The Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions has launched a new global solidarity appeal to support recovery efforts in Sri Lanka and Vietnam after severe storms and flooding caused widespread destruction to communities and cooperative financial institutions.
The initiative seeks to mobilise support from the global credit union movement to help rebuild damaged infrastructure, restore financial services and assist affected members in regaining their livelihoods.
In Sri Lanka, Cyclone Ditwah has unleashed catastrophic flooding and landslides, triggering large-scale displacement and marking the country’s worst natural disaster in two decades. The impact has been particularly severe for members and staff of the SANASA cooperative network, many of whom have lost homes, sources of income and access to essential financial services.
Cooperative offices and community facilities in several regions have sustained significant damage, disrupting day-to-day operations and emergency support mechanisms for vulnerable populations.
Working closely with the Asian Confederation of Credit Unions and the SANASA Federation, the Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions is focusing on restoring the cooperative financial ecosystem in affected areas.
Efforts are aimed at rebuilding damaged offices, resuming essential banking and emergency lending services, supporting livelihood recovery for small businesses and farmers, and strengthening long-term resilience through training and the introduction of digital tools. The objective is not only to address immediate needs but also to help communities better withstand future climate-related shocks.
Vietnam has faced an equally challenging year, enduring 19 consecutive storms and tropical depressions in 2025. The relentless “storm-after-storm and flood-after-flood” conditions affected all three regions of the country, resulting in 409 deaths and missing persons, 727 injuries and economic losses exceeding 3.5 billion dollars. Many People’s Credit Funds, which play a critical role in providing community-level financial services, suffered extensive damage to offices, equipment and infrastructure.
Although Co-opBank, the apex institution of the People’s Credit Fund system, has mobilised available resources to support recovery, the sheer scale of destruction has made additional international assistance essential. In coordination with the Asian Confederation of Credit Unions, the foundation aims to provide financial support to affected credit funds and their members, restore essential systems and facilities, and assist communities in rebuilding livelihoods disrupted by the disasters.
The Asia-focused appeal follows the foundation’s recent response in Jamaica, where global donors enabled swift assistance after Hurricane Melissa. Contributions helped deploy funds to regional credit union bodies to purchase satellite connectivity and solar generator kits, allowing credit unions to restore operations and reconnect with members during prolonged power and communication outages.
Emphasising the importance of collective action, WFCU President Mike Reuter said the global credit union community has consistently demonstrated solidarity in times of crisis. He noted that colleagues in Sri Lanka and Vietnam now urgently need similar support.
The foundation has called on credit unions, partners and supporters worldwide to contribute, stressing that every donation plays a role in restoring stability, financial inclusion and hope for communities struggling to recover from unprecedented natural disasters.
