Korean Co-op Foundation helps PH co-ops
QUEZON CITY – The Korean Credit Union Social Contribution Foundation (KCUSCF) has donated a large amount for improvement of a school for indigenous children, repair facilities of co-ops damaged by a recent typhoon, and acquire equipment to boost NATCCO’s Knowledge Resource Center.
La Libertad Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative in Mapang, Zamboanga del Norte will receive support to repair its office damaged by a typhoon. Its members are mostly poor farmers.
Millenial Credit Cooperative in Bayugan City and Zamboanga Sibugay Credit Cooperative (ZAMSICCO) whose members are also mostly farmers, will also receive assistance.
And to boost NATCCO’s thrust to professionalize co-ops all over the Philippines, the KCUSCF helped to upgrade the facilities for e-conferencing and the establishment of the digital library of the NATCCO Knowledge Resource Center.
Puray Elementary School in Rodriguez, Rizal will receive assistance for solar power panels, three desktop computers, and LED TV monitor. The school has a population of 300 students, 150 of whom are member if the indigenous people. The donation will help them access the internet.
The e-conferencing and e-library will ensure that NATCCO can provide the needed services at a lower cost, as students can attend sessions through e-conferencing. This will also usher a certain level of digitalization within the country.
The donation will be used to furnish a conference room to have state of the art facilities needed for video conferencing. This will allow e-meetings and/or e-consultancies.
Leaders of the Philippine Federation of Credit Unions (PFCCO)also attended the turnover ceremony, pledging the funds donated would be used to purchase equipment for Dauin Coconut Farmers Development Cooperative and Bacong Small Coconut Farmers Development Cooperative, both in Negros Island.
A portion of the donated funds will also be used to purchase computers, laptops, and cellphones for the co-ops’ KAYA Payment Platform services, which PFCCO considers as its “banner and integrative service to the cooperatives.”
The Korean contingent was led by Song-Suhyun, the Social Economy Department Manager of the National Credit Union Federation of Korea (NACUFOK). He promised the equipment would be delivered in two to three weeks.
NATCCO Treasurer Romeo Magdaong, upon acceptance of the amount, said: “This demonstrates how “people helping people” has always been the motivation of our movement and remains an inspiring example of the power of cooperation, optimism and social service. This endeavor makes cooperatives more relevant in the community in this modern age.”
For PFCCO, Vice Chairman Ferdinand Valdez, a Methodist Pastor, quoted scripture: “In Matthew 25:40, the Bible says ‘whatever you did for one of the least of my brothers of mine you did it to me’. Today, we are creating history of friendship and putting into practice the love of God through cooperative endeavor beyond race or border.”
The KCUSCF operates in three major areas: 1) Economic Movement, Education Movement, and the Ethical Movement.