Dili, July 4, 2025 (Média Democracia) – The Federation of Credit Unions Hanai Malu (FCCHM) conducted training for members from 12 municipalities including the Special Administrative Region of Oecusse-Ambeno (RAEOA), with the theme “Institutional Strengthening to Ensure Cooperative Sustainability in the Country.” The activity was held at the FCCHM hall in Bairro-Pite, Dili, on Wednesday.
The Director of the National Confederation of Cooperatives of Timor-Leste, Elizario Ferreira, explained that this initial training activity focused on the theme of institutional strengthening, with the main objective of ensuring the institutional sustainability of cooperatives in the country.
“Looking at the financial stability of cooperatives is crucial to ensuring access to financial capital for members and promoting the economic stability of all members. The second objective is to commemorate International Cooperative Day, which will be held on July 5 this year,” said FCCHM Director Elizario Ferreira.
He further noted that according to the international calendar, every year in July, the world celebrates International Cooperative Day. Although this is not a national holiday, it is recognized as an international celebration with the theme “Cooperatives Build a Better World.”
“This theme relates to the declaration made in 2012 by former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. In July 2024, the current UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, declared that 2025 would be recognized as the International Year of Cooperatives,” said the FCCHM Director.
He also mentioned the upcoming general assembly on July 5, where the Federation of Credit Unions Hanai Malu will conduct its annual general assembly to evaluate the progress and challenges faced throughout the year 2024.
Meanwhile, FCCHM President Flavio Maria Guterres stated that, according to the FCCHM statute, the organization holds two meetings per year – one in December to present the annual fiscal report, and a national planning meeting.
“Today’s meeting is intended to present the annual report and hold the cooperative’s general assembly to review the report. Before that, we held this training to prepare members who come from primary cooperatives,” said FCCHM President Flavio Maria Guterres.
He added that this training aims to facilitate the sharing of information, the alignment of ideas, and the support from trainers from the Asian Confederation of Credit Unions (ACCU), who will also help deliver the training to FCCHM members from the 12 municipalities including RAEOA.
“In 2015, FCCHM collaborated with ACCU to run a major program called standardization for Credit Unions (CUs), identifying the primary cooperatives. Around 20 cooperatives joined the standardization program,” the President informed.
He further explained that FCCHM manages a cooperative budget of $22 million, with $18 million actively circulating. As of July 2025, loans distributed to 19,000 members amount to a total of $13 million.
He concluded by emphasizing that the existence of cooperatives in Timor-Leste offers a unique financial and economic solution for the population. FCCHM initially had 73 registered members, but currently, 47 are active, with a total registration of 32,192 individuals consisting of 47% male and 53% female, indicating that women make up a larger proportion of the members.
Report by: Nelfiano
Photo by: Nelfiano