ILCU International Development Foundation

03/09/2026

Huge thank you to Crossmaglen Credit Union Ltd for a great initiative and for the ongoing support!

Small action, real impact! 💙♻️

A huge thank you to everyone who has been returning their bottles and cans to our collection bin in support of the Irish League of Credit Unions Foundation.

Every bottle and can makes a difference, this collection alone raised €27.25! 🎉

So please, keep them coming!

Together, our small actions can make a real impact. 💙

31/08/2026

Ongoing education is one of the credit union principles. By working together to strengthen the credit union movement, we are one step closer to achieving financial inclusion for all. Recently in Bo, Sierra Leone, a Regional Credit Risk Management training was held, facilitated by Esther Bangura, Head of Monitoring, ILCUF, and Alimamy Bai Kamara, Compliance Officer, NaCCUA. The training strengthened participants' knowledge and practical skills in credit risk management, compliance, monitoring, and effective credit control.

The Foundation plays an essential and critical role in educating people and developing credit union movements internationally, providing safe and ethical financial solutions for communities.

27/08/2026

Credit unions are all about "People helping people". We are hugely grateful to those who continue to support the Foundation and our work to build financial inclusion for all.

Thank you to Newington Credit Union for continuing to support our work this year.

With your support, the Foundation can continue to support the education and training of staff and volunteers in credit unions and apex organisations, strengthening operations and governance within their credit union movements and ensuring access to affordable, ethical financial services.

Please click here www.ilcufoundation.ie/credit-unions/ if your credit union would like to donate to our work.

26/08/2026

At the Regional Planning Workshop hosted by the National Association of Cooperative Credit Unions of The Gambia and German Sparkassenstiftung Western Africa (DSIK), Cate Fraedrich, Foundation Programme Manager, attended alongside representatives from Ghana, The Gambia, Sierra Leone, and Senegal in Banjul, The Gambia. The workshop brought participants together to identify shared priorities, strengthen regional collaboration, and support the project's objectives. Discussions also focused on sustainability and knowledge exchange within the region.

This workshop put cooperation among cooperatives into action, with each organisation sharing expertise and learning from one another to strengthen credit union impact and build financial inclusion for all.

20/08/2026

We are delighted to share our 2025 Annual Report, which provides information about our work throughout the year.

2025 was a busy year for the Foundation. We continued to provide financial and technical assistance to credit union movements in Sierra Leone and East Africa, helping to strengthen credit unions and expand access to affordable financial services for individuals, families and communities.

We are very grateful for the continued support of the credit unions that donate to our work; thank you. Special thanks to the Credit Union, our corporate supporters and our institutional funders. Through cooperation, people can achieve far more than they can individually and work towards financial inclusion for all.

Thank you to Rooney Media Graphics for their work on our report.

To read the report, click here: https://www.ilcufoundation.ie/annual-reports/

18/08/2026

As part of her visit to Sierra Leone, Ashley Harte from the Foundation was able to meet with the New Salone Woman Organization. In recent years, this Sierra Leonean women-owned design company has designed work for the credit unions in Sierra Leone, including a leaflet on the Graduation Microfinance (GMF) programme, and also kindly donated a calendar they designed and printed that was shared with credit unions throughout Sierra Leone.

It was a great opportunity to meet with the team, hear more about their work and learn more about the work they do, as a community based NGO initiated by the need to empower women for economic development & sustainability.

17/08/2026

Congratulations to the staff and volunteers in the credit union movement in Sierra Leone who completed a week-long High-Performance Leadership Journey, Module 2, led by Fergal O’Conor from HPC and supported by Úna McDevitt, Foundation Technical Adviser.

The two-part programme focused on High-Performance Leadership training to help develop the future leaders of the movement in Sierra Leone, with Module 1 being delivered earlier in the year by Deirdre Foley. The programme provided a valuable opportunity to build confidence, strengthen leadership skills, and connect with others, supporting the development of future leaders of the movement in the country.

Thank you to HPC for their partnership, and sincere appreciation to Fergal & Deirdre for generously volunteering their time over this year, preparing the sessions, and sharing their skills and knowledge. We look forward to seeing how participants use their training in their roles within the credit union movement, and we also look forward to hearing more about Fergal's experience in the coming weeks.

14/08/2026

🌟 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫: 𝐇𝐚𝐣𝐚 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐲

Haja Mansaray runs her own business and recently became a member of Goderich Credit Union. She joined after seeing the credit union hold its AGM at the community hall. Curious to learn more, she met Zaditu, the bookkeeper, who explained how she could save, access financial support, and eventually apply for a loan.

Haja had been facing many challenges after her husband had passed away. Trying to cover her children’s school fees and household expenses while trying to run her business.

Today, Haja is looking ahead with hope and determination.

“𝑰 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒂 𝒍𝒐𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒂 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒂𝒓-𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒈𝒆 𝒔𝒐 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒚 𝒃𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔.”

For Haja, being part of a credit union is about more than saving money—it’s about having a welcoming place where she can seek guidance, build her future, and grow her business.

💬 Her advice? “𝑱𝒐𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒕 𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑, 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒘.”

Credit unions like Goderich Credit Union are helping make affordable financial services more accessible. They also educate members, strengthen financial institutions, and help bring positive change to their communities. 🇸🇱

11/08/2026

We are delighted to welcome Fergal O'Connor to Freetown, Sierra Leone, as part of our partnership with HPC, as he delivers the training to 9 staff and volunteers involved in the Sierra Leonean credit union movement, accompanied by our colleague, Una Mc Devitt, Foundation Technical Adviser.

This is the second module of the High-Performance Leadership training being delivered to help develop the future leaders of the movement in Sierra Leone, with Module 1 being delivered earlier in the year by Deirdre Foley. Many thanks to Fergal for kindly volunteering his time, preparing the sessions, and sharing his skills and knowledge, and to HPC for their partnership.

07/08/2026

At the recent Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions Conference in Sydney, Margaret Heffernan, Chair and Joan Jennings, Board Member, represented the ILCU Foundation at the meeting of national credit union foundations.

The meeting provided an opportunity to explore how our various foundations could align and coordinate our support for financial inclusion, cooperative development, and member impact. The Foundations represented included: African Confederation Of Cooperative Savings and Credit Associations (ACCOSCA), Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada, Credit Union Foundation (UK), Fundo Social Sicredi (Brazil), Caribbean Confederation of Credit Unions, and the National Credit Union Federation of Korea (NACUFOK),

It is a great example of cooperation among cooperatives in action, as strategic partnerships between national foundations have the potential to multiply credit union impact globally and ultimately build financial inclusion for all.