Experience of Ms Thali, exchange staff in AWCF-FK capacity-building project

In this video, Ms Natchamon Thali of the Credit Union League of Thailand (CULT), Thailand, shares her learning and experience from being an exchange staff assigned to the National Confederation of Cooperatives (NATCCO), Philippines, in 2008-2009. Ms Thali was posted in NATCCO as a participant in phase 1 (2008-2009) of the "Capacity-Building for Gender and Co-operatives in Asia" Project of AWCF and the Fredskorpset (FK) Norway. The Project's phase 4 is in late 2011.

Experience of Mr. Rada, exchange staff for AWCF-FK project in Asia

In this video, Mr. Say Rada of the Socio-Economic Development Organization of Cambodia (SEDOC) shares his learning and experience from being an exchange staff assigned to the National Confederation of Cooperatives (NATCCO), Philippines, in 2008-2009. Mr. Rada was posted in NATCCO as a participant in phase 1 (2008-2009) of the "Capacity-Building for Gender and Co-operatives in Asia" Project of AWCF and the Fredskorpset (FK) Norway. The Project's phase 4 is in late 2011.

AWCF-FK project has back-to-back activities

This May 2011 was a busy period for participants of the “Capacity-building for Gender and Co-operatives in Asia” Project, implemented by AWCF and the Fredskorpset (FK) Norway among AWCF’s member-organizations in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Philippines. The five-year Project began in 2008 where human resource is developed as personnel from AWCF’s member-organizations take part as exchange participants in batches, with the different organizations acting as their hosts or Project partners. Exchange participants stay with their host-organizations for 10 months.

As 2010-2011 is the third year of Project implementation, all stakeholders were immersed this May in preparing reports and presentations for their two major meetings: the “Third Phase Review Meeting” and “Fourth Phase Partners Planning Workshop.”

The first meeting
The first meeting was held in Quezon City, Philippines on May 17, 2011, starting off with welcome messages from AWCF’s Chairperson Ms Kruewan Chonlanai and Executive Director Ms Salome Ganibe; and FK Regional Representative Asia Mr. Sacha Jotisalikorn. AWCF Program Coordinator Ms Angelita Valdez facilitated the orientation on the meeting. Representatives of the Project partners gave project updates through Powerpoint and audiovisual presentations. The presentations shared the learnings of the exchange participants in their respective host-organizations, and also emphasized the impact and results of the exchange activity in relation to the objectives of the different AWCF member-organizations.

To corroborate the Project updates, actual testimonies of FK third batch exchange participants were given, particularly from Ms Pakialakshmi d/o Maniam (from Malaysia) and Ms Janjila Nuansri (from Thailand). The meeting ended with the presentation of the issues and challenges besetting the Project partners, and the recommendations to address these concerns. Among the concerns expressed by the Project partners were the visa processing requirements in Indonesia, matching between their current needs and expectations and the tasks of the exchange participants whom they host, and detailed documentation to assess the contribution of the exchange participants to the attainment of organizational objectives.

The second meeting
The second meeting for the AWCF-FK Project was held May 18-20, 2011, also in Quezon City. Two more representatives from each AWCF member attended this meeting that set off preparations for the Project’s fourth phase to begin later this year. The meeting’s participants worked together with the AWCF Secretariat and FK to develop three documents that will guide the AWCF-FK 2011-2012 Project activities. These documents are the substance of the Project, the partnership agreement, and the budget calculations.

This meeting’s main highlight was the identification of five positions to be involved in the exchange Project’s fourth round, namely, a Credit Union Technical Officer (from Cambodia to be assigned in Thailand), a Business Development Officer (from Philippines to Indonesia), a Research and Documentation Specialist (from Philippines to Malaysia), an Extension Programmer and Researcher (from Vietnam to Philippines), and an Information Officer (from Philippines to Thailand).

The meeting ended with the signing of the partnership agreement for the Project’s fourth round of exchange.

