Credit union managers coach African counterparts

January 28, 2008
Ken Doleman, CEO of Swan Valley Credit Union in Manitoba is preparing for a  February trek up Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
His goal is to raise $19,340 – one dollar for each step he will make on his way to the top of Africa’s highest summit – for the Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada. (CDF).
"Walk with me step by step, through donations that could range from $0.05 to $10 a step,” says Ken. “Together we will scale the obstacle of poverty, one step at a time until we reach the summit of Freedom Peak."
The 19,340 Steps to Freedom trek will take Ken to the top of Uhuru peak ("freedom" in Swahili) and the roof of Africa where he will plant the credit union hands & globe flag. He will also shine a 1.5 million candlepower lamp symbolizing the number of people CDF plans to reach this year, and the number of dollars it plans to raise annually for its fight against poverty.
He will be joined by two other climbers: Ugandan co-op leader Wakhigoma (Tom) Tibarnwenda, and Mountain Equipment Co-op employee Jen Muldoon from Ottawa.  Muldoon is a Canadian Cooperative Association intern currently doing an environmental project with the Ugandan Co-operative Association.
“I was humbled by the people – their sense of hope and purpose during my first CCA coaching mission in Uganda last spring,” Doleman said “I returned home inspired and more determined than ever to join in Tanzania’s first president Julius Nyerere’s vision of “…giving hope where there was despair, love where there was hate, and dignity where before there was only humiliation.”
The trek involves four to five days of hard uphill walking to an elevation that many never experience. Along the route, Doleman will have to contend with altitude sickness, a condition that can debilitate even the fittest of individuals.
“This is going to be an extraordinary challenge for me,” he said.  “I suspect it’s going to push me to my limits, and that’s OK.”

You can donate here 

After the climb, Doleman will join 10 other Canadian credit union volunteers who are sharing their knowledge with fellow co-operators in Uganda and Malawi as part of the CCA Credit Union Coaching program taking place from Feb. 26-March 16.
 

Here is a listing of the 22 credit union coaches who will be in Africa:

 GHANA  (February 21 – March 10)

 Vivian Campbell – Senior Credit Union Consultant, NS Central.

David Domes – General Manager of Sanford Credit Union. MB.

Robin Goetz, – Assistant Branch Manager of Envision Credit Union. BC.

Mel Gosse – Vice-President Operations of League Savings & Mortgage and Project Leader to develop and implement Youth Strategy

Lareina Grosse – Branch Manager of Northern Savings and Credit Union. BC.

Lorri Lochrie – Manager, HR Programs Compensation for Vancity Savings Credit Union. BC.

Kevin Lukey – CEO of Cornerstone Credit Union . SK

Gary Seveny – Former CEO of Alterna Credit Union. ON.

Shirley Steiger – Relationship Banking Manager with Affinity Credit Union. SK.

Brian Thorne – Branch Manager for Bayview Credit Union, NB.

Susan Tustin – Operations Manager at Member Savings Credit Union, ON.

Rose Voellmecke – CEO/General Manager of Muenster Credit Union Ltd. SK.

UGANDA  (February 26 – March 16)

Marsha A. Damon – Branch Manager, Bayview Credit Union Limited, Saint John, NB. 

Ken Doleman – Chief Executive Officer, Swan Valley Credit Union, Swan Valley, MB.

Mary McGee – Credit Union Consultant, Marketing & Operations.

Jeff Mark – General Manager, Bruno Savings and Credit Union, Bruno, SK.

Willy Robinson – General Manager, iNova Credit Union, Halifax, NS.

Kimberley Ney – Senior Vice President, Marketing, Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility, Alterna Savings, Toronto, ON

MALAWI  (February 22 – March 13)

 Kevin Cooke – Branch Manager, Coastal Financial, Yarmouth, NS.

Brad Penner – Branch Manager, Plum Coulee Branch, Heartland Credit Union, Plum Coulee, MB

Catherine Ludgate – Manager of Community Banking, Vancity Credit Union, Vancouver, BC

Randal Tate – Manager, Okotoks Branch, Community Savings Credit Union, Okotoks, AB.

 The Coaching Program is a joint effort of CCA and the Credit Union Association of Ghana, the Uganda Co-operative Alliance, the Uganda Co-operative Savings and Credit Union Limited, and the Malawi Union of Savings and Credit Co-operatives.   Funding for the coaching program is provided by the Partnership Branch of the Canadian International Development Agency. Coaches volunteer their time and contribute financially to the program.