New officers lead AWCF in 2010-2012

AWCF’s new Board of Trustees (BOT) members were elected at its fifth General Assembly held on June 5, 2010, Philippines. New members also compose the AWCF Election Committee (EleCom). Representatives of AWCF’s member-organizations compose the BOT and the EleCom. The AWCF officers for 2010-2012 are as follows:

Board of Trustees

President: Ms

Kruewan Chonlanai (CULT, Thailand)

Vice President

for Internal Affairs:

Ms Emma Nieva (NATCCO, Philippines)

Vice President

for

External Affairs: Ms Pappathiamah d/o

Alagadorai (CUPC, Malaysia)

Treasurer: Dr. Bui

Quang Toan

(CAEV, Vietnam)

Secretary: Mr.

Mudaris Ali Masyhud

(FORMASI Indonesia, Indonesia)

Election

Committee

Ms Anik Dwi Martuti (FORMASI In

donesia, Indo

nesia)

Ms Sylvia Pa

raguya (NATCCO, Philippines)

Mr. Sil Vineth

(SEDOC, Cambodia)

The new AWCF Board of Trustees (BOT): (from left) Dr. Toan, Ms Papathiamah, Ms Kruewan (President), Ms Nieva, and Mr. Mudaris.

The new BOT is joined by the new AWCF Election Committee officers:

(from left) Ms Anik, Mr. Vineth, and Ms Paraguya.

SEDOC--new AWCF member

The Socio-Economic Development Organization of Cambodia (SEDOC) has become AWCF’s sixth regular member-organization. Its membership was approved in AWCF’s fifth General Assembly held on June 5, 2010, Philippines. SEDOC was an associate member since 2008, and it now joins other AWCF members from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.

With offices based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, SEDOC is an NGO (non-government organization) established in 1991. It is officially registered with the Supreme National Council (SNC) of Cambodia, also known as the Cambodian government; and recognized and registered with the United Nations Transitional Authority of Cambodia (UNTAC), and with the Ministry of Interior of the Kingdom of Cambodia.

Community development, particularly concerning rural and agricultural advancement, is SEDOC’s field of expertise. 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 of SEDOC include sustainable agriculture, promotion of agricultural and credit co-ops, establishment of rice banks, forestry and environment, and promotion of gender equality. SEDOC’s area of work reaches out to at least five provinces of Cambodia, covering about 70 villages.

Mr. Sil Vineth is the Executive Director of SEDOC.

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.

Reading Matter: Gender and Development in and through Co-ops

In 1990, AWCF began its journey of advocating gender equality and gender equity in and through co-operatives in Asia--empowering women as well as men toward promoting a quality way of life. The journey continues to be rich and colorful, filled with learning and experiences, lessons and milestones that have helped to continue inspiring AWCF in fulfilling its objectives. Through various reading materials that it publishes, AWCF shares its journey with the interested reader. These reading materials are based on AWCF's advocacies, program outputs, research, results of AWCF-led regional conferences, and varied experiences in co-ops and development work of its members in different Asian countries. These materials will be useful to co-operators, development workers, community leaders, policy-makers, researchers, academicians, the media, and the general public including those plain curious about Gender and Development matters, particularly in the setting of the co-operative, the field in which AWCF mainly operates.

Details about these AWCF publications are available in the AWCF homepage, particularly:
http://coopwomen.org/awcfcms/index.php/resources/publications

• The Hidden Half: Women Co-op Leaders and Decision-Makers—Monograph No. 1
• A Development Link-A Look at Women, Co-ops, and the Community—Monograph No. 2
• MSMEs in Co-ops: A Way to Quality Life in Asia—Monograph 3
• Empowering Women in Co-operatives Through ICT—Monograph No. 4
• Learning from Experience: Co-op Business Development Centers—Monograph No. 5
• Trainer’s Manual on Training for Women Leaders Transforming Co-operatives
• Gaining Ground—Case Stories of Gender and Development in the Co-op
• Regional Forum on “ICT Applications in Enterprise Development: Building Networks and Opportunities for Women Entrepreneurs in Co-operatives”
• Regional Conference on “Gender Integration in Co-operatives: 10 Years Before and After”
• Transformative Leadership Adoption Assessment: A Manual for Co-operatives
• Regional Conference Report—Transformative Leadership for Co-operatives in Asia: Transforming Leadership, Transforming Co-operatives, Transforming Society
• Conference Report—Regional Forum on Women, Gender and Co-operatives in Asia: Meeting Challenges, Exploring Opportunities
• Trainer's Manual on Transformative Leadership Training for Co-operatives: Transformative Leadership, Transformative Co-operatives
• Gender-Sensitivity Training: A Manual for Co-ops in Malaysia
• A Training Manual on Gender and Co-operatives in Thailand
• Gender Impact of Globalization of the Economy: Challenges to Co-operatives in the New Millennium
• Less Words, More Action: How to Increase Women's Participation in Leadership and Decision-Making in Co-operatives
• Liberating Co-ops: A Guide to Creating Women-Friendly and Gender-Responsive Co-ops in the Philippines
• Regional Conference Report on “Women in Decision-Making in Co-operatives”
• A Declaration and Platform of Action for the Enhancement of Women's Participation in Leadership and Decision-Making in Co-operatives
• Liberating Co-ops: Stories of Women-Friendly and Gender-Responsive Co-operatives in the Philippines
• Conference Report: A Showcase of Gender-Responsive Co-operatives in Asia
• Liberating Co-ops—A Video Documentary

