AWCF Secretariat were Officer in Charge (OIC) Ms Salome Ganibe, AWCF-SCC Project Manager Ms Emma Nieva, and Project Assistant, Ms Teresa Saliendra. Some of AWCF’s consultants were also present in the Monitoring Forum. 

The GE Project 
AWCF’s Gender Equality (GE) Project with SCC began with the signing in April 2010 of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the 15 co-ops and the AWCF to work for the Project Objective of strengthening local capacities and creating favourable policies for the promotion of GE among these co-ops, located in the country’s Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao regions. From thereon, AWCF and the 15 co-ops together engaged in interventions related to human resource capacity-building; strengthening of plans, systems, and structures; research and policy advocacy; and project planning, monitoring and evaluation/capacity-building. Through these interventions, the Project intended to solidify the gender-related services and advocacies to be systematically offered to and participated in by co-ops. In turn, the co-ops were expected to be assisted in their transformation into being gender-fair co-ops and gender-fair workplaces. And being gender-fair, the co-ops were hoped to more effectively implement gender-related activities that will enable the promotion and practice of GE in the organizational areas of people, policies, systems, and structure.  


Talking about accomplishments

Before the 15 co-ops had their turn in reporting to the body the progress of their GE-related activities for the past 12 months, Ms Nieva gave a summing up or overview of the accomplishments of the Project since January 2012. She gave the following Project highlights:

• the 15 co-ops’ aggressive promotion of GE in their organization, with the coordination of AWCF in some activities, resulted in significant increase in the awareness on GE, and more positive perception by the co-ops’ leadership and management with regard to addressing the needs and rights of the members
• the 15 co-ops’ positive actions toward formulating and implementing gender-responsive and gender-fair policies/practices have brought forth these key results in the co-ops: formulated GE vision, mission, goals, and objectives; improved organizational structure, personnel policies (including GE-enhanced human resource policy manual, and GE manual); and improved services to address the needs of women and men members
• as to the quantitative indicators aimed at by AWCF’s GE Project, which are number of women-officers in the boards of these co-ops increased by 20%; at least 50% of these co-ops’ staff are women; and number of women members in these co-ops increased by 20%, the following results were achieved, so far, by the 15 co-ops (see Table 1 below):

• the Project capacitated the co-ops to prepare policies to ensure that women and men are always represented in the leadership: the increase in women’s number in the BOD composition indicates that women are given more opportunity to become leaders and to take part in the co-ops’ decision-making process
• the co-ops were able to identify a total of 15 GFPs, 15 alternate GFPs, and 35 gender role models/advocates, all of whom have undergone orientation on GE as the Project was able to help them be gender-sensitive; be capacitated to develop their own co-ops’ gender training modules and materials; and, most importantly, be trainers able to conduct GE-related training
• 10,816 participants from the 15 co-ops participated in 24 different roll-out GE- related training conducted by these co-ops’ GE Committee, GFPs, and gender role models/advocates
• the co-ops formed and instituted their GE programs; prepared their GE training modules; and integrated GE learning/sessions in their regularly conducted pre-membership education seminars for prospective members, and in their ownership seminars and other activities for members
• as indicated in record sheets of the 15 co-ops compared to results of the baseline study that AWCF had conducted among them at the start of the Project, these co-ops overall greatly improved in their efforts to mainstream gender in their organizations.

Challenges remain
Ms Nieva also stated the challenges that the 15 co-ops and also AWCF are facing in their gender journey, in relation to the Project and even beyond. Some of these challenges are:

• intensive learning for the co-ops on setting up in their organizations a project implementation, monitoring, and evaluation (PIME) system for GE
• need for the co-ops to train more GE trainers to reach the big number of membership
• need for the co-ops to have continuous gender-sensitizing activities/training, especially for incoming/new officers because leaders change periodically in co-ops; the same activities/training should also be given to staff/new staff
• need to address rural women’s demands on addressing their lack of knowledge and skills on business and enterprise development as well as on other livelihood projects, and developing these into family enterprises.

  
Co-ops update on progress
The aforementioned accomplishments for the GE Project reported by Ms Nieva found validation in the updates given later by the 15 co-ops’ representatives in the Monitoring Forum for their Project-related activities. In acknowledging the reports that lasted the whole two days of the Forum, Ms Ganibe underscored to the body the highlights of the co-ops’ presentations as the additional notable major accomplishments of the GE Project, such as:

