The Credit for Agriculture Producers (CAP) Project in the Ukraine organized and hosted an engagement visit for international credit union experts, composed of members of World Council of Credit Unions and the Global Women’s Leadership Network to Ukraine from July 28 to Aug. 2.  

Representatives of two national credit union associations, the All-Ukrainian Credit Union Association (AUCUA) and the Ukrainian National Association of Savings and Credit Unions (UNASCU), the credit union sector Regulator in Kiev and local credit unions from several regions in Ukraine participated in the events. The visit was led by Brian Branch, World Council president/CEO and Ewa Sierzynska, the CAP Project’s chief of party.   

The CAP Project is a four-year project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) that is being implemented by World Council with oversight and technical assistance from the Volunteers for Economic Growth Alliance (VEGA). The purpose of the project is to strengthen the credit union sector in Ukraine to improve the quality of the financial services and products offered to farmers and agribusinesses in rural areas in Ukraine. 

On July 28, an open forum took place in Kiev where almost 50 participants engaged on topics of strategic importance for the credit union sector in the Ukraine and brainstormed new ideas and approaches to alleviate current challenges for credit unions in Ukraine.  

The forum, designed as an open dialogue for best practices, knowledge sharing and cross-cultural exchanges, served as a platform to build the international experts’ interest in the project and to further define a path for engaging volunteers on the project, a vital element in the design of the CAP project  

The group of international experts concluded their visit in the Lviv province. On July 31, the group participated in a roundtable discussion focused on strengthening the credit union system as a key prerequisite for the development of small and medium-sized agricultural production.  

During their stay in Lviv, the international credit union experts visited Anisia and the Vygoda credit unions, as well as two of their borrowers--local farmers cultivating agricultural plots and raising dairy cows.  

Moving forward, the CAP project will facilitate training for partner credit unions across Ukraine by engaging with international credit union professionals to provide the training on savings mobilization, marketing for new members, and in developing effective products for agriculture producers.