Word: fenacoac
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...FENACOAC, the savings-and-loan tederation, has a more equal balance of power since the local farmers and storekeepers make the decisions for their own cooperatives. Through a rotating board of directors, local leaders share the responsibilities of credit and management decisions. They emphasize the fact that cooperatives are an effort for all people, apart from religious differences, though in practice, coops often divide according to the Ladino - Indian split...
...FENACOAC federation staffers, however, have a paternalistic attitude toward local cooperatives; for instance, they make decisions which affect the co-op without consulting them. Several months ago, a Peace Corps volunteer noticed that cooperatives had many similar complaints against the federation and organized a meeting of co-op leaders in the area to exchange ideas. He emphasized to the federation manager that local leaders had met because of an interest in improving the federation, not to withdraw support...
...FENACOAC shortly afterward introduced a system of periodic forums between federation directors and local leaders to discuss complaints. The federation has already begun to make changes in its decisions based on the inputs from these forums...
...FENACOAC is growing, the Guatemalan government is beginning to give the organization more recognition. The Guatemalan vice president and minister of finance were present at the last FENACOAC general assembly, while the president sent his regrets. In September 1973, the government publicized a $100,000 gift to FENACOAC, an obvious attempt to solicit votes for the upcoming March elections. The question remains how far the Guatemalan military government will allow the federation to develop in size and in representation before cutting off support...
Peace Corps volunteers in FENACOAC are not leaders but temporary advisers to the local co-ops. Many of them have said that their goal is to train Guatemalans to replace themselves. A volunteer usually aids or trains the managers of four or five cooperatives in managing the accounts, purchasing agricultural inputs, and applying for loans. The Board of Directors remain the co-op's decision-making body...
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