• the growth of the co-ops in their ranking from having low scores (or even “zero” for some co-ops) in the GE rapid assessment survey conducted among them at the Project’s start—currently, (in the Project’s third year) the co-ops have moderate to almost full ranking in the different components of the assessment survey. The improvement in ranking comes from the efforts of the co-ops themselves aside from the personal efforts given by the co-operators who have undergone the different capacity-building activities of the Project (directly or in roll-out activities/training).
• the co-ops are now enlarging their GE advocacy as they reach out to even more members, and even extending and sharing their GE expertise with other organizations like local government units (LGUs) and non-government organizations (NGOs), among other organizations
• with the budget for GE having been approved by the co-ops’ Boards, the co-ops are doing many more gender-related activities such as continuing the GE education given to much more numbers of members
• the co-ops, in general, have put in place the appropriate systems to enable their GE program’s sustainability and continuity. As such, the GE program will continue to exist despite certain factors that may otherwise affect it such as leadership and staff changes. For instance, a co-op’s GE Committee has been made in-charge of the GE program, and the GE Committee has been made a standing committee of the co-op; a co-op’s GE resource center (or GERC, with the GE program operating with it) has been put under the Business Development Services (BDS) of the co-op, with the BDS being part of the co-op’s structure; or a co-op has tasked its Human Resource Department to take care of the GE program. These are just some of the ways by which the 15 co-ops have institutionalized the GE program/advocacy in their organizations.
• the co-ops’ clear delineation in their structures/systems of their GE Committee, GFPs, and gender models/advocates have helped strengthen their GE resource services. Furthermore, a number of these co-ops have leveled up by starting to establish their GERC, after securing their Boards’ approval of their GERC’s plan and budget (Note: The co-ops’ establishment of the GERC or, at least, the strengthening of the co-ops’ GE resource services, was discussed during a national forum on the GERC that had been held by the 15 co-ops, as organized by the AWCF in line with the GE Project’s objectives, in June 2012 in Cebu.)
• whereas there was not even a mention of the co-ops’ possible linking up with LGUs when the AWCF GE Project was just starting in 2010, now some of the co-ops have established partnership with their LGUs. For instance, the LGUs are now tapping a number of these co-ops as GE experts who render GE services, such as by being the LGUs’ trainers or resource speakers. The co-ops may not be earning largely from their partnership with the LGUs at this point, but the benefits for the co-ops from this partnership are manifold. With the co-ops’ additional experience and exposure gained from working together with the LGUs, they further firm up their reputation as both co-op and GE experts. Also, with the co-ops’ tie-up with the LGUs (which are mandated to have a gender budget), they are able to conduct GE training in different barangays (villages) that give them more opportunities to reach the co-op members as well gain more members.
• in relation to being tapped as GE experts by LGUs and other organizations, the co-ops have gained recognition and awards for their expertise
• the 15 co-ops, located in different areas of the Philippines, have established “friendships” among themselves as they share learning, experience, and efforts in helping and supporting one another in simple GE-related partnerships (e.g., conducting GE activities)
• one of the manifestations of the increased importance given by the co-ops to GE is their development and offering of products/services accessible to both women and men members, even if these products/services were initially offered to women only. Thus the co-ops have become gender-fair by giving access to both sexes to these products/services. For some of the co-ops, this situation has even led to the increased number of both women and men membership.
• the co-ops have also shown in a variety of ways that the BDS and GERC within their organizations can be integrated together to maximize social and economic benefits for both co-ops and members (e.g., integrating GE education in the members’ activities like livelihood training and loan seminars) (and which also puts to fore the co-ops’ “corporate social responsibility”)
• with all their commitment, activities, experience, expertise, and recognition gained in and through GE, the 15 co-ops are now able to proudly say that they are “GE Champions” in the Philippine co-op movement.

Ms Ganibe also commended the co-ops for the quality of their reporting in the Monitoring Forum. She said that the co-ops’ Powerpoint, video, live storytelling, and narrative reports in the Forum had shown how they apply to their GE advocacy the learning shared with them in the capacity-building seminars (e.g., trainers’ training) conducted through the GE Project. 


Joint activities  
The Monitoring Forum ended with discussions between AWCF and the 15 co-ops on their remaining joint activities of the Project for 2012 as well as on the continued promotion and establishment of the GERC among the co-ops and also with other co-ops in the Philippines. SCC’s Ms Leina expressed her organization’s continuing support to the co-ops for their GE endeavors.

The 15 partner-co-ops in the AWCF-SCC Project for GE are (Luzon) Abra Diocesan Teachers and Employees Multi-Purpose Cooperative (MPC); Ligas Kooperatiba ng  Bayan sa Pagpapaunlad; Nueva Segovia Consortium of Cooperatives; St. Martin of Tours Credit and Development Cooperative; and Sacred Heart Credit and Development Cooperative; (Visayas) Don Bosco Network MPC; Cordova MPC; Dumanjug MPC; Lamac MPC; and Metro Ormoc Community Cooperative; and (Mindanao) Mindanao State University–Iligan Institute of Technology MPC; Paglaum MPC; Panabo MPC; Pantukan Chess Club Cooperative; and Tagum Cooperative.

