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My name is Blake Reynolds and it is my pleasure to tell you about the work of the Canadian Co-operative Association and the Credit Union Manager coaching program. Even five years ago if someone had asked me about where the Co-operative and Credit Union movement would take me I would never have imagined the response to be “To the Warm Heart of Africa”. Yet this January, that’s exactly what happened as I boarded a plane from Ottawa to London to begin the journey to Malawi, a small land-locked nation in south-eastern Africa.
The Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA)
My journey begins and ends with the Canadian Co-operative Association. The CCA is a national association for co-operatives in Canada. It represents more than nine million co-operative and credit union members from over 2,000 organizations. CCA members come from many sectors of the economy, including finance, insurance, agri-food and supply, wholesale and retail, housing, health and the service sector (see sample of logos). The CCA provides leadership to promote, develop and unite co-operatives and credit unions for the benefit of people in Canada and around the world. Your cooperative is most likely already a part of the CCA through your own membership in the Co-operative Enterprise Council of New Brunswick.
I applied for the Credit Union Manager coaching program through the CCA website and was fortunate to be one of six credit union professionals from across the country to be selected to travel to Malawi and work with the SACCOs there. I was pleasantly surprised to be partnered up with my fellow National Credit Union Young Leaders Committee member Erin Robinson from Vancity in BC, as we spent two weeks working with SACCOs around the capital city of Lilongwe.
Although I had participated in the one week training at the CCA offices in Ottawa, at that time I had no idea of the impact that the Credit Union Manager Coaching Program has on the Savings And Credit Co-operatives (SACCOs) in the African nations we visited…and even less of an idea of the impact experience would have on me.
The SACCO Movement
In Malawi, SACCOs are the only realistic alternative the citizens have to save their money and to borrow money when needed, as banks view the average Malawian to be too "high risk" to lend funds to. So how can an entrepreneurial spirit currently living at or below the poverty line find the funds needed to become financial independent? How can a young woman or man who has worked very hard through school and has been fortunate to be selected to further their education pay for it? How can a hard working labourer manage to pay for a relative's funeral? Where in Canada Credit Unions try to become a better alternative to banks, in many cases in Malawi SACCO's are the only alternative...and an absolutely crucial cog in Malawi's economic machine.
MUSCCO
At the heart of Malawi's "financial co-operative movement" is MUSCCO, the Malawi Union of Savings and Credit Co-operatives. We've been fortunate to meet many of the employees of MUSCCO including Sylvester Fedzola, MUSCCO CEO and member of the World Council of Credit Unions. Through Sylvester's vision and the capable hands (and minds) of people like Lillian Moyo, Fumbani Nyangulu, Swanzie Mawerenga and Dickson Chidumu (sorry, it's impossible not to mention each of these great people), MUSCCO is helping build a framework and host of services that many Canadian Credit Unions have not even had until recently in their history. Even at such an early point in the Malawi SACCO movement, MUSCCO is working hard to provide resources like: board training programs, management education, and a computerized banking system. It's with these essential building blocks that I feel very good about the future of SACCOs in Malawi, and it's now that I am truly beginning to understand the impact that the Canadian Co-operative Association's programs can have to aid in this voyage.
I looked forward to returning to Africa next year as part of the coaching program. I am honoured to have been selected and I hope my voyage inspires others to get more involved with co-operatives both locally and internationally!
If you’d like to read more about my recent and future Malawi adventures please check out my blog at http://frommonctontomalawi.blogspot.com or if you’d like to find out how you can get more involved with co-operatives and credit unions around the world visit the CCA’s website.
As they say in Malawi, Tionana (see you later)!
Blake Reynolds
OMISTA Credit Union (and CECNB Board Member)
The Co-op Ambassador Committee was established earlier this year to help bring about a new Co-operative Associations Act for New Brunswick and to advocate for increased supports for co-ops and credit unions. At its June meeting, Co-Chairs were elected to share leadership and ensure the Committee speaks with one voice in both official languages. Camille Theriault, CEO, Fédération des caisses populaires acadiennes was elected as Francophone Chair and John Harvie, CEO of Co-op Atlantic as Anglophone
co-ops and credit unions about the dozens of community projects in NS that have benefited from the province’s Community Economic Development Investment Fund which has generated more than $32 million for local investments in the past 10 years. CEDIFs are a pool of capital raised through the sale of shares and intended to support local projects. Investors receive a 35% tax rebate (which can increase over time to 55%) however Payne says many of the 4000 investors in Nova Scotia say what they like most is that they can invest in their own communities and keep the investment dollars at home. This event was jointly sponsored by the Co-operative Enterprise Council, the Canadian Worker Co-op Federation and the Saint John Community Loan Fund and those attending included representatives of the NB Securities Commission, the NB Poverty Reduction Committee, the NB Business Council, the NB Dept of Social Development, the Advisory Council on the Status of Women, MLAs, political candidates, and dozens of others involved in social and co-operative enterprises. There was tremendous support for establishing a CEDIF in New Brunswick and a Committee has been struck to move this idea forward.
Canada's co-operative sector, in partnership with four Canadian universities, has been awarded funding of $1 million over five years to conduct research on the social, economic and environmental impact of co-operatives. The Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA) announced today that its application to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) to create a Community-University Research Alliance (CURA) has been successful. John Anderson, CCA's Director of Government Affairs and Public Policy and the lead co-op sector researcher on the CURA project, said Canada's co-operative sector plays a significant role in helping Canadian communities meet social, economic and environmental challenges, but that the extent of that role has not been quantified. "Members of the co-operative sector know that these enterprises have far-reaching impacts for their members and communities they serve, yet the true value of co-operative enterprise is not well understood," he said. "The research that will be conducted through the CURA aims to examine the full impact of co-operatives on Canada's social, economic and environmental fabric, and demonstrate their value to Canadian communities." CCA applied for the CURA in partnership with Saint Mary's University, the University of Saskatchewan, the University of Victoria, and Mount Saint Vincent University, all of which are well-known for their research on co-operatives and the social economy. More than a dozen other co-operative associations, co-ops, credit unions and academic researchers will also participate in the CURA. Dr. Sonja Novkovic, professor of economics at Saint Mary's University and the lead academic researcher for the project, said the CURA's research team will create a network of national and regional research clusters that will develop measurement tools and study topics such as the nature of the "co-operative difference" as it relates to social responsibility and accountability, the impact of member and employee participation on a co-operative's performance and the role of credit unions in building wealth. Additional topics will examine infrastructure support for co-operative development, how to replicate co-operative innovation and co-operative responses to market failures. For more information about the CURA, go to www.coopscanada.coop/en/info_resources/CURA
The Agricultural Flexibility Fund (AgriFlexibility) was announced as part of Budget 2009 and is a five-year fund ending March 31, 2014. The $500 million fund's objective is directly linked to AAFC's departmental strategic outcomes of an agriculture, agri-food and agri-based products sector that is innovative, environmentally sustainable, competitive and that proactively manages risks. To meet these outcomes, AgriFlexibility has three broad elements to help the sector's value chain, including farmers and processors, become more efficient, sustainable and remain competitive. AgriFlexibility's three key priorities are:
- Help reduce the cost of production or improve environmental sustainability for the sector
- Support value-chain innovation and sectoral adaptation
- Address emerging opportunities and challenges for the sector
See their website for further information