Despite May being a busy month for AWCF, the Secretariat was able squeeze in three activities to intensify its networking and linkaging work in the Asian region. Last May 12, 2009, AWCF representatives headed by Ms Angelita Valdez, AWCF Program Coordinator, met Mr. Balthas Seibold, Senior Project Manager of Capacity Building International, Germany (InWEnt) to refine the planned activities for “it@coops Reunion” scheduled on October 2009. The reunion will not only involve decision makers from the three national umbrella organizations but will also re-convene the main project actors—the IT Specialist from Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines—as they represent their primary co-ops/credit unions/organizations.

Simultaneous with this meeting is the Training Workshop on “Economic Empowerment of Rural Women in Asia through Green Co-op Entrepreneurship” attended by Ms Salome Ganibe, AWCF Executive Director, as one of the resource persons. Held May 10-13, 2009 in Seoul, Korea, the training workshop allowed Ms Ganibe to share her expertise on gender equality, transformative leadership and co-op development to help the participants identify support services intended for women. The activity also paved the way for AWCF to establish new ties with the Seoul Foundation of Women and Family (SFWF), a Korea-based organization focused on creating policies, establishing networks, and implementing practical programs that will increase the happiness of Korean women and children. The workshop was supported by the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).

Ms Ganibe then proceeded to Lao PDR to meet selected officers and staff of the Foundation for Integrated Agricultural and Environmental Management (FIAM). A meeting on May 20-21 was held to explore partnership on enterprise development for selected groups of women supported by FIAM. The meeting produced positive results as FIAM, through its Consultant, Mr. Saner Hoonghual, agreed to take part in AWCF’s project with MISEREOR, Germany to be implemented between 2009 and 2010. Another meeting for the other stakeholders of this Project namely the Center of Agricultural Extension Volunteers (CAEV), Vietnam and the Socio-Economic Development Organization of Cambodia (SEDOC), Cambodia took place at the AWCF office on May 29, 2009.