Organized
in 1916 as the Cooperative League of the USA (CLUSA),
and now doing business as the National Cooperative
Business Association (NCBA), we are still recognized
in many countries under the CLUSA name. NCBA/CLUSA's
assistance to developing countries began in India
in 1953. Since then, we have managed 105 long-term
projects in 40 countries and performed short-term
assignments, including project analysis, feasibility
and design, in an additional 28 countries.
NCBA/CLUSA
currently works with 15 projects overseas. 12 are
managed by NCBA and we work as subcontractors in 3
others. Typically, our projects have from one to three
expatriate advisors, a locally hired and trained staff
of 20-50 and operate for three to five years. NCBA's
international development grants and contracts were
approximately $12 million in 1999. NCBA is currently
working with projects in the following countries:
NCBA's overseas projects include training, management
and technical advice for:
rural
farmer associations, village organizations and
cooperatives producing and marketing fruits, vegetables
and cereal grains, purchasing agricultural inputs,
and undertaking other types of income generating
activities, for example, cooperative consumer
stores, pharmacies, reforestation, etc.;
cooperatives
which export traditional and non-traditional products
to the U.S., Europe and Japan to raise incomes
and diversify employment opportunities for members;
rural
and urban community development organizations
providing small-scale credit and training to entrepreneurs
and micro-businesses; and
community
managed service providers, including village-level
health programs and community managed natural
resources
NCBA's
methodology consists of recruiting and training host
country trainers; establishing intensive community-based
training by field staff; making functional literacy/numeracy
an integral component of cooperative management training;
obtaining direct access for cooperatives to reliable
sources of credit; accessing needed information and
technology; and institutionalizing the cooperative
development capability of the country and regions
to implement the development of viable private member-owned
businesses.
