Disaster relief funds matched by Caribbean and Belize credit union leagues
MADISON, Wis—50 credit union members in Belize are making repairs to hurricane-related property damages thanks to $40,000 in disaster relief funds provided by Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions (WFCU), the Caribbean Confederation of Credit Unions’ (CCCU) Development Foundation and the Belize Credit Union League.
On November 2, 2022, Hurricane Lisa made landfall in the Central American nation as a category-one storm, causing extensive damage. More than 5,000 houses were either fully or partially destroyed.
After observing Lisa’s catastrophic impact, specifically in Belize City, the Belize Credit Union League (BCUL), a member organization of CCCU, decided to focus its relief efforts on credit union members who sustained substantial property damage.
Worldwide Foundation of Credit Unions was there to support those efforts, providing a $10,000 grant to CCCU’s Development Foundation, which matched WFCU’s grant for a total assistance package of $20,000 for BCUL.
BCUL matched those combined funds and then worked through the Belize City Council to deliver just over $40,000 to 50 members of two credit unions, Holy Redeemer Credit Union and St. John’s Credit Union Limited.
“With the support of CCCU and WFCU, BCUL was able to positively impact the lives of 50 residents of Belize City. On behalf of our member credit unions, the Belize City Council, and the recipients of the grant funds, thank you for your donation that truly has made a difference in the lives of some of our most vulnerable members,” BCUL officials wrote in their March 31 Hurricane Lisa Relief Fund report.
World Council of Credit Unions is the global trade association and development platform for credit unions. World Council promotes the sustainable development of credit unions and other financial cooperatives around the world to empower people through access to high quality and affordable financial services. World Council advocates on behalf of the global credit union system before international organizations and works with national governments to improve legislation and regulation. Its technical assistance programs introduce new tools and technologies to strengthen credit unions' financial performance and increase their outreach.
World Council has implemented 300+ technical assistance programs in 90 countries. Worldwide, 87,914 credit unions in 118 countries serve 393 million people. Learn more about World Council's impact around the world at www.woccu.org.