AWCF-FK exchange program needs young Filipino professionals

WANTED: Three young Filipino professionals, for posting abroad as exchange staff.  

Deadline for application—July 31, 2012.

 

The Asian Women in Co-operative Development Forum (AWCF), a resource center and advocacy body on gender and co-ops in Asia, has been implementing for the past years the “Capacity-building for Gender and  Co-operatives in Asia” Project. The Project is an exchange program activity in partnership with Fredskorpset (FK) Norway, and is entering the Phase 5 of its implementation within the AWCF network. FK Norway is a government agency that arranges reciprocal exchanges of personnel between organizations in Norway and developing countries.

The Project is under FK’s “South-South Exchange” Program. In AWCF’s exchange program activity, young professionals from AWCF member-organizations are given the chance to work for 10 months in one of the network’s other member-organizations. These young professionals can either learn or teach--depending on the needs identified--in the member-organization to which each of them are assigned. AWCF’s members are the Center of Agricultural Extension Volunteers (CAEV), Vietnam; Credit Union League of Thailand (CULT), Thailand; Credit Union Promotion Club (CUPC), Malaysia; Forum for Indonesian Co-operatives Movement (FORMASI Indonesia), Indonesia; National Confederation of Cooperatives (NATCCO), Philippines; and Socio-Economic Development Organization of Cambodia (SEDOC), Cambodia.

The exchange program aims at propelling solidarity and collaboration in the AWCF network, and at capacitating the various members’ human resource in various fields of expertise like gender equality; co-operative services (financial intermediation, mutual benefit, cash management, housing, business development services, micro-enterprise, and micro-finance); sustainable agriculture (marketing and agricultural extension); training and education; information and communication technology (management information system, information technology-supported business development centers, accounting software); and other technical skills, such as project development, public relations, and documentation.

For the exchange program’s Phase 5, participants will be posted to their assignments from October 2012 to October 2013. And AWCF needs three young Filipino professionals, 22-35 years of age (up to 40 years old for females), to fill up the following positions:

1. Co-op Business Development Center (BDC) Specialist

(to be posted to CAEV, Vietnam)

Tasks and Responsibilities:

• Contact farmers in project pilot sites to understand their behavior in receiving new and advanced  techniques
• Work with CAEV technical staff to help them understand the BDC. Help them in setting up and managing the BDC as well as to strengthen co-ops
• Assist in the development of new products and service offerings of the farmers
• Establish one BDC as a model for other co-ops or for project sites of CAEV to follow
• Develop BDC operations manual and training materials
• Help CAEV technical staff in editing CAEV’s English documents
• Learn the agricultural services for farmers in Vietnam 
• Submit monthly report related to the activities and their learning to host and sending partners 
• Submit terminal report on the exposure study to host and sending partners
• Learn the basic Vietnamese language

Qualifications:

• University graduate
• One to two years work experience in co-operatives
• Excellent written and spoken English
• Personal qualities: gender-sensitive; good knowledge of BDC development; willing to implement programs/projects; good interpersonal skills; good health; creative; and has entrepreneurial outlook

2. Credit Union Gender Equality (GE) Specialist

(to be posted to CULT, Thailand)

Tasks and Responsibilities:

• Attend preliminary activities, such as basic orientation on CULT and its operations
• Attend exposure study to observe CULT program implementation
• Read documents and attend study visits to primary credit unions (CUs) to learn about the CU movement in CULT
• Develop a GE program in CULT, featuring— a) Gender Needs Survey and Sex-Disaggregated Data;b) Gender Training for Leaders and Staff; c) Develop GE Plan and Budget;  d) Create GE Committee/Appoint Gender Focal Person (GFP) Training Program; e) Assist the Education and Training Department staff in producing GE modules and in documentation; f) Assist the Human Resources Section in integrating GE in the Human Resource Policy
• Assist the Human Resources Section in integrating GE in the Human Resource Policy
• Assist the Training and Education Department in promoting GE in two pilot primary CUs, with GE plan developed, budget allocated, and GFP appointed
• Assist International Relations (IR) staff at CULT and primary CU in documentation in English  
• Give orientation to primary CUs about the co-op movement in the Philippines
• Submit monthly report related to the activities and their learning to host and sending partners 
• Submit terminal report on the exposure study to host and sending partners 
• Learn basic Thai language 

Qualifications:

• University graduate
• Background knowledge of co-operatives
• Background knowledge of gender mainstreaming
• Excellent written and spoken English
• Personal qualities: good interpersonal skills; good attitude; willing to assist CULT; willing to implement programs/projects; willing to learn; good health; creative 

