Earthquake devastation in Kahramanmaras, Turkey (Courtesy: IBC).
The Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions launched the Turkish Cooperative Earthquake Relief Fund on Thursday, asking for donations to support Turkey's cooperative system after two incredibly devastating earthquakes hit the country in early February, leaving tens of thousands dead.
In partnership with WOCCU, the Worldwide Foundation put out the call for help last week by creating a donation page for the relief fund "to mitigate impacts of the recent devastating earthquakes to Turkey's cooperative movement and those that look to it for support."
According to a joint statement from WFCU and WOCCU, "Tarimkredi (Turkish Agricultural Credit Cooperatives) has more than 150 cooperatives with 80,000 members in the 10 provinces impacted by the earthquakes and estimates at least half of those institutions have suffered some level of destruction." WFCU and WOCCU said they are working with their partners to identify immediate priority areas where funding is needed most.
WOCCU President/CEO Elissa McCarter LaBorde said, "As someone who managed post-earthquake recovery programs in Turkey earlier in my career, my heart goes out to the many communities that have been hit by this tragedy. World Council and our Worldwide Foundation have assisted financial cooperatives in the wake of natural disasters for decades. We are proud to play a part in helping mobilize the generosity of the global credit union movement to support those in need."
The public can visit the Turkish Cooperative Earthquake Relief Fund to make a donation.
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Michael Ogden
Editor-in-Chief at CU Times. To connect, email at [email protected]. As Editor-in-Chief of CU Times since 2016, Michael Ogden has led the editorial team in all aspects of content strategy and execution, including the creation of the publication’s exclusive and proprietary research database of the credit union industry’s economic landscape. Under Michael’s leadership, CU Times has successfully shifted to an all-digital editorial product with new focuses on the payments, fraud, lending and regulatory beats. Most recently, he introduced a data-focused editorial product for subscribers that breaks down credit union issues into hard data, allowing for a deeper and more factual narrative for readers. In 2024, he launched the "Shared Accounts With CU Times" podcast, which offers a fresh, inside-the-newsroom perspective through interviews with leaders from the credit union industry and the regulatory world. He dives into pressing credit union issues, while revealing the personalities working behind-the-scenes to push the credit union world forward. His background includes years as a radio and TV anchor/reporter and a public relations and digital/social media manager, where he covered the food and music industries, as well as cooperatives and credit unions. Over the years, he has launched numerous exclusive video and podcast series, including a successful series of interactive backstage interviews with musicians at music festivals, showcasing his social media and live streaming production skills.
