MADISON, Wis.–The Worldwide Foundation, the charitable arm of the World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU), has provided an update on a variety of its global initiatives.
The update was provided during a virtual “Global Gathering” event, held as a replacement for the annual supporters’ reception that would have taken place at this year’s World Credit Union Conference had the in-person event not been cancelled due to the coronavirus.
Through four different videos, the Worldwide Foundation offered an update on efforts to “bridge serious credit union gaps around the world as part of its Bridge the Gap campaign. WOCCU noted the updates included:
- Digital Gap. VyStar Credit Union in Jacksonville, Fla., conducted a workshop to help World Council of Credit Unions’ Economic Inclusion Project(EIP) integrate digital credit solutions into their work of helping Venezuelan migrants and local vulnerable populations access formal financial services.
- Safety Gap. The National Credit Union Federation of Korea (NACUFOK) donated more than 60,000 facemasks, which Worldwide Foundation distributed to 40 credit union systems worldwide to keep employees and members safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Worldwide Foundation also provided grant funding for personal protective equipment to credit unions in Ukraine and the Caribbean as well, WOCCU reported.
- Gender Gap. In Senegal, World Council’s Gender Lens Investment for Credit Unions Activity continues to develop a toolkit to help local credit unions support women’s empowerment and economic entrepreneurship.
- Leadership Gap. Global Women’s Leadership Network (GWLN) and WYCUP program initiatives continue to respectively help women and young professionals grow into leadership roles across the global credit union community. Both groups will host their own respective Worldwide Foundation days at WCUC next week, with GWLN hosting events on Monday, July 19 and WYCUP hosting activities on Tuesday, July 20.
New Program
During the event the Worldwide Foundation also introduced a new program—"Global Bridges,” which it described as “an end-to-end journey experience for credit unions to leverage that provides staff leadership development, while helping solve global credit union challenges.”
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