For over 25 years, the Canadian Co-operative Association and its global partners have worked together to improve the lives of people through co-operative action. In both its international and domestic programs, CCA promotes a model of development that is rooted in the co-operative tradition of building community owned and controlled organizations. A key element of this model is the promotion of co-operative financial institutions that provide accessible financial services to their members.

In recent years, women have comprised the primary target group of development programs designed to extend financial services to under-served groups and communities. However, few women are in leadership positions in the financial services sector. Even in community-owned co-operatives and credit unions, there are often too few women in management positions. The Women's Mentorship Program is designed to begin to address the gender gap by providing women leaders of overseas financial co-operatives with a unique opportunity for professional development.

Beginning in 2002, CCA has brought groups of women credit union managers from developing countries to Canada for a one month internship/mentoring program. Each participant is assigned to one Canadian for 10 days of job shadowing with a Canadian branch or general manager acting as their mentor. In addition to job exposure, participants also undertake a 2 (1/2) week training program that looks at general leadership issues and lending practices. Topics covered include: loan assessment, credit scoring, loan tracking, delinquency control, mergers/amalgamations, human resources, marketing, governance, deposit guarantee funds and change management. During the last week of the program a reception is held including embassy representatives of the women's home countries.

1. to provide a professional development opportunity to women leaders of financial co-operatives in developing countries;
2. to build a body of knowledge and experience related to the specific needs of women in financial co-operatives (as leaders, staff and members/clinets); and
3. to provide an opportunity for Canadian co-operators to learn more about the process of how savings and credit co-operatives in other countries operate

A resounding success, 151 women from 16 countries in Africa, Asia and the Americas have benefitted from the training offered by the Women's Mentorship Program since its 2002 inception.

Core funding for this program is provided by the Partnership Program of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). The staff and leaders of Canadian credit unions volunteer their time and the credit unions themselves often contribute training materials, local transportation and accommodation. Canada's co-op and credit union is considered world-class in its service quality and financial performance. Canada's credit union managers look forward to sharing their experiences with overseas counterparts, and to learning about credit unions operations from around the world.