International Cooperation Deepens to Aid Tsunami Victims

World Council of Credit Unions, Inc.

Madison - The World Council of Credit Unions, Inc. (WOCCU) has launched an appeal to the international credit union community for funds to assist with reconstruction efforts in Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

WOCCU is currently working with its associate at SANASA in Sri Lanka to help provide immediate relief assistance, rebuild credit unions and initiate reconstruction of the communities affected.

WOCCU's appeal to aid Tsunami victims has been strengthened in recent days through agreements to coordinate reconstruction efforts with a number of additional organizations. These include the National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF) of the United States, the German cooperative bank development organization, Deutschen Genossenschafts-und Raiffeisenverbands (DGRV), and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

"The level of interest, compassion and support expressed from the international credit union community for its fellow credit unions affected by the Asian Tsunami has been nothing short of remarkable," indicated L.R. (Bobby) McVeigh, Board Chairman of WOCCU. McVeigh continued, "we are grateful for monies pledged already and encourage others to contribute to the Worldwide Foundation's Disaster Relief Fund for the Tsunami Relief. WOCCU will continue to provide updates on events in the affected areas and the impact which contributions are having on the ground."

WOCCU is working with its associate in Sri Lanka to assess the damage to credit unions. WOCCU will have staff on the ground in Sri Lanka within the week to provide direct assistance. WOCCU staff will aid the 800 primary society credit unions that have been damaged and will begin disbursements of funds collected by the Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions.

For more information on how to contribute to the Worldwide Credit Union Foundation-Tsunami Relief Fund visit the WOCCU website at www.woccu.org/disaster_relief.

El Consejo Mundial de Cooperativas de Ahorro y Crédito es la asociación gremial y agencia de desarrollo para el sistema internacional de cooperativas de ahorro y crédito. El Consejo Mundial promueve el crecimiento sustentable de las cooperativas de ahorro y crédito y otras cooperativas financieras en todo el mundo a fin de facultar a las personas para que mejoren su calidad de vida a través del acceso a servicios financieros asequibles y de alta calidad. El Consejo Mundial realiza esfuerzos de defensa activa en representación del sistema global de las cooperativas de ahorro y crédito ante organizaciones internacionales y trabaja con gobiernos nacionales para mejorar la legislación y la regulación. Sus programas de asistencia técnica introducen nuevas herramientas y tecnologías para fortalecer el desempeño financiero de las cooperativas de ahorro y crédito y profundizar su alcance comunitario.

El Consejo Mundial ha implementado 290 programas de asistencia técnica en 71 países. A nivel mundial, 51,000 cooperativas de ahorro y crédito en 100 países atienden a 196 millones de personas. Obtenga más información sobre el impacto global del Consejo Mundial en www.woccu.org.