Published 15 October 2020
Buckie Got It, St. Kitts and Nevis News Source
Article by
Barbados Today Traffic
Message to mark International Credit Union Day 2020 – Celebrated on October 15.
by Joseph Remy
Fellow co-operators and members of the Caribbean credit union family, it is my distinct pleasure and honour to address you in my capacity as President of the Confederation, on the occasion of the celebration of International Credit Union Day.
Having been recently bestowed with the duty and responsibility to lead this very critical, venerable, noble people-centered regional institution, the pleasure is mine to share with you some sentiments on this very significant occasion in the life of our global credit union movement.
The celebration of International Credit Union Day is a time to reflect on the virtues of the credit union movement, its achievements and its role in the socio-economic development of its members/shareholders.
It is also a time to recognize the contribution of the pioneers, as well as the commitment, dedication and hard work of the thousands of volunteers, management and staff of the various credit unions across the globe.
Today, 2.64 million Caribbean members/shareholders join in this celebration with 274 million members/shareholders globally from 85,400 credit unions in 118 countries around the world.
We are celebrating not only growth in assets and membership but also extolling the values of self-help, thrift, and cooperation across borders.
Most importantly, the members/shareholders are displaying strong resilience, purpose, empathy for our brothers and sisters, tenacity to hard work and adherence to the advice of the authorities by abiding with the respective protocols pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Like in most regions of the world, the Caribbean credit union movement continues to grow from strength to strength, as attested to by our approximately 2.64 million members/shareholders in 288 credit unions dispersed across the region.
What is of ironic significance is the fact that the constant growth in membership/shareholding is taking place while the number of credit unions is declining due to mergers and amalgamations.
This can be attributed to a deliberate strategy, as we seek to benefit from economies of scale, improve efficiencies,
and the effectiveness and quality of our service.
The theme for this year’s celebration of International Credit Union Day; “Inspiring Hope for a Global Community” is very fitting and appropriate in light of the prevailing global pandemic that has impacted the social and economic fabric
of the Caribbean.
We, as cooperators, possess the capacity to inspire hope through our embedded cooperative principles and values that touch the very foundation of human development.
As such, as we traverse these turbulent waters of COVID-19 and the associated socioeconomic fallout, we must call on our deep reserves of human kindness and empathy to keep us afloat and restore that ‘Caribbeaness’ that we all revere.
In keeping with this year’s theme, the Confederation has played a major role in inspiring hope regionally and globally amidst the malaise created by the pandemic.
The Confederation took the initiative to donate approximately US$ 100,000 to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to purchase personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline workers.
We (CCCU) distributed a total of US$23, 200 in cash contributed by the World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) to affiliates to assist in the purchase of PPE and we dispatched an additional 3, 000 masks to affiliates to help ensure the safety and protection of our credit union frontline workers from the dreaded COVID-19 virus.https://09f3ce0b91ee22ed22fcc722c51f23c0.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.html
The Confederation is living true to the foundational principle of cooperativism which speaks to people helping people and is not only talking the talk but it’s also “Walking the Talk”.
Let us continue to “inspire hope” as we add value to the lives and livelihood of our Caribbean Community. Happy International Credit Union Day 2020, to all the brothers and sisters in the regional credit union fraternity!
Joseph Remy
President of the Caribbean Confederation of Credit Unions.
