WASHINGTON–Why have credit unions done what they’ve done to help both CUs and people in Ukraine and Afghanistan, and why are those kinds of sacrifices still being made? And will they continue to help in standing up to the “Russian scum?”
Those were the questions at the center of a discussion titled “It Takes Two Perspectives” during Mitchell Stankovic’s Underground meeting here.
Panelists during the event included Jay Mossman, president and CEO of AKUVO; Rafal Matusiak, president and CEO of NACSCU (Poland); Brian Branch, the former president and CEO of the World Council of Credit Unions and chair of the Via Stella Foundation; Brett Thompson, president and CEO of the Wisconsin CU League; Mike Reuter, executive director of the Worldwide Foundation; and Alex Mitchell, SVP-CIO with True Sky Credit Union.
Here is some of what was discussed:
Q: What is the situation in Ukraine and Poland?
Matusiak shared an update on what is currently taking place in Ukraine, including the “unfortunate” recent Russian advances as its army has pushed west.
As CUToday.info has extensively reported, Matusiak, Branch and the Via Stella Foundation have done considerable work in raising funds and providing assistance to credit unions and refugees in Ukraine and Poland.
“The situation has changed, in part due to lack of ammunition: Matusiak said. “Russia is trying to demonstrate it can take offensive actions against NATO countries. At the same time it is aware support for Ukraine is decreasing. The data collected by AWACS and similar technology is important not just for Ukraine but allies.”
Overlooking the White House
Coincidentally, Matusiak’s comments came in a meeting room that overlooked the White House.
“I hope in the near future together we will be able to supply significant ammunition to Ukraine, because that is the most important thing here,” he continued. “You can’t fight anyone without ammunition.
“What does this mean for us? It means our common commitment is still needed. The Via Stella foundation provided help to Ukraine and to refugees in Poland. This help would not be possible without you. Thanks to for your generosity to and your sensitivity to the suffering of others.”
Matusiak noted funds have gone toward medical equipment, generators, medicines, sleeping bags, food, assistance for women, support for school children, care for orphans and apartments for refugees, among other aid.
“This is not for us. This is to help. That is who you are--credit union people. Together we can help to win this war for Ukraine. With this help no Russian scum has a chance to win.”
Q: Why support Via Stella?
Mossman: (The situation in Ukraine) touched my heart. I said to Rafael at a break (at an Underground meeting), ‘What do you need?’ He said ‘We really need ambulances.’ I said, ‘We will buy one for you.’ And I said why don’t we challenge this group to raise even more and we set a goal. And then my wife and I said we will match that.
Our marketing director created #JustOnePost for donations. As a company, we matched that. Being able to contribute back was important and that is part of the credit union movement.
Q: What happened after the withdrawal from Afghanistan?
Brian Branch shared the story of Bashir Khan, who while working for the World Council of Credit Unions helped introduce credit unions and cooperative finance in Afghanistan. Kahn and his family were persecuted after the Taliban took over in 2021, with Khan detained by Taliban, who took his home and savings. He had to pay a ransom to be released.
CUToday.info has had extensive coverage of Khan and his family, including here and here.
‘A Pathway to Safety’
Branch and others, including the Wisconsin league, which covered the cost of more than $20,000 in airline tickets, helped to bring Khan, his wife and his five children to the U.S. The family now resides in Madison, Wis., and Khan works for Summit Credit Union.
“One of great things about working with credit unions is that in a crisis credit unions provide a pathway to safety,” said Branch. “Bashir had watched over us to make sure we were safe when we were in Afghanistan.”
‘Certainly Out of the Ordinary’
Thompson: It certainly was out of the ordinary; it’s not the kind of thing that comes to my desk on a regular basis. But the more I thought about it, the more it was familiar. We had a long-standing relationship with WOCCU. In addition, I had known Brian for a long time and have a lot of respect for the work he did. As Brian mentioned the real key for me was the fact that Bashir Khan had a dream of moving to Wisconsin, relocating his family to safety and putting his children in school. It wasn’t a question of if we should engage, but how can we effectively engage? What had a huge impact on me was the family was not in a safe place (in Islamabad, Pakistan, where they had fled). As credit unions we typically like to raise money and contact people, and that would have worked except for the fact that when the (travel) visa comes, they need to go.
There really wasn’t an opportunity to do things we typically do. So, we committed the funds to get them to safety.
The Global Connection
Q: What to you is the global connection?
Reuter: The global CU system is 87,000 credit unions across more than 40 counties and six continents. I think sometimes in our fast-paced environment and busy lives, we focus on our local communities and it’s easy to forget there’s a real opportunity to step out of that box for a moment and do global good. Supporting Bashir’s family. Supporting credit unions in Poland. Supporting Caribbean colleges when a hurricane strikes.
Our place in that ecosystem is to build bridges, to build deeper understanding, and solution-sharing among credit unions and associations.
From the U.S. side, it’s a value proposition to give their staff and members international credit union development opportunities.
Q: What is key to success and how do you get the board engaged?
Michael: Four years ago I was new to the credit union space. We started talking to Mike (Reuter) and (the Foundation’s) Global Bridges about any initiatives we might focus on. We started an engagement with a credit union in Barbados.
It really took form quickly. We found we had shared missions and values. What surprised me is we learned just as much if not more in working with these other countries than they did from us.
We got to tell our Global Bridges story to other credit unions around us, and I’m hoping that spurred some momentum.
I challenge each of you to get involved. You will learn things you didn’t think were possible.
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