Generosity of WFCU Champions allows for continued credit union development in the absence of USAID funding
World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) in the second quarter of 2025 deployed Rally the Movement funds that led to the issuance of more than $350,000 in small business loans in Ukraine, the development of a pilot savings program for rural women in Guatemala, and training on its SME Lending Methodology for credit union professionals in Kenya.
Launched in March 2025 in response to the termination of USAID awards that funded WOCCU development projects, Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions’ (WFCU) Rally the Movement campaign has raised nearly $1.2 million—driven by the extraordinary generosity of credit unions, credit union associations and industry partners across the world.
Through June 30, that support allowed WOCCU to facilitate the disbursement of $355,302 in loans to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and farms in Ukraine—30% of which are owned by women or veterans. WOCCU also launched two national policy dialogues with Ukraine’s Partial Guarantee Facility and Deposit Guarantee Fund and worked with credit unions to develop tools for risk and liquidity management and institutional health assessments.
Expanding small business lending is also a focus in Kenya, where WOCCU trained 30 staffers at three savings and credit cooperatives (SACCOs) on our SME Lending Toolkit, helping them to unlock finance for small businesses and youth-led enterprises while reducing portfolio risk and increasing outreach to women borrowers.
“Thank you for taking the time to walk us through the (loan) appraisal tool. Your use of practical examples provided us with a clear and comprehensive understanding of its functionality,” said Ann Wamoro, Head of Procurement at Unaitas Sacco Society Limited, who participated in the training sessions.
The SME Lending Toolkit is designed to spark a mindset shift from seeing SMEs as “risky” to recognizing the opportunities of structured, informed lending.
A focus on expanding rural savings and financial access for underserved women in Guatemala led WOCCU to implement its rural outreach methodology at Acredicom and Tonantel, two credit unions affiliated with FENACOAC’s MiCoope System.
The methodology supports the development of policies, processes and technologies that enable the credit unions to deploy trained rural financial advisors in remote areas, bringing savings, credit, insurance, payments and remittance services to last-mile members.
More than 60 credit union staff have since been trained in the new methodology, with the goal of expanding outreach to more cooperatives in three additional areas of the country.
“WOCCU has been a great partner in ensuring Rally the Movement dollars are providing credit unions with the opportunity to reach members who likely wouldn’t see the benefits of such programs otherwise. We look forward to more success in the future,” said Mike Reuter, WFCU President.
To learn more about our second quarter Rally the Movement progress, click here.