Cooperation, Savings, Prosperity, Continuation:
Previously, PARC considered working with rural women by building integrated programs. The first program focused on empowering women socially. This was complimented by the second program, concerned with empowering rural women economically, meeting their need for financial independence, finding fixed sources of income for contributing to the support of their families, and improving their standard of living. The savings and credit program expanded its core to include an advanced pilot idea for economic and social development that would fit the needs of our society in the form of a specialized lending program based on personal savings volume. Among the first and most important accomplishments of the program, and meeting PARC’s second strategic objective, was the organization of 12 savings and credit groups. The culmination of this pioneering initiative was the birth of the Union of Cooperative Associations for Savings and Credit.
General Aim:
To support the establishment and strengthening of women’s associations, cooperatives, and unions in rural areas.
Strategic Objectives:
1. To develop financial performance for savings and credit organizations
2. To sstrengthen financial and operational growth for savings and credit organizations.
3. To strengthen the presence of cooperative organizations in public life.
Target group:
Palestinian women interested in becoming members of savings and credit organizations spread throughout every province in the country, and especially in rural regions.
PARC’s Interventions:
PARC’s interventions took many forms, depending on the program's stage and progress. The first supervisory support and umbrella program for the Union of Cooperative Organizations for Savings and Credit was formed through deliberate interventions, with 12 organizations represented under its umbrella.
This is reflected in the following:
First: Organizational aspects such as:
• Working on promoting and spreading the idea of savings and credit.
• Overseeing the organizational process, developing and building capacity of both central and branch administrative bodies for the organizations, and networking between them.
• Providing financial, legal, and administrative consultation for the organizations.
• Developing a computerized information system for the program.
• Supervising the sustainability of cooperative organizations and presenting lessons and successful experiences of other cooperative organizations.
• Establishing a professional legal relationship between the union, organizations, and the Ministry of Labour by pledging to apply a procedural index to the work of the union and organizations that would not contradict with labour laws and internal regulations.
• Supervising the institutionalisation and strengthening of the union.
• Providing funding opportunities for organizations and the union.
Second: Financial support, provision of loans, and logistical support.
Third: Promotion of the program through:
• membership in local, regional, and global lending networks
• participation in local and regional conferences
• issuing publications
• documenting and disseminating experiences
Overall achievements include:
• the formation of 12 organizations and 162 groups
• 6,722 members with a total member savings balance of $2,232,298
• 5,363 loans distributed to 3,652 borrowers for a total amount of $7,394,105
