CUs Help Educate Members and Communities on HIV/AIDS

Madison, WI—World AIDS Day, held on December 1, serves to focus global attention on the devastating impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Observance of this day provides an opportunity for governments, national AIDS programs, churches, community organizations and individuals to demonstrate the importance of the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Through a unique credit union development program the World Council of Credit Unions is conducting a pilot peer educator program with Mwalimu Savings and Credit Co-Operative Societies (SACCO) in Kenya.

The Mwalimu SACCO (credit union)was a natural choice to participate in the Peer to Peer education program, with its membership being made up of 44,000 secondary teachers throughout Kenya. Catherine Ford, World Council's Cooperative Development Program manager, shared, "Who better than teachers to educate credit union members and the community."

Upon completion of the course, participants will be required to train a minimum of five colleagues before becoming certified in HIV/AIDS peer education by JHPIEGO, the non-profit health organization affiliated with Johns Hopkins University that is implementing the program in partnership with World Council. The training course includes segments on presentation skills, as well as basic facts about HIV/AIDS, comprehensive HIV/AIDS care and prevention, assessing HIV/AIDS risk and behavior change. Funding for this pilot program comes from the Cooperative Development Program administered by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Ford continued, "Credit unions by their very nature have the potential to help their communities, they have the ability to reach out to their members, to educate them and change behavior. This program is a crucial first step towards making that vision a reality."

World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) is the global trade association and development agency for credit unions. WOCCU promotes the sustainable development of credit unions and other financial cooperatives around the world to empower people through access to high quality and affordable financial services. WOCCU advocates on behalf of the global credit union system before international organizations and works with national governments to improve legislation and regulation. Its technical assistance programs introduce new tools and technologies to strengthen credit unions' financial performance and increase their outreach.

WOCCU has implemented more than 275 technical assistance programs in 71 countries. Worldwide, 53,000 credit unions in 100 countries serve 188 million people. Learn more about WOCCU's impact around the world at www.woccu.org.