The Cooperatives Good Governance Project

Project overview
The Cooperatives Good Governance project is implemented by the YMCA of Lebanon through funds from the USAID – Amideast Transparency and Accountability Grants (TAG) stretching from May 2006 to May 2007.

The project is implemented in partnership with the National General Union of Cooperatives and the village-based agricultural cooperatives scattered across the country.

The project aims at developing and nurturing good governance practices within the agricultural cooperatives specially administrative, financial and legal procedures.

The major activities include:

1. A basic knowledge survey to assess the strength and weaknesses of 50 beneficiary agricultural cooperatives.
2. Development of a comprehensive manual comprising legal, financial, operational and administrative information on how to manage a cooperative in a transparent and accountable manner
3. Training sessions on administrative and financial procedures to the 50 targeted coops.

      The training draws 5 key members from each coop including: president, vice      president, controller as well as members from the General Assembly

1. Follow up on actual implementation of training guidelines through field visits to the coops, inspection of documents, offering recommendations by specialized cooperative’s consultant.
2. Launching of a public website at www.coopleb.org

The project’s output included:

• Completion of the basic knowledge survey
• Distribution of the comprehensive information manual to 90 agricultural cooperatives
• Publication of the website
• 11 training sessions, 63 participant cooperatives and 209 trainees
• follow up visits and assistance provided to cooperatives in maintaining their financial and administrative documents, compilation of feasibility studies and assistance in formulating small grant or loans applications