CALGARY, Alberta -
That's true of all U.S. military operations, but Spears is not part of the military in the U.S. or any other country. As project director for the World Council of Credit Unions' efforts in Afghanistan, Spears is developing credit unions in what is currently one of the Earth's most hostile political environments. According to a "live" report, Spears and his CU troops are winning their war, helping the Afghan people regain their financial footing despite the continued threat of roadside bombs, sectarian violence and routine kidnappings of Spears and his staff.
Live From Afghanistan
Internet technology took delegates attending the World Credit Union Conference here directly to the front lines of the economic conflict during Monday's opening session. Conference attendees participated in a live Internet audio and video link, interacting directly with WOCCU staff on the ground in northern Afghanistan. The session, led from the TELUS Convention Center stage by Edgar Comeros, the WOCCU deputy project director who spearheaded the organization's 2004 entry into the war-torn country, allowed the audience to talk directly with Spears and his colleagues.
The routine challenges to forming credit unions in developing countries are made worse by Afghanistan's ongoing conflict, said Spears, who appeared flanked by both WOCCU and Afghan colleagues, including his chief of security, a former bodyguard to Afghan president Hamid Karzai. Islamic law, which has special provisions involving the collection of interest, also requires changes to standard CU operating provisions. In some cases, language has also proved a barrier to development, not to mention the inconveniences of an ongoing war.
"I first went to Afghanistan against the wishes of my family," said Comeros, who planned to rejoin Spears and his team within a week. "I never in my career thought that I would be sleeping in my car and hearing bombs go off across the street from my office."
CU staff and operations move from place to place and take alternate routes to the office to reduce the risk of being targeted and many wear body armor under their traditional Afghan garb, Spears said. Despite the challenges, WOCCU "forces" have managed to establish seven credit unions, called investment and finance cooperative (IFCs), that serve 7,000 members in northern and eastern Afghanistan.
Questions Fielded
Spears and his colleagues fielded questions from both the stage and the audience, including one from attendee Juri Valdov, CEO of Northwest Federal Credit Union in Herndon, Va., who has a son serving in the military in Afghanistan, regarding the challenge of establishing financial cooperatives in a war zone. A lot goes into creating the right environment to launch IFCs in Afghanistan, Spears responded.
Recruitment of security is the first step, one without which nothing else will be accomplished. The right environment, either an office or house where staff can work and live safely comes next, followed by the recruitment and training of the right staff to handle operations. Only when all that is done can that staff begin its membership development efforts, Spears said.
"To do this job right we're going to have to put credit unions all over this nation," Spears said. "With the help of our Afghan friends, I think we can make this happen."
"I can't tell you how much I admire you people and what you've done," Valdov replied.
