The ICA-AP Committee on Women in collaboration with Working Women’s Forum (WWF), India and with the support of Japanese Consumers’ Co-operative Union (JCCU) held a successful training of trainers (ToT) program on digital financial inclusion of women cooperators. The ToT was organised at WWF’s headquarters in Chennai, Tamil Nadu from 16th to 18th September 2020.

The ToT was conducted in response to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the financial sector and aimed to build the capacity of women cooperators at the grassroots. The ToT covered basic concepts on digital (internet) banking such as downloading money-transfer apps, linking bank account with apps, creating security pin, and educating women cooperators about the benefits of using digital banking services. The training was attended by 50 women members, the staff of WWF, and Indian Co-operative Network for Women (ICNW) from Chennai, Kanchipuram and Vellore. It was delivered in the local language using interactive modules.

In August, the Office Bearers of the Committee convened online and discussed the impact of COVID-19 and lockdown on cooperatives and women. The need for digital literacy for financial inclusion of women members in primary cooperatives was acutely felt and it was decided that the Committee would reach out to women cooperators at the grassroots to build their technical capacities and prepare them for future emergencies.

The ToT was thus aimed at supporting women cooperators at primary level so that they can make and receive payments, access loans, and undertake banking-related activities anywhere and anytime. The Committee plans to replicate the training in other countries in future.