Kenyan Credit Union Delegate Visits Pennsylvania Credit Union Association

Rodney Hood, Vice Chairman of the Board at the National Credit Union Administration in Alexandria, Virginia, meets with Kenya's Patrick S. Khaemba.

The Pennsylvania Credit Union Association recently hosted Permanent Secretary Patrick S. Khaemba of the Kenya Ministry of Cooperative Development as part of their World Council of Credit Union's International Partnership. Khaemba traveled to Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania to learn more about credit union operations in the United States and to share his experience of working with the credit union movement in Kenya.

WOCCU's Jesús Chavez accompanied Khaemba on the first day of the visit as they met with Rodney Hood, Vice Chairman of the Board at the National Credit Union Administration in Alexandria, Virginia. The visit with Hood allowed Khaemba an inside look at credit union regulation in the United States.

The National Association State Credit Union Supervisors (NASCUS) hosted Khaemba the following morning. That afternoon, Khaemba visited the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) in Washington, D.C., where CUNA staff members presented on a variety of issues central to credit union operations in the United States. The day ended with a visit to the World Council of Credit Unions' office in Washington, D.C., where Khaemba met with Anna Cora Evans, Senior Manager of Development Finance. Khaemba's warm welcome from each of the organizations' staff and leaders, combined with his enthusiasm for the visit, reinforced relationships within the credit union movement and served as an excellent opportunity for cultural exchange.

Before traveling to Pennsylvania for the remainder of the week, Khaemba met with USAID Representative Tom Carter to discuss the important role the credit union movement plays in international sustainable development. A meeting with the Pennsylvania Secretary of Banking Bill Schenck, a visit to the Pennsylvania Credit Union Association, and meetings with representatives from several Pennsylvania credit unions capped off Khaemba's weeklong stay.

The visit proved to be an excellent opportunity for exchanging ideas, discovering new operating methods, and discussing differences and similarities. It also enabled credit union and personal relationships to be strengthened. Khaemba returned to Kenya with a renewed commitment to improving and strengthening credit unions in his home country.

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.