3. Credit Union Business Development Center (BDC) Specialist

(to be posted to CUPC, Malaysia)

Tasks and Responsibilities:

• Review the policies, systems, and procedures of CUPC’s BDC
• Assist in the BDC's systems installation (especially on the BDC fund and financial management)
• In cooperation with CUPC’s staff in charge for the BDC, prepare training modules of co-ops and BDC formation, and also catalogue the training modules
• Facilitate operation of the BDC (e.g., train and enhance the human resources, BDC staff, and National Women and Family Development Committee [NWFDC] of CUPC on conducting training, module preparation, training design preparation, training documentation, and similar activities)
• Facilitate and teach about promoting BDC services
• Conduct field visits to chapters of CUPC to gather data on the current activities on Small and Medium Scale Industries (SMI)
• Read documents on co-op development in the CUPC network and in Malaysia as a whole, and have exposure to some some co-ops
• Submit monthly report related to the activities and their learning to host and sending partners 
• Submit terminal report on the exposure study to host and sending partners
• Learn basic Bahasa Malaysia/Basic Tamil language

Qualifications:

• University degree in relevant field, preferably Economics
• Strong background on BDC implementation, especially on training, consultancy, and BDC  promotion
• At least two years work experience in business development
• Excellent written and spoken English
• Personal qualities: good interpersonal skills; good attitude; willingness to assist CUPC; willing to implement programs/projects; willing to learn; good health; creative; strong facilitation and leadership skill; able to work independently but is also a team player

Applicants may send their letter of intent and résumé/curriculum vitae to Ms Sally A. Ganibe (awcf@coopwomen.org) on or before 31 July 2012. For inquiries, please contact the AWCF Secretariat in the Philippines at phone number +632 4387666.

----------------------

NOTE: 

Two other participants in this exchange program activity will come from Indonesia and Cambodia, to be assigned to Philippines and Thailand, respectively. The selection and hiring of participants from Indonesia and Cambodia will be done by the AWCF-FK Project partners in those countries. 

AWCF and FK get ready for exchange program’s Phase 5

Since 2008, the Asian Women in Co-operative Development Forum (AWCF)  has been implementing the “Capacity-building for Gender and Co-operatives in Asia” Project, an exchange program activity in partnership with Fredskorpset (FK) Norway. The Project, under FK’s “South-South Exchange” Programme, aims at developing capacities and skills in the co-op and gender fields of young professionals from AWCF’s member-organizations while they take part as exchange participants for 10 months. The AWCF member-organizations act as the participants’ hosts or Project partners. FK Norway is a government agency that arranges reciprocal exchanges of personnel between organizations in Norway and developing countries.

AWCF and FK are now holding the exchange program’s Phase 4 (or fourth batch of participants). The participants in Phase 4 are young professionals Mr. Ranie B. Catimbang, assigned to Credit Union Promotion Club (CUPC) in Malaysia; Ms Ella Marie P. Francia, assigned to Forum for Indonesian Co-operatives Movement (FORMASI Indonesia) in Indonesia; Mr. Jason P. Isidro, posted to Credit Union League of Thailand (CULT) in Thailand; Mr. Oung Mean, also assigned to CULT; and Mr. Hoang Viet Muoi, posted to National Confederation of Cooperatives (NATCCO) in the Philippines and AWCF. During the participants’ stay in their host-organizations, they are expected to gain professional (work) enrichment that they can use especially for their co-op involvement back home, and also personal development as they learn to relate with their host-organizations’ and host-countries’ people, language, and culture.

On May 22, 2012 in Town in Town Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand, FK’s Project partners in the AWCF network held the “Midterm Project Review Meeting” for the exchange program activity. At the Meeting, which was done to monitor the progress of AWCF-FK Project’s Phase 4, the Project partners reported on the activities, results, and learning of individual exchange program participants and of the sending and hosting organizations. The Project partners agreed on revisions on the participants’ tasks and other matters related to their activities, and also some revisions on the Project’s budget which were presented to and approved by the FK.

Meanwhile, on May 23-24, 2012, the same participants in the “Midterm Project Review Meeting” held the Project’s “5th Phase Planning Workshop” in the same venue. They identified the necessary next steps toward enabling the Project to meet its five-year objectives. Because this is the last year of the Project, the participants in the planning activity held an internal assessment of the Project’s objectives, results, and gaps. Furthermore, a new collaboration agreement was formulated at the planning activity among six partners (AWCF, CULT, CUPC, Center of Agricultural Extension Volunteers [CAEV], FORMASI Indonesia, and Socio-Economic Development Organization of Cambodia [SEDOC]). This collaboration agreement will involve the exchange program’s  Phase 5, to be implemented October 2012 to October 2013. Phase 5 will see five exchange program participants who will teach and learn along the areas of business development centers, gender equality, and documentation in their host-organizations.

AWCF-FK's Project partners in their May 2012 meeting in Bangkok.

Resource centers to boost co-ops’ gender equality advocacy

 

The “AWCF National Consultation on the Proposed Gender Equality Resource Center/Service for Philippine Co-ops” was held June 7-8, 2012 in Hidden Valley Resort in Pinamungajan, Cebu, Philippines. The consultation conference was hosted by the Lamac Multi-Purpose Cooperative (LMPC), which also developed, owns, and operates the Resort as one of its facilities and services.

The Asian Women in Co-operative Development Forum (AWCF) convened the conference to enable discussion among co-ops on the possible setting up, operation, and support to their own gender equality (GE) resource center (GERC) or GE resource service (GERS). The GERC/GERS is seen particularly as a levelling up or expansion of the GE program that a co-op may be implementing currently or in the future. This levelling up includes, among other enhancements, the even greater visibility and impact of GE-related activities to an increased number of members and also to other organizations that may tap the co-ops’ GE expertise. Establishing the GERC/GERS is also one of the thrusts of the “Promoting Gender Equality Among Philippine Co-operatives” Project (2010-2012) that AWCF is implementing in the Philippines, with support from the Swedish Cooperative Centre (SCC). The Project is under the SCC’s “ACCESS to the Poor Program in the Philippines” for which other organizations, aside from AWCF, are implementing projects to benefit various Philippine sectors.

Participants at the Cebu consultation conference were gender advocates (officers, management, and gender focal persons) of Philippine co-ops from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao island groups taking part in the AWCF-SCC Project. The 15 partner-co-ops of the Project now have gender-integrated bylaws, policies, programs, and services; and gender-aware officers, management, staff, and members. The AWCF-SCC Project had conducted orientation, consultations, and training activities aimed at developing or enhancing these co-ops’ GE awareness, capabilities, and advocacy.   

Also present at the conference as AWCF’s Officer in Charge for this GE Project was Ms Emma Nieva, Vice President for Internal Affairs of AWCF and who is also the outgoing Women Sector Representative in the Board of the National Confederation of Cooperatives (NATCCO), AWCF’s member-organization in the Philippines. The current Women Sector Representative to the NATCCO Board Ms Divina Quemi was also at the Cebu conference because she was likewise one of the two representatives to this conference from the Nueva Segovia Consortium of Cooperatives (NSCC), one of the participating co-ops in the AWCF-SCC Project.     

At the Cebu conference, the co-ops in attendance recognized that a GERC/GERS can help co-ops in further living their vision and mission toward serving the people. These co-ops had given their various levels of commitment at the conference to establishing their GERC/GERS, and some of them, in fact, stated their plan to put up their GERC/GERS within 2012.

Also in 2012, AWCF will publish an informational primer and invite stakeholders to a national forum, all geared to further promoting the creation of GERC/GERS among Philippine co-ops.

Aside from LMPC and NSCC, the other Philippine co-ops involved in the AWCF-SCC Project are (Luzon) Abra Diocesan Teachers and Employees Multi-Purpose Cooperative [MPC]; Ligas Kilusang Bayan sa Pagpapaunlad; St. Martin of Tours Credit and Development Cooperative; and Sacred Heart Credit and Development Cooperative; (Visayas) Don Bosco MPC; Cordova MPC; Dumanjug MPC; and Metro Ormoc Community Cooperative; (Mindanao) Mindanao State University–Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) MPC; Paglaum MPC; Panabo MPC; Pantukan Chess Club Cooperative; and Tagum Cooperative. Only two of these co-ops were not able to join the Cebu conference. Meanwhile, Sta. Cruz Savings and  Development Cooperative, which had joined a previous AWCF-SCC gender project, was also present in the conference.

 

AWCF elects BOT for 2012-2014

The "AWCF 6th General Assembly (GA)" on May 21, 2012 in Bangkok elected the organization's Board of Trustees to serve from 2012-2014. AWCF's BOT come from GA delegates of its member-organizations in Asia. The incoming BOT and the organizations they represent are: 

Chairperson: Ms Kruewan Chonlanai (Credit Union League of Thailand--CULT, Thailand)

Vice Chairperson for Internal Affairs Ms  Emma Nieva (National Confederation of Cooperatives--NATCCO, Philippines)

Vice Chairperson for External Affairs: Ms Irawati Hermantyo (Forum for Indonesian Cooperatives Movement--FORMASI Indonesia, Indonesia)

Secretary: Mr. Sil Vineth (Socio-Economic Development Organization of Cambodia--SEDOC, Cambodia)

Treasurer: Mr. Pham Tai Thang (Center of Agricultural Extension Volunteers--CAEV, Vietnam). 

In photo (left to right) are Mr. Vineth, Ms Nieva, Ms Kruewan, Ms Irawati, and Mr. Pham.CULT hosted the holding of AWCF's meeting.

In remembrance

We request everyone to offer a prayer for Ms Angelita “Angie” Valdez of the Asian Women in Co-operative Development Forum (AWCF) who passed away on April 17, 2012 at around 6 PM, in her hometown of Solano, Nueva Vizcaya province, Philippines. Before AWCF, she worked with NORLU CEDEC, a Philippine co-op federation in the northern Luzon region. Angie was a dedicated co-op and gender advocate and trainer. As a development worker for many years, Angie had the invaluable commitment to issues that she knew will improve the lives of people whom she interacted with in communities and in co-ops in the Asian countries that AWCF works in. Angie always gave her personal touch to all her tasks—from doing office reports to facilitating meetings and training conducts; to mentoring exchange staff from different Asian members of AWCF; to giving inspiring talks for gender advocates in the co-ops as she rallied them to pursue their advocacy and gain strength from one another, beginning (and ending) workshops with them with their group hugs.

Angie always found meaning, and took time to explain those, in things that happened in her work, in her life, and in the lives of people whom she cared for and loved dearly. Sudden as her passing is, we as Angie’s colleagues and friends may as well view her demise the way that Angie would have wanted us to see its meaning, that is, not as an end but merely a pause—to inspire and enable us to reflect on how we, too, could be even more effective instruments to helping make life a little better for others. And also, simply, how to love and enjoy life.

Angie's remains lie in state at the family residence in Solano. Interment details are still being finalized as of this posting.

AWCF-FK exchange project’s Phase 4 participants get busy

The Asian Women in Co-operative Development Forum (AWCF) and Fredskorp set (FK) Norway are holding the Phase 4 or fourth batch (October 2011-August 2012) of the “Capacity-building for Gender and Co-operatives in Asia” Project. The Project is funded under FK Norway’s “South-South Exchange” Programme. AWCF is a regional resource center and advocacy body on gender and co-ops in Asia. FK Norway is a Norwegian government agency that promotes international understanding and mutual learning through institutional co-operation and exchange of people between Norway and countries in the South.

This AWCF-FK human resource development Project is implemented among AWCF’s member-organizations in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Philippines. The Project started in 2008, aiming at developing capacities and skills in the co-op and gender fields of personnel from AWCF’s member-organizations while they take part as exchange participants. The AWCF members act as the participants’ hosts or Project partners. So far, the Project has had three batches of exchange participants, with each batch staying with their host-organizations for 10 months. Aside from gaining professional (work) enrichment to be used especially for their co-op involvement back home, each batch’s participants are also expected to have personal development as they learn to relate with the people, language, and culture in their host-organization and host-country. The participants may actually find themselves in some situations that may not be really be so far off from their own Asian background, but their greater understanding of certain aspects in different cultures and countries will hopefully be an asset to their professional and personal development.

Phase 4 of the AWCF-FK Project has the following participants, with their individual photographs and a snapshot each of their activities in their host-organizations:

Mr. Ranie B. Catimbang is Project Assistant in AWCF, Philippines. He has a Communications Art degree, major in Speech Communication, with further studies on communication research, journalism, advertising, and public communication. He was a debater in school, which he frequently represented in national debate competitions. He was also in the editorial team of school publications. His college thesis, which dealt on Senate legislation, garnered a school award for best research output. Ranie has work experience on areas like utilizing different computer software; documentation; academic research; technical assistance in project implementation; advocacy activities implementation; articles and reports writing; and training event facilitation and management, including training for gender and co-ops.

For his posting to the Credit Union Promotion Club (CUPC) in Malaysia, Ranie as Research Documentation Specialist will help CUPC staff in setting up the organization’s research and development center by: preparing recommendations for the center’s formation, in consultation with the immediately previous AWCF-FK exchange staff assigned to CUPC; studying and making an inventory of CUPC’s current documentation; and mentoring and assisting CUPC staff on research and development, and preparing documentation.

Ranie is also to have an understanding of CUPC and Malaysian experience on the co-op movement, gender program, and other development activities through his study of CUPC’s programs and services and of the Malaysian co-op movement as a whole; visit to CUPC chapters to observe co-op program field implementation; and immersion in activities of the CUPC Women’s Action Committee to learn more about the gender program. In the above photograph, Ranie is leading a discussion among CUPC officers on the organization's communication plan.

Ms Ella Marie Francia works as Project Assistant in AWCF, Philippines. Her posting is as Business Development Officer in the Forum for Indonesian Co-operatives Movement (FORMASI Indonesia) in Indonesia. She majored in Computer Secretarial Education for her Bachelor of Science in Office Administration course. After graduation in 2006, she briefly worked for a drugstore in her province before becoming a staff in a leading community-based co-op also in her province. In this co-op, Ella Marie held various administrative and management positions, and participated in different co-op-related training and workshop events. All this experience developed and widened her professional skills. Her work proficiencies are in the use of various computer software; accounting and financial management; office administration; analysis and planning; working knowledge of business development centers (BDCs) and services; leadership, organizational, communication, customer service, and marketing skills; conduct of co-op related training; organizing of women work groups in a community; working knowledge of managing a micro-finance program; and other proficiencies.

In FORMASI Indonesia, Ella Marie is tasked to help in reviewing for improvement her host-organization’s policies, systems and procedures. She is also to help in facilitating the organization’s BDC operation (e.g., assist in systems installation, especially on fund and financial management; prepare training modules on co-op and micro-enterprise training and to catalog the same; teach how to promote the BDC; and do other BDC tasks, in cooperation with the BDC staff in-charge). She will also gain exposure to micro-enterprise service in agriculture through her visits to FORMASI Indonesia’s non-government organization (NGO) members that have this service. She will also learn more about co-op development work in her host-organization and in Indonesia by reviewing existing documentation and visiting co-ops. In the above photograph, Ella Marie is facilitating a trainers training for FORMASI Indonesia staff.

From being Project Assistant in AWCF, Philippines, Mr. Jason P. Isidro’s posting is as Information Officer at the Credit Union League of Thailand (CULT) in Thailand. Jason brings to his assignment in CULT his various experiences as an officer/staff and volunteer for youth activities, for a local co-op, and for business enterprises. He majored in Management for his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree. He gained many awards as a student and was active in school activities. Jason describes himself as having, among other traits, self-motivation, ability to deal well with people in various levels of an organization, and diligence in carrying out tasks from beginning to end. His rich work experience in information technology (IT) gave him knowledge of and skills in IT hardware and software, and also in properly dealing with fellow IT professionals as well as clients. Even with his hectic IT and business work, Jason still had time to do activities as a member and volunteer for a local co-op and for the youth sector. Some of these activities were in promoting co-op membership and youth involvement; coordinating linkages of the co-op with local government units; and participating in as well as conducting training for co-op members and young people like co-op orientation, savings, micro-finance, gender and development, and other topics.

In Thailand, Jason is to assist CULT’s International Relations Section staff in producing information tools in English (e.g., audiovisual materials, brochures developed through interviews, and data collection from primary credit union [CU] members); teach presentation skills to CU staff for visitors, using English information tools; and assist in conducting gender equality (GE) training to CUs, including teaching about how to promote GE in two pilot CUs with a developed GE plan, allocated budget, and appointed gender focal person. Jason will also have the chance to study CULT’s online platform (e.g., e-coop, IT@coops, etc.); and to give orientation on the Philippines’s co-op movement and, in turn, learn about CULT and the CU movement in Thailand. In the above photograph, Jason is giving a lecture on gender issues to CULT staff.

Mr. Oung Mean is Assistant of Administration and Team Leader of Kampot and Kep Province of the Socio Economic Development Organization of Cambodia (SEDOC), in Cambodia. Mean’s assignment is as Credit Union Technical Officer of CULT in Thailand. He majored in human resource management, finishing his studies in 2010. But he already started to work in SEDOC in 2007. Mean enhanced his skills in project appraisal, and in computer software and computer repair by attending training and seminars on organizational development, global economic issues and credit union (CU) leadership, basic accounting and financial management, and other topics.

In CULT, Mean is to develop English or Thai manuals on CU federation formation, operation, and monitoring; and also on mutual benefit services (applicable to Cambodia’s context); study formatting and computerization of CU records, and analysis of statistics; and enrich his awareness of the CU movement’s different aspects by studying CULT services/programs and Thailand’s involvement in CUs. In the photograph above, Mean is interviewing co-operators in the Soon Klang Thewa Credit Union, a member of CULT.

Mr. Hoang Viet Muoi is a Technical Staff and Project Accountant in the Center of Agricultural Extension Volunteers (CAEV), Vietnam. He is posted as Extension Programmer and Researcher in AWCF (Philippines office) and National Confederation of Cooperatives (NATCCO) in the Philippines. Muoi has a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal and Veterinary Medicine. He has work experience in the organic agricultural field; knowledge of agricultural extension work and co-op development; and skills in various computer programs and in report-writing.

Muoi brings his expertise to AWCF and NATCCO where his tasks are to visit demonstration farms and learn about high-technology organic agriculture program for fruits and vegetable production; do hands-on use of high-technology organic vegetable and fruit farming, food processing, and storage; study biogas tank system construction, use, and environmental protection aspects; document best practices on high-technology agriculture management, monitoring, and evaluation; know about the co-op movement in the Philippines, such as through orientation meetings with AWCF and NATCCO on their programs and services; and participate and assist in AWCF’s gender training so as to learn about gender equality in community development. On his return to Vietnam, Muoi is expected to share his learning with CAEV staff, and the farmers assisted by CAEV’s agricultural extension technicians and specialists. In the photograph below, Muoi is being oriented on the bookkeeping system of the Abra Diocesan Teachers & Employees Multi-Purpose Cooperative, a member of NATCCO.

Gender Equality in Co-ops: A Training Manual

The “Gender Equality in Co-operatives: A Training Manual” is the latest publication of the AWCF. The Manual is designed to help co-ops and other organizations achieve development and growth—with gender sensitivity and gender equality (GE) as integral part of the organizations’ processes and outputs. The Manual is for the use of trainers in delivering to participants a specific training, which is the GE training for co-operatives. But because gender issues may also exist and need to be addressed in other organizations aside from co-ops, and also in the household and community levels, this Manual can also be adapted or modified to fit such audience, as deemed proper by the trainers. These trainers should themselves know and believe that addressing GE issues can bring many positive changes to lives of women and men in society, in households, and in organizations such as co-ops where people are at the very core of these organizations’ existence. The Manual has three modules—Basic Gender Concepts; Gender Issues in Households; and Gender Equality in Co-ops.

As a resource center and advocacy body on gender and co-op development, AWCF has member-organizations in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. AWCF’s undertakings in the Philippines are greatly enhanced by its participation as implementer of the “Promoting Gender Equality Among Co-operatives in the Philippines Project” (2010-2012). The Project supported by the Swedish Cooperative Centre (SCC) is under the “Advancing Civic Capacities for Effective and Sustainable Services to the Poor (ACCESS to the Poor) Programme,” with fund support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). The Project objective is to strengthen local capacities and create favorable policies for the promotion of GE among co-ops in the Philippines. The Project benefits 15 partner-co-ops in the Philippines’s three island groupings of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The AWCF-SCC Project has enabled the publication of this GE Manual. AWCF acknowledges the contribution to this Manual of the Project’s partner-co-ops through their sharing of their GE journey, particularly through the updates and lessons learned from their GE activities, and training design/materials. [The 15 co-ops: LUZON—Abra Diocesan Teachers & Employees Multi-Purpose Cooperative (ADTEMPCO); Ligas Kooperatiba ng Bayan sa Pagpapaunlad (LKBP); Nueva Segovia Consortium of Cooperatives (NSCC); Sacred Heart Credit and Development Cooperative (SHCDC); St. Martin of Tours Credit and Development Cooperative (SMTCDC); VISAYAS—Cordova Multi-Purpose Cooperative (CMC); Don Bosco Network Multi-Purpose Cooperative (DBNMPC); Dumanjug Multi-Purpose Cooperative (DMPC); Lamac Multi-Purpose Cooperative (LMPC); Metro Ormoc Community Cooperative (OCCCI); MINDANAO—MSU-IIT Multi-Purpose Cooperative (MSU-IIT MPC); Paglaum Multi-Purpose Cooperative (PMPC); Panabo Multi-Purpose Cooperative (PMPC); Pantukan Chess Club Cooperative (PCCC); Tagum Cooperative (TC).] Further information on the GE Manual can be directed to awcfcoopwomen@gmail.com

PWDs co-op undergoes gender training

AWCF held the “Gender Sensitivity Training (GST)” for the Philippine organization National Federation of Cooperatives of Persons with Disability (NFCPWD). Upon NFCPWD's invitation, AWCF conducted the GST on January 24-26, 2012 in Ermita, Manila, Philippines.

The AWCF team was led by Executive Director Ms Salome Ganibe. Mr. Anthony Sese, gender trainer of Ligas Kooperatiba ng Bayan sa Pagpapaunlad (LKBP)-Bulacan, assisted AWCF in conducting the GST.

GST for persons with disabilities

AWCF held the “Gender Sensitivity Training (GST)” for the Philippines's National Federation of Cooperatives of Persons with Disability (NFCPWD). Upon invitation from NFCPWD, AWCF conducted the training on January 24-26 in Ermita, Manila, Philippines. The AWCF team was led by its Executive Director Ms Salome Ganibe. Mr. Anthony Sese, gender trainer of the Ligas Kooperatiba ng Bayan sa Pagpapaunlad (LKBP)-Bulacan, assisted AWCF in the conduct of the GST.