AWCF joins FK activities: Phase 3 of project underway

The AWCF network joined two major activities of Fredskorpset (FK) Norway from September 29 to October 20, 2010, aimed at developing the capacity of FK partner-organizations. AWCF took part in the activities in the belief that young professionals play an important role in the development of any organization. AWCF has been implementing since 2008 the “Capacity-Building for Gender and Co-operatives in Asia” Project funded by the “South-South Exchange Programme” of FK. The Project, which is an exchange activity among staff of AWCF member-organizations, is now on its third phase to be held from October 2010 to August 2011.

The first FK activity was the “Homecoming Seminar (Debriefing)” held September 29-30, 2010 in Rajamangala Pavilion Beach Resort, Songkhla province, Thailand. AWCF was represented by eight participants from the exchange Project’s phase 2, and six representatives from the Project’s partner-organizations in the AWCF network. In the Seminar, AWCF and other FK project participants and partners from CAI (Clean Air Initiatives), Asia and POURAKHI conducted a project review that included a presentation of partners’ and participants’ experiences, learning, and challenges; and a sharing among the previous and new project participants (for phase 3).

The Seminar was followed by the “16th Fredskorpset Preparatory Course” held September 30-October 20, 2010 in the Prince of Songkhla University (PSU), Hat Yai Campus, Songkhla. In this activity, AWCF partner representatives were joined by seven participants for phase 3, representing Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand. The Course was a prelude to the participants’ 10-month deployment to their host-organizations. The Course aimed at letting participants be introduced to FK and its vision; be prepared for living and working in Asian countries; be provided with information regarding development issues in the Asian region; and be enabled to learn through collaboration and peer discussion.

To help achieve the Course goals, the participants and their respective partner representatives attended a participants-partners meeting to clarify matters concerning the Project, the participants’ agreement, and the results-based reporting. They also participated in the indoor teambuilding activities that had hoped to foster camaraderie with the other FK partner representatives.

The next activities were the exchange participants’ attendance to lecture sessions on development topics like poverty alleviation, participatory approach in community development, and gender responsiveness. Other sessions were personality awareness such as personality and self-understanding; effective cross-cultural communication practices; and conflict management and resolution. To enhance the participants’ video-making skills, there was a digital story preparation activity. And to facilitate their understanding of the Asian countries’ culture, there was a country information presentation. Adaptability with Thailand’s culture and customs was also enhanced through the socio-cultural visits and two-day homestay with selected families in the provinces of Trang (Buddhist community) and Satun (Muslim communities), both in Southern Thailand.

Aside from AWCF, also present in the Preparatory Course were 17 young professionals representing four other FK project partners, which are CAI, Asia; Sunlabob, Prosperity Initiatives (PI), and ESCENIC. These young professionals will serve as volunteers—learning and/or sharing their knowledge and experiences—in their host-organizations/-countries from October 21, 2010 to August 20, 2011. After that, they will return to their respective organizations to share their newly acquired knowledge, skills, and orientation as a follow-up activity, from August 21 to September 20, 2011.

Phase 3 participants bared

The following young professionals from the AWCF network are taking part in the AWCF-FK exchange project’s phase 3. They will join the other 15 participants from phases 1 and 2 in the AWCF Resource Pool of experts.

Ms Lilibeth “Beth” Liguden is employed as Business Development Officer of AWCF, Philippines, and will be posted at the Forum for Indonesian Co-operatives Movement (FORMASI Indonesia) in Indonesia also as Business Development Officer. Most of her 16 years of work experience were devoted to the co-op sector, particularly, assisting co-operators on business development, project planning, development and management; co-op and community organizing; and involvement in enterprise, finance, and investment. She also worked with international non-government organizations and a municipal-level local government unit in the Philippines. Beth’s immense experience on business development will be put to good use when she assists FORMASI Indonesia in establishing a business development center (BDC) structure and policy, setting up business initiatives, and promoting the BDC and its services. She will also coach selected FORMASI Indonesia officers and staff in developing and planning project proposals. For her learning activity during her deployment, she expects to learn the agri-based microfinance program and model used by FORMASI Indonesia members.

