The it@coops project recently passed another milestone with a successful Mid-Term Evaluation of it’s training-of-trainers programme, which is crafted to help cooperatives and their umbrella organizations fighting poverty and working for women empowerment. Over 60 participants from Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines are provided with the most urgent IT knowledge in order to increase competitiveness of self-helping approaches. The evaluation conducted on January 24 to February 3, 2006, showed that the training-of-trainers (TOT) in all three countries Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines is progressing well and efforts to achieve the other two project objectives (see below) have been started and undertaken by all stakeholders.

The evaluation particularly pointed out to the following: The training-of-trainers not only covered technical know-how, but also soft skills training and gender awareness to meet the needs of the coops. In all three countries the progress of the TOT is more or less according to schedule. In all three groups there are few participants who are very good or even excellent, a rather big part who are good average and some, who will probably have difficulties passing all exams. It was emphasized in all three countries that the trainings institutes were not to compromise their standards to make more participants pass the exams.

In all three programs the issue of ICT-powered Business Development Centre (BDCs) has been taken up and will have to be further discussed within the countries.

Steering Committee Meeting discusses plans for ICT-powered business development centres and networking in Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines

At the beginning of February 2006, decision makers from NATTCO (National Confederation of Cooperatives) Philippines, CULT (Credit Union League of Thailand), and FORMASI (Forum for Cooperatives Development) Indonesia as well as AWCF (Asian Women in Co-operative Development Forum) and InWEnt – Capacity Building International, Germany met in Cebu, Philippines to discuss the different approaches in the countries and action plans regarding the following two objectives of the project:


The participants reviewed and attuned the plans for each country in order to meet the needs of the coops and their umbrella organisations. Thus, the next phases of the project – achievement of project objectives no. 2 and 3 - were planned up to the end of 2007. The action plans contain concrete steps which indicate, how the three national umbrella organizations, with the help of AWCF and InWEnt, will support the future trainers in setting up Business Development Centres and create a network on the national and regional level. The Steering Committee Meeting took place in a very amiable, cooperative and fruitful atmosphere in Cebu, Philippines.

Background on it@coops

The cooperative movement has a long tradition especially in Asian countries. The reasons for founding a cooperative may be manifold but mainly they are founded in order to enable their members to take part in the social and economic progress of the country and to alleviate poverty. IT@coops is a project of InWEnt – Capacity Building International, Germany and AWCF (Asian Women in Cooperative Development Forum) with NATCCO (National Confederation of Cooperatives) Philippines, CULT (Credit Union League of Thailand), and FORMASI (Forum for Cooperatives Development) Indonesia.