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 spent 2007 developing credit unions in what is currently one of the Earth’s most hostile political environments. And for the first time ever, credit unions in Afghanistan were featured as part of Credit Union Journal’s Day in the Life project during International Credit Union Week in October of this year.
Also during 2007 credit unions in other parts of the world got their first-ever “live” look at Afghanistan’s credit unions during WOCCU’s World Credit Union Conference in Calgary, Alberta, when a live Internet audio and video link connected the meeting 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. Among them was Juri Valdov, former CEO at Northwest FCU, who had a son serving in the military in Afghanistan.
“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.”
