From: the General Manager

By Lindy Bannister

As I write this, I have just returned from the annual meeting of the National Cooperative Business Association in Washington, D.C.

For the past three years, I have sat on the board of this association that does very important work across all cooperative sectors. This week, I was very pleased to be re-elected for another three-year term.

NCBA does an incredible job with domestic and international cooperative development. At this particular meeting we had the chance to listen and contribute to discussions with the country directors and Chiefs of Party for many of these projects.

From Zambia, Mark Wood spoke of his efforts to build a "confidence circle" where everyone can work together to build a base of sustainability for the good of all; and to help engage people into becoming more effective leaders. He talked about improved food security and the need to increase the number of markets in which to sell their products.

Stephen Gutz from Mozambique talked about how NCBA has helped change the cooperative law in his country. These changes mean workers will benefit from their investments and hard work. There is a cooperative of medical doctors who pool their time and energy for $800 per month looking after the sick. (There are only 1,000 doctors total in all of Mozambique.)

From Kenya, Joyce Wafula spoke eloquently about having worked with childcare, care of the elderly, homebased care and water safety since 1993. They get families involved with their own communities so that when they need help it is there for them. They battle HIV and AIDS, malaria and TB in addition to helping with family planning. They work for community coalitions to develop plans that are self-sustaining.

The work being done in Indonesia and East Timor is led by Sam Filiaci and has been for many years. He told us of high productivity on limited land holdings. They work with women in microfinancing and also with many organic coffee farmers. They have health clinics in many of the coffee areas of the country. They have been involved with area reforestation for over 30 years. The World Bank now uses this model for community-based reforestation in many other areas. They also run a business college and many community water projects. One granted project helped with 2004 Indonesian Tsunami relief.

Sam's take on why he has been successful working with NCBA is two-fold. One, he takes a very long-term view of each project as it comes. Two, he accepts that no golden slipper fits everyone and every project is different. In his words, "Get the onion and peel it one skin at a time!"

Listening to these wonderful people, I realized that wherever we are in the world, we all work for the same ends. Who in America doesn't want to make sure that everyone has access to health care, clean water, affordable food and a community that supports our aspirations and values? I tip my hat to the staff and workers in the U.S. and abroad who work to make this happen under the guidance of NCBA. If you would like more information, please look at their website: www.ncba.coop.