The Irish League of Credit Unions International Development Foundation (the Foundation) have pledged €50,000 in response to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.
The fund, which is backed by credit unions from across the island of Ireland, will jointly support ongoing humanitarian efforts and the Ukrainian credit union movement.
As the conflict escalates, millions of innocent people cannot access essential goods and services. The Foundation is donating €25,000 to help with immediate and ongoing relief efforts. These funds will be directed through Irish NGOs working on the ground and are best placed to respond to and scale up humanitarian efforts. The remaining €25,000 will be allocated to the Ukrainian National Association of Credit Unions (UNASCU), a national credit union apex body, to assist them in re-starting their activities once peace returns.
Alan Moore, CEO of the Foundation, notes, “We want to show solidarity with the people of Ukraine and help in any way we can. As the international development arm of the Irish League of Credit Unions, the Foundation has supported the credit union movement in Ukraine in the past, and we continue to engage with our colleagues in UNASCU on a regular basis.”
Lyudmila Kravchenko, Vice-President UNASCU, expressed thanks to the Irish credit union movement, “I sincerely thank you, our dear friends, for many years of friendship and support as well as approved assistance for us. I want to express special words of gratitude to the credit unions.”, she noted “our credit unions now continue to be centres of cooperation in every sense. And I am sure that after the war, they will acquire additional significance as financial centres for the restoration of normal life and infrastructure at the local level.”
The Foundation would also like to thank Brian Hayes and Moore Ireland, who have reached out to us to donate an additional €5,000 to support UNASCU and the credit union movement. Moore Ireland is a strong supporter of the Foundation and previously provided support to assist UNASCU to develop their capacity, and wish to continue to help them in the future.
If credit unions wish to donate additional funds to our efforts, please contact Ashley Harte, email: aharte@creditunion.ie | call: +353 16146739