UCSCU ADVISED TO CONSIDER DEVELOPING MEN’S MENTORSHIP PROGRAM

24th May 2024

Uganda Copperative Savings and Credit Union-UCSCU has been urged to work with African Confederation Savings and Credit Associations (ACCOSCA) to develop a Men’s Mentorship Program for men in cooperatives in order to have a synergy between men and women who are mentored and empowered at the same level.

The remarks were made by the Chief Executive Officer of Wazalendo SACCO Col Joseph Freddy Onata while presiding over the graduation of 28 ladies who have been undergoing a one week Women Mentorship Program at Uganda Cooperative Savings and Credit Union – UCSCU head office in Maganjo. Wazalendo SACCO had 6 ladies among the 28 graduands

Col Onata observed the need for mentoring and empowering ladies and men at the same time. According to Col Onata, there is overwhelming evidence that women who are placed under unmentored men don’t find a conducive environment to enable them to apply their knowledge and to express themselves.

He commended the good work done by ACCOSCA, UCSCU, and CDF Canada program in building leaders, empowering women leaders in cooperatives and impacting communities. The CEO encouraged the graduads to put into practice the knowledge that they have acquired and offer better services to the people they serve. He asked the leaders of all SACCOs to develop a culture of investing in training so as to be more impactful in their service.

The Chairperson of UCSCU Hon Jaria Bintu Abwoori Lukumu congratulated the ladies upon completing training. In the same spirit, she appreciated the leaders from SACCOs, who sponsored their staff to come and gain knowledge. Hon Bintu pledged on behalf of the Union to continue encouraging and supporting ladies after their training to ensure that their initiatives are felt on the ground.

Mrs Mercy Tumukunde Agaba, who is the Coordinator of the Cooperative Development Foundation Canada in Uganda, asked ladies to embrace the knowledge impated to them . She added that the only thing that will differentiate them from other leaders is the application of knowledge and experience to tackle challenges faced by their communities.

Tumukunde appreciated partners such as Wazalendo SACCO for supporting women’s mentorship program and the cooperatives movement as a whole. She thanked the government of Uganda for providing an enabling environment that enables women to thrive.

Mrs Dorothy Mwesigwa a trainer and a product of women mentorship program noted that her and Mercy got the same training from Canada and when they returned to Uganda, they embarked on women empowerement through the Women Mentorship program which she said has held its third graduation and continues to grow from strength to strength. Mwesigwa encouraged ladies to be firm and take up big positions in leadership so that they can advocate for fellow women .

The topics tackled during the training included; networking, the importance of self-discovery, balancing work and family, women in governance and personal branding, The training also included benchmarking best practices from successful SACCOs in the country such as Wazalendo SACCO. Other areas that were covered during the training were conflict management, peer to peer learning, mental health,financial wellness , gender issues, and empathy mapping.

Charity Namanya
PR Manager WSACCO