Ms Piranrut “Poo” Thoykham works at the Credit Union League of Thailand (CULT), Thailand, as Credit Union Development Officer. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics of Cooperative Science. She also has some Master of Business Administration units on Co-operative Management from some of Thailand’s prestigious universities. Poo will be deployed to the Socio-Economic Development Organization of Cambodia (SEDOC), Cambodia. As Credit Union Promotion Specialist in SEDOC, she will teach SEDOC staff about promoting, setting up, and managing a credit union. She will also assist SEDOC staff in identifying programs and services to attract primary credit unions to be members of SEDOC. As her learning activity in Cambodia, she will get to know about the credit movement, and gender mainstreaming in credit unions.

Another phase 3 participant is Mr. Somantri, currently working as Information Technology (IT) Specialist in FORMASI Indonesia. His knowledge and skills on Informatics Management and Information System will be useful on his assignment as IT Specialist in CUPC. He will be conducting computer training and providing technical support, troubleshooting computers, and monitoring and evaluating a management information system (MIS). He is also expected to assist in producing financial records and data using the MIS application. He also looks forward to learning CUPC’s programs at the grassroots level, particularly, savings mobilization, loan services, children’s savings, and gender training.

Ms Pakialakshmi “Pakia” d/o Maniam, is a General Clerk from Koperasi Kredit Pekerja-Pekerja (KKP), one of the two major grassroots-based credit union organizations of the Credit Union Promotion Club (CUPC), Malaysia. Pakia can converse in English, Bahasa Melayu, Tamil, and Hindi languages, and knows a little Mandarin. Assigned to be a Communication Specialist in AWCF, Pakia’s main task will be to gain knowledge and skills on documentation and publication. She will study how to compile, write and edit reference materials in English; catalogue documents; and prepare a documentation inventory. She will bring this knowledge back to CUPC, especially since the organization intends to set up a documentation center.

Ms Janjila “Kook” Nuansri currently works as Chief Education and Development Officer at CULT’s central branch office. Kook is a Mass Communications graduate and has been doing public relations work for CULT’s head office for almost 14 years before she moved to CUPC’s central branch office. Kook was heavily involved in setting up new credit unions, promoting co-op activities and events, and designing promotional materials. Kook will be posted as Credit Union Promotion Officer in AWCF. She will be visiting selected affiliate-co-ops of NATCCO (National Confederation of Cooperatives), Philippines, to learn about setting up and managing a co-op branch office, managing a BDC or a co-op enterprise, and mainstreaming gender in co-ops.

Ms Mary Dilanie “Mygirl” Llarenas is a Project Development and Documentation Officer in AWCF, Philippines. She has degrees in Nursing and Business Administration. She has extensive exposure on managing agricultural co-ops, and her project development skills were honed when she worked with a multi-purpose co-op. Assigned to the Center of Agricultural Extension Volunteers (CAEV), Vietnam, also as Project Development and Documentation Officer, she will help CAEV identify priority/potential areas for project development, and coach the staff in developing proposals as well as documenting their good practices and success stories. In Vietnam, Mygirl will also learn CAEV’s farming models and also their good practices that she can, in turn, share on her return to the Philippines.

Ms Charisse Anne “Cha” Fernandez is AWCF’s International Relations Officer. She has a five-year working experience with non-government organizations and international marketing and/or tourism organizations. Her core competencies include events management, media relations, sales and marketing, and promotions. Her expertise will be very useful during her deployment in CULT where she can help out in developing the international relations (IR) staff and also the other CULT staff especially when she starts her English writing courses. Furthermore, she can help the IR staff in implementing international relations activities. In turn, Ms Fernandez looks ahead to learning the Thai language, culture, and practices. She will also learn how gender equality is promoted at the primary credit union level.

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.