Under the mango tree....

Today we finished up at Mim Ahafo Community Cooperative Credit Union or MACCCU for short. ;)

I just have to describe the scene for you....

Board Meeting with MACCCU

Close your eyes and picture 15 Board and Committee members, sitting on Rubbermaid chairs under the shade of a huge mango tree.....all waiting for 'Ya Joan'  and I to give our final report to them....it was surreal, it really was.....and I have a wicked sunburn to prove it!  LOL


They have some real issues here, loan delinquency being the biggest one.....how exactly do you say no to someone when they a need a loan to be able to live for the next month....let's just pause and think about that for a minute  ......  ........  ........

Hmmmm....kind of puts things into perspective doesn't it?! DOESN'T IT! And how truly lucky we really are....


We had some big ideas in our report that we borrowed from home for them to try and combat their issues.  Ideas such as:


- A longer term loan so the payments can be smaller and more affordable (all they offer here are 12 month loans)
-  Looking at the savings history and basing loan payments on what amount they are able to save each month and taking their income and expenses into account vs. the current method of loaning double what they currently have in their savings account
- We also suggested they offer members the option of the credit union processing their loan payment for them rather then the member having to come in to make the payment personally to their loan.....a hard feat for many members when most arrive on foot. 
 

We finished off our meeting with some presentations and then opened it up for any questions they may have...and they had plenty. It was a really wonderful day, one that will stick with me probably for the rest of my days...knowing in our small way we are making a difference over here with this incredible program through The Canadian Cooperative Association.  Medasi! 


Oh and 'Ya Joan' and I received these incredible matching dresses that they had made specially for us. I'm not sure how they managed to have them made so accurately without our measurements....LOL....and the PF side of me really doesn't want to know...but I absolutely love mine and already wore it to dinner and can't wait to wear it on my first day back at work.  

Akua Heidi in Ghana.....feeling humbled.....