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. Cat
imbang 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.
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.
