WOCCU Releases New Publication Focusing on Ecuador's Underserved

Madison, WI – In the third of its "FOCUS" series, World Council of Credit Unions, Inc. (WOCCU) released FOCUS Ecuador to "highlight the achievements of two donor-funded programs which have resulted in a stronger and safer credit union system that reaches more and poorer member-clients via innovative technology and diversified product offerings" (from FOCUS Ecuador).

The publication is now available in PDF format on the WOCCU website at https://www.woccu.org/_assets/documents/FocusEcuador.pdf and was funded, in part, by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Cooperative Development Program.

FOCUS Ecuador explores the process of launching a national credit union network – RedCoop – to reach out to new members, especially those living in underserved rural areas, through shared branching and international remittances. In the second WOCCU program highlighted in the publication, members climb the ladder of financial services through savings and credit groups. Known as "Savings and Credit with Education" (SCWE), the program works with credit unions to dispatch field agents to help women without access to other financial services to organize themselves into small groups to combine to form a village bank to gain access to small loans.

WOCCU senior manager for development finance Anna Cora Evans, who co-authored the publication, said "Credit unions in Ecuador have done an amazing job of expanding access to financial services and creating hope for thousands of poor Ecuadorians. Their stories are full of valuable lessons and serve as inspiration for those of us devoted to making a difference through credit unions."

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.