A DUBLIN 15 local is helping develop a credit union movement in poverty stricken Liberia as part of a charitable drive to provide the African country’s poorest communities with access to basic savings and loans facilities.
Kevin Loughnane, who lives in Blanchardstown, works with the Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU) Learning & Development team and recently took part in a week-long volunteering programme in Liberia.
The ILCU’s International Development Foundation, the charitable arm of the Irish credit union movement, is helping develop Liberian credit unions and Kevin recently joined a team of experts to support the project on the ground.
During the visit Kevin and other Irish credit union experts were able to share their expertise, knowledge and skills with Liberian counterparts and provide much needed technical assistance.
The assistance provided by Kevin and his colleagues will help strengthen credit unions in Liberia by providing support for day to day operations, loan management, human resource management and governance related issues.
The volunteering programme, administered by the ILCU’s International Development Foundation in collaboration with the West African Credit Unions Against Poverty, aims to alleviate poverty through the credit union model.
A strong credit union will allow some of the poorest communities in Liberia access to basic savings and loans facilities and as the Irish credit union movement is one of the strongest in the world, help from Irish experts is highly valued.
“The Foundation undertakes extremely important work in a number of countries in Africa and other regions across the world,
? Kevin said.
“I found my time volunteering in Liberia to be both a challenging and very rewarding experience. It was a privilege to be given the opportunity to make a small contribution to the development of Liberian Credit Unions.
“Local credit unions in Dublin and across Ireland make initiatives, such as the West African Credit Unions Against Poverty programme, a reality through their on-going support of the Foundation.
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General Manager of the Foundation, Alan Moore, said Kevin was given his opportunity thanks to the generosity and support of credit unions across Ireland.
“This volunteering role allows Kevin to observe how credit unions operate in West Africa and how his own competences can help develop credit unions,
? he said.
“This programme would not be possible without the support of ILCU Learning and Development and the Foundation would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their continued support and the long standing support from credit unions around Ireland.
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