What Programs does AWCF have?

AWCF implements activities toward Gender Mainstreaming, Women in Leadership and Decision-Making, Women Entrepreneurship Development, Regional Policy Advocacy, and Advocacy on Support Services for Women.

Gender Mainstreaming

Enabling co-ops, community-based savings and credit organizations, and development non-government organizations (NGOs) and people’s organizations (POs) to mainstream and integrate gender concerns and perspectives in their policies, programs, and activities.

Women in Leadership and Decision-Making

Promoting the increased participation of women in leadership and decision-making in co-ops, community-based savings and credit organizations, and development NGOs and POs engaged in the promotion of co-ops. The varied activities include training on the vision of transformative leadership.

Women Entrepreneurship Development

Enhancing women’s entrepreneurial skills and advocating the mobilization of co-op resources to support women-owned and/or women-managed enterprises. This program also involves advocating for co-ops to set up co-op business development centers (BDCs) to provide services to members who have micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs); build capacities of women entrepreneurs, especially those in micro-enterprises; provide micro-finance, education, and skills upgrading, physical space/facilities, access to appropriate low-cost technology, and information and communication technology; and other services.

Regional Policy Advocacy

Analyzing the gender impact of cross-cutting issues affecting co-ops and community-based savings and credit organizations in Asia; and lobbying for policy change supportive of co-ops and women at the local and international levels.

Advocacy on Support Services for Women

Advocating for co-ops to use their resources for support services to women members in response to practical and strategic needs, such as micro-credit, training on non-traditional trades, literacy classes, childcare, and assistance to women victims of violence and their protection.

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.

Our VMGO and Roles

AWCF's Vision, Mission, Goals, Objectives (VMGO) and Roles

Vision
A strong and sustainable AWCF dedicated to the development of its member-organizations regardless of sex, race, and economic status for women and men, who work together within the co-op movement for a just, humane, gender-sensitive and progressive society for a better family life and to achieve freedom to decide for their individual and collective self.


Mission
1. To advocate and enable co-operative organizations to pursue the gender agenda on gender equity, gender equality, and empowerment of women
2. To facilitate the development and installation of mechanisms to enable women to participate actively and effectively in the co-operative movement as members and leaders, and to benefit from it equitably
3. To enable women and men to work together in the co-operative movement as partners who have access to equal opportunity in different contexts


Goals
1. To set up and implement a human resource development (HRD) program responsive to the needs of women and men leaders, members, and staff of AWCF
2. To provide support or technical assistance to co-operatives or other organizations in developing their gender program, and to evaluate the gender responsiveness of other programs
3. To undertake research, documentation, and other activities that promote the welfare of women
4. To assist members in the development of strategies, plans, and activities to integrate the gender perspective in their structures, policies, programs, and services
5. To access funds from both members and other institutions to support the implementation of a gender program at local and regional levels


Objectives
1. To strengthen the capacities of members and non-members in promoting, integrating, and practicing gender equality and gender equity, and the empowerment of women in their co-op structure
2. To build the capacities and skills of women for increased participation in the leadership and decision-making in co-ops and other community-based savings and credit organizations
3. To advocate for co-ops to be aware of the particular needs of women-entrepreneurs, and for co-ops to use their resources to benefit women-entrepreneurs
4. To advocate for co-ops to use their resources to provide services needed specifically by women, arising from their multiple roles


Roles
As a resource center, AWCF assists and provides services to co-op organizations and social development agencies (SDAs) in the areas of gender mainstreaming and co-op development. As an advocacy body, it promotes gender awareness and integration of gender concerns in co-ops and SDAs in the international, regional and local levels.

AWCF takes a two-pronged approach in its work:
1. To transform and enable co-ops to become vehicles for gender equality and gender equity
2.To enable women and men in co-ops to advocate change in and through co-ops for their benefit