2021 marks Cufa’s 50th year, and to commemorate this, Cufa has worked with two knowledgeable scholars from Sydney University to write the history of Cufa, our work, and the wider Australian Credit Union community.  Cufa’s history has been masterfully brought together by using sources from Cufa’s own historical archives, the scholar’s in-depth knowledge, and the Australian Mutual History Archives in Sydney. This collaboration has enabled Cufa and our colleagues to uncover some truly interesting moments in Cufa’s history. From our time in the Russian region of Kuzbass following the collapse of the Soviet Union to our early work in developing Credit Unions in post-war South Korea.

One interesting piece of history we would love to share with you has been the long connection that Cufa has had with Cambodia. Starting in 1998, Cufa worked with CARE Cambodia to encourage rural-based activities to increase women’s influence in financial decision-making, with Cufa leading a field team in Battambang.

Our next foray into Cambodia began when we used our previous work with CARE Cambodia to establish the Cambodian Community Savings Federation in June 2003. Since then, Cufa has worked in Cambodia in the areas of Children’s Financial Literacy, building Institutional trust and capacity building on our programs in Cambodia. Even today, we are continuing to expand our programs with our latest Soap Livelihoods Improvement Program having begun during the COVID-19 Crisis in 2020.