South Carolina Credit Union League Volunteer Works in Rwanda

Kigali, Rwanda - Duncan McClive, VP of Print and Operations for the South Carolina Credit Union League, visited the Union des Banques Populaires du Rwanda (UBPR) in May to conduct a feasibility study on the establishment of a print shop in the league. Accompanied by Erik Sile, World Council of Credit Union's (WOCCU) technical officer for Africa, McClive volunteered to assess the league's printing needs and recommend a course of action.

The league, with 149 member credit unions, had been considering investing in a print shop for some time but was unsure of the cost and feasibility of such an investment. As a key member of the management of South Carolina League's print shop, one of largest of the few remaining credit union print shops in the United States, McClive's offer of assistance was well received.

While in Rwanda, McClive spent considerable time with league personnel, particularly Thérèse Kabayanja, director of Research and Statistics, researching the league's needs in terms of volume and type of production. He also visited three area print shops to evaluate the availability and cost of the necessary materials and equipment.

Before his departure, McClive presented his preliminary findings to seven league executives and plans to submit a final report in the coming weeks. The league will use this information to decide whether or not to proceed with the investment.

Both the league and Mr. McClive were very happy with the assessment. The league is grateful to have the expert recommendation of someone intimately involved with running a league print shop, and Mr. McClive was thrilled to contribute. He stated, "This was the experience of a lifetime."

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.