COOPERATION FOR THE FUTURE

The savings and credit cooperative "El Porvenir" (which in spanish means prosperous future) was born from an initiative of the workers of Reybanpac to be able to have easy access to financial services for their development and that of their families. We interviewed Ec. Yulen Mautong, Manager of the Cooperative, to talk about how El Porvenir carries out its mission for the benