What is the Asian Women in Co-operative Development Forum (AWCF)?

This video talks about AWCF's origin, vision/mission/objectives, programs and activities, membership, and advocacies, as it works for gender equality and gender equity in and through co-ops in Asia.

AWCF 5th GA: Improved Direction, New Member and Officers

The “AWCF 5th General Assembly (GA)” was held on June 5, 2010 at the Paco-Soriano-Pandacan Hall, NATCCO Bldg., Quezon City, Philippines. NATCCO or the National Confederation of Cooperatives, AWCF’s member in the Philippines, hosted the event. The GA had two delegates each from the AWCF regular members NATCCO, Center of Agricultural Extension Volunteers (CAEV) of Vietnam, Credit Union League of Thailand (CULT) of Thailand, Credit Union Promotion Club (CUPC) of Malaysia, and Forum for Indonesian Co-operatives Movement (FORMASI Indonesia) of Indonesia. Non-voting delegates came from AWCF associate member Socio-Economic Development Organization of Cambodia (SEDOC). But as SEDOC had expressed, prior to the GA meeting, its desire to be a regular member in AWCF, especially since it had already passed the two-year associate membership requirement of AWCF’s Bylaws, the GA approved SEDOC’s regular membership later in the meeting.

AWCF Chair Ms Kruewan (left) presiding over the AWCF General Assembly with Treasurer Dr. Toan.

In her report to the assembly, AWCF Chairperson Ms Kruewan Chonlanai of CULT highlighted AWCF’s activities and outputs, and learning and insights gained, for the period August 2007-June 2010. AWCF Treasurer Dr. Bui Quan Toan of CAEV also presented to the GA the comparative financial performance report of AWCF from 2007-2009. In her Secretariat’s report, AWCF Executive Director Ms Salome Ganibe updated the GA on AWCF activities in January-May 2010, such as on the organization’s projects with the Swedish Co-operative Center (SCC)—“Promoting Gender Equality Among Co-operatives in the Philippines”; MISEREOR—“Poverty Reduction and Empowerment of Women through Enterprise Development in CVL Countries”; and Fredskorpset-Norway—“Capacity-building for Gender and Co-operatives in Asia.”

SCC's Ms Anneli facilitating the Octagon assessment for AWCF.

The GA meeting was preceded the day before by the “Octagon Assessment Workshop” participated in by the GA delegates and the Secretariat. Ms Anneli Leina, Program Coordinator of SCC, facilitated the workshop, which was held also in the NATCCO Bldg. The workshop aimed at letting the participants see a big picture of AWCF by looking at the various aspects of the organization, using Octagon as the assessment tool. The results were to become inputs to the next day’s GA, and will also be used as a baseline information of AWCF in its three-year project with the SCC.

The Octagon, developed by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), assesses the “strengths and weaknesses in non-government organizations (NGOs).” It is based on the idea that a comprehensive picture of an organization’s capacity and development profile can be obtained through systematic reviews and assessments of four basic aspects of that organization. The Octagon also helps identify necessary measures to improve the organization’s capacity to perform effectively (see more information below about the Octagon).

GA approves resolutions

The workshop participants’ assessment of AWCF resulted to an overall “Good” assessment level, using Octagon’s seven-point scale. A few months before this workshop, the AWCF Secretariat also used the Octagon to assess the organization, and a “Very Good” assessment was obtained then. Taken together in this June workshop, these results were used to formulate action points in areas for improvement in AWCF toward enhancing the organization’s functioning and outputs.

Resolutions were drawn out from the action points, and these were presented at the GA the following day. The GA adopted the resolutions, to form part of AWCF’s strategic direction for 2010-2013, that embody various issues concerning AWCF, which are:

1) organizational base

2) output

3) capacity

4) competence

5) systems and finance

6) relations.

AWCF’s action toward these issues and concerns will include, among other steps, more intensive information dissemination about AWCF within its network; increased consciousness, commitment, and action of AWCF members as to gender programs in their organizations; further strengthening and implementation of activities, taking into account the AWCF Vision; enhancing competence and capacity of the AWCF Secretariat and officers; increasing financial sustainability through internal funding and self-sustaining activities; and strengthening and expanding relations within the AWCF network and with other networks.

New member, new officers

The GA delegates’ agenda-packed meeting that lasted from early morning to mid-afternoon included also the approval of the AWCF Plan and Budget for year 2010, which the AWCF Board of Trustees (BOT) also had approved months earlier. The GA likewise took up the matter of associate member SEDOC’s application as a regular member. The GA’s approval of SEDOC’s regular membership thus brought to six the number of AWCF’s member-organizations.

Finally, on the matter of electing the AWCF’s BOT for 2010-2012, each AWCF member-organization was asked to identify its official representative to the BOT. Having identified the composition of the BOT, the GA closed its meeting to pave the way for the election of officers to the different BOT positions, to be presided over by the AWCF Election Committee.

New AWCF Board of Trustees (BOT) and Election Committee (EleCom) take a moment for posterity: (seated, from left--BOT) Dr. Dr. Bui Quang Toan, Ms Papathiamah d/o Alagadora, Ms Kruewan Chonlanai (President), Ms Emma Nieva, and Mr. Mudaris Ali Masyhud; (standing, from left--EleCom) Ms Anik Dwi Martuti, Mr. Sil Vineth, and Ms Sylvia Paraguya.

The Octagon tool used

The Octagon assessment tool used by the AWCF participants prior to the GA is designed to assess the strengths and weaknesses in NGOs. Sida started to develop the Octagon in 1999, launching it in 2001. The tool can be used by both Swedish organizations and their partners in cooperation. It is based on the idea that a comprehensive picture of an organization’s capacity and development profile can be obtained through systematic reviews and assessments of an organization’s four basic aspects, which are:

1) objectives and management/administrative structures (organizational base)

2) activities with or for selected target groups (i.e., output)

3) capacity to succeed in its work (refers both to its professional skills and the funds at its disposal as well as its administrative systems)

4) capacity to create and maintain relations with its target groups and other actors in civil society.

Aside from being a tool for rapid and simple analysis of an organization’s strengths and weaknesses, the Octagon also identifies necessary measures to improve its capacity to perform effectively. If the same type of analysis is made systematically on several occasions over several years, it is also possible to follow changes in the organization in question. In this way, the Octagon can be used both for “baseline studies” and for measuring changes and results of internal organization development over a certain period of time. The Octagon allows the analysis of an organization’s four basic aspects with the aid of eight variables: (organization base) Identity, Structure; (organization’s activities–output) Implementation of activities, Relevance of activities; (organization’s capacity development) Professional skills, Systems; and (organization’s relations) Acceptance and support of target groups, Relations with its external environment.

Each dimension is ranked by assessments of two statements/questions on a one-to-seven point scale (Non-Existent, Very Weak, Weak, Reasonable, Good, Very Good, Excellent). When all the variables have been analyzed and ranked, the average points are transferred to an Excel document where the organization’s development profile is illustrated in the form of an octagon.

AWCF participants busily answering the Octagon assessment tool.

AWCF holds planning for FK Exchange’s next round

Since 2008, AWCF has been implementing among staff of its member-organizations an exchange activity, done through the “Capacity-Building for Gender and Co-operatives in Asia” Project funded by the “South-South Exchange Programme” of Fredskorpset (FK) Norway. The exchange will have its third round on October 2010 to August 2011. On June 1-3, 2010 at the NATCCO Bldg. in the Philippines, AWCF held the planning meeting for the exchange’s third round. AWCF’s member-organizations, who are the partners for this Project, participated in the meeting. 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.

Through overseas posting of the AWCF member-organizations’ staff in the host-members, the Project seeks to strengthen solidarity and collaboration between and among the AWCF members; enhance members’ capacity in service delivery; and harness young professionals (the exchange staff) in acquiring expertise on gender mainstreaming, co-op services (financial intermediation and micro-finance), sustainable agriculture (marketing and agricultural extension), co-op and credit union development, training and education, and information technology (IT) for development.

At the planning meeting this June, updates about the exchange staff that they were currently hosting for the second round were given by AWCF members Center of Agricultural Extension Volunteers (CAEV), Credit Union League of Thailand (CULT), Credit Union Promotion Club (CUPC), Forum for Indonesian Co-operatives Movement (FORMASI Indonesia), National Confederation of Cooperatives (NATCCO), and Socio-Economic Development Organization of Cambodia (SEDOC). A discussion was led by AWCF Executive Director Ms Salome Ganibe to assess the member-organizations’ needs and objectives for the third round of exchange. FK Asia Program Officer Ms Saowanee Sangsawangsri guided the organizations in making their objectives consistent with the Project’s over-all goals and implementing guidelines as well as in producing the budget and other project documents.

Seven exchange staff will take part in the third round, with three participants coming from AWCF/NATCCO, two from CULT, one from CUPC, and one from FORMASI Indonesia. CAEV and SEDOC will not send out staff but will take part as host-organizations. The fourth round of the exchange will have its planning meeting in May 2011, which will also take up the midterm review of the third round.

Different needs

As expressed in the June planning meeting, the following are the AWCF member-organizations’ needs and objectives for the third round of the exchange:

• CAEV: need for documentation of case studies in agricultural extension models; and project development and management
• CULT: need to learn about branching, business development in terms of co-operative enterprise, and international and public relations to showcase its programs to foreign visitors
• CUPC: need to focus on the operationalization of its newly established Management Information System, particularly its application, monitoring and evaluation, and troubleshooting.
• FORMASI Indonesia: need to enhance capacity of FORMASI Indonesia and its members in the development of business development and fund-raising activities through project development for agri-based enterprises.
• SEDOC: need to learn about CU promotion at it intends to establish itself as a credit union league in Cambodia
• AWCF/NATCCO: need to continue to developing themselves as a resource center in gender equality and co-op development. NATCCO, specifically, wants to learn about microfinance and microenterprise development in agriculture in the third round.

AWCF Members-Organizations--empowering women and men in Asia

Center for Agricultural Extension Volunteers (CAEV)

Dr. Bui Quang Toan, Executive Director

A1-Phuong Mai-102 Truong Chinh Street, Dong Da District, Hanoi City, VIETNAM Telephone: +844-3868-6653; +844-3869-6105 Fax: +844-3868-5654 E-mail: kntn@fpt.vn Website: http://caev-vietdhrra.org.vn/index.asp

• a non-government and non-profit organization, set up in 1991 by key officers and staff of the National Institute for Agricultural Planning and Projection (NIAPP). The NIAPP is an agency under Vietnam's Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development, which oversees and regulates agricultural co-operatives in the country. Through NIAPP, CAEV aims to respond to the needs of more than 16,340 agricultural co-operatives (as of 1994) and 11 million farm households (as of 2003) in Vietnam.
• established to improve farming practices and increase income of poor farmers. CAEV recruits agronomists, agricultural scientists, skilled technicians, and community workers as volunteers. It provides agricultural extension services to poor farming communities; soil sampling and analysis, and land evaluation; and identification of suitable cropping patterns for each farm household. CAEV also provides technical assistance on the practice of VAC combined technique (gardening, fish rearing and livestock breeding in a small scale).
• addresses the needs of agricultural communities with a special focus on agricultural extension and rural development. Women in the agricultural sector in Vietnam are involved in the following activities: setting up mutual help groups, pilot field demonstration, creation of revolving funds to address the lack of production capital, and publication of magazines on agriculture.
• serves as a resource agency to the government as well as to international development agencies in developing genuine co-ops.

Credit Union League of Thailand (CULT)

Mr. Dabchai Jaisusuk, General Manager

40 Ramkhamhaeng Road (Sukhapiban 3) Sapansoong, Bangkok 10240, Thailand Telephone: +662-373-0020; +662-373-0021 Fax: +662-373-0022 E-mail: cult@cultthai.coop Website: http://www.cultthai.coop

• a national organization initiated by the private sector in 1972, bringing together more than 1,000 Thai credit co-operative groups, with more than 550,000 individual members, with women comprising more than 60 percent of the membership, as of year 2006.
• works toward developing a strong and viable credit union (CU) movement in Thailand founded on the values of commitment, honesty, sacrifice, responsibility, sympathy, and trust, to promote self-help and mutual help to achieve human development and peace.
• commits itself to delivering excellent financial services and other services that will respond to both the social and economic needs of the members.
• has programs and activities that include education and training, bookkeeping and accounting, dormitory and meeting room services, CU chapters promotion, women and youth development, mutual aid in CU, business enterprise development, information technology, and research and publications.
• since 1998, has been addressing the role and participation of women in co-ops, and part of its organizational structure is a Gender and Development (GAD) Committee that serves as advisory body on gender concerns to the CULT Board and General Assembly. Its Women Co-operative Products Development Center (WCPC) helps sustain women co-ops’ initiatives to create and develop products, for instance, through support in marketing and product development and design.

Credit Union Promotion Club (CUPC)

Ms Pappathiamah Alagadorai

19-1 Jalan 9/42 Taman Sejahtera off, Jalan Kuching, Kuala Lumpur 51200, MALAYSIA

Telephone: +603-625-15194 Fax: +603-625-79388 E-mail: kkpbhd@tm.net.my

• was registered in 1974 under the Societies Act of Malaysia, with the main objective of introducing grassroots economic initiatives for the poor in Malaysia, especially the Indian poor.
• initially engaged in collective farming, consumer bulk buying, and income-generation projects, and after CUPC leaders obtained training on CUs from the Philippines, India, and Canada, the CUPC began to promote, organize, coordinate, and consolidate CUs among the unorganized sector in Malaysia.
• a partnership of two major but parallel grassroots-based credit unions in Malaysia: the Koperasi Kredit Pekerja-Pekerja or KKP (Workers' Credit Co-op) in Kuala Lumpur and the Koperasi Kredit Rakyat or KKR (People's Credit Co-op) in Batang Berjuntai. Many of the members of KKP are workers of multinational companies in free trade zones in Kuala Lumpur and mining companies in nearby states. The majority of the members of the KKR, on the other hand, are plantation workers, paddy farmers, and fisherfolks.
• its role as coordinating body is to introduce various education and training programs; design and introduce new service and products; and do public relations and establish international links.
• Women Action Committees (WACs) formed in CUs at all levels help women to organize themselves and undergo basic education and training; and to increase their self-awareness, self-esteem, and self-confidence. The WAC has been transformed into the Gender and Development Committee (GAD) Committee, composed of women and selected gender-sensitized men (after gender-sensitivity training).

Forum for Indonesian Co-operatives Movement (FORMASI Indonesia)

Mr. Siswanto Imam Prabowo, Chairperson

Mampang Prapatan XIV/I, Pancoran, Jakarta Selatan 12760, INDONESIA Telephone: +6221-799-0567 Fax: +6221-799-0937 E-mail: formasi@indo.net.id

• a national network organization established in 1987 by 10 non-government organizations (NGOs) concerned with the co-op movement, and in small and medium enterprise (SME) development in Indonesia.
• started as a Dialogue Forum among its founding members: DEKOPIN (Dewan Koperasi Indonesia or the Indonesia Co-operative Council), and nine other NGOs. The Forum became official with a letter of agreement officially issued by DEKOPIN on February 26, 1986. Later, a baseline survey on co-ops that were not government-sponsored (that is, not KUD [Koperasi Unit Desa] or village co-op, which is supported by the government) and informal co-ops in 14 provinces from January to March 1986 was conducted by the Forum as its first activity. The survey results showed that that there was a demand for a co-op development program directly managed by an NGO.
• through volunteer consultants from its member NGOs, FORMASI conducts capacity-building programs for members and even non-member NGOs, such as information technology (IT) skills development and training; an entrepreneurial exchange program; and training on gender awareness, gender mainstreaming, and transformative leadership.
• engages in consultancy, education and training, information dissemination and promotion concerning community-based co-op development, gender and development, and the provision of seed capital.

National Confederation of Co-operatives (NATCCO)

Ms. Sylvia Okinlay-Paraguya, President and Chief Executive Officer

227 J.P. Rizal Street, Project 4 1109 Quezon City, PHILIPPINES Telephone: +632-913-7011 to 14

Fax: +632-913-7016 E-mail: ceo@natcco.coop Website: http://www.natcco.coop

• co-op education and training centers, which started in the 1960s, in the geographical regions of the Philippines formed NATCCO in 1977 to serve as their spokesperson, secretariat, and coordinating body.
• also came about primarily as a felt need of the regional centers to put up a united national front, as the private sector-initiated co-ops at that time were under threat from the Marcos dictatorship in the 1970s.
• as the years passed, the grassroots co-ops grew more in number and in their need for assistance from their regional centers and NATCCO. This development compelled NATCCO to pursue new directions, and to develop and expand services and programs, apart from the original mandate of education and training. The regional centers moved on to become total co-op regional development centers (RDCs).
• in 2002, a General Assembly resolution was passed to study the restructuring of NATCCO’s transformation from a three-tiered to a two-tiered structure. NATCCO’s bylaws were amended in 2004, with financial intermediation as NATCCO’s principal focus, and the primary co-ops becoming NATCCO’s direct members. In 2006, NATCCO launched its new vision and mission statements.
• NATCCO has Financial Services and Allied Services, and it started its activities for women in 1988, beginning with women in development (WID) concepts, as a component of Canadian-assisted project. In 1994, with the growth of WID to women and development (WAD) and to GAD, NATCCO formed the Association of Gender Advocates in Development (AGAD). AGAD was tasked to consolidate NATCCO’s initiatives in GAD across co-ops; coordinate and implement GAD activities; and serve as a pool of resources, experiences, and ideas within NATCCO.
• in the NATCCO Women’s Congress held before a NATCCO GA, there is the election for one representative each from the Philippines’s geographical regions—Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao—to sit in the NATCCO Gender Executive Committee (ExeCom). The election of these representatives is affirmed by the NATCCO GA, to serve a one-year term in the Gender ExeCom. One of them is also elected to sit in the NATCCO Board, representing the women’s sector in co-ops.
• NATCCO sits in the Philippine Congress through the Coop-NATCCO Party List group.

Socio-Economic Development Organization of Cambodia (SEDOC)

Mr. Sil Vineth, Executive Director

No. 08, Chrey Kong Village, Véng Sréng Street Chom Chao Section, Dangkor Khan District Phnom Penh, CAMBODIA Telephone: +855-2336-5708 Fax: +855-2389-0110

E-mail: sedoc.pre@forum.org.kh; yunyoeun@hotmail.com Website: http://www.sedoc.org

• an NGO established in 1991, its field of expertise is in community development, particularly concerning rural and agricultural advancement. After doing humanitarian projects for several years, SEDOC focused on implementing income-generating projects and establishing credit unions to help the marginalized poor become self-reliant, thereby assisting in curbing poverty in Cambodia.
• major programs include sustainable agriculture, promotion of agricultural and credit co-ops, establishment of rice banks, forestry and environment, and promotion of gender equality.
• its area of work reaches out to at least five provinces of Cambodia, covering about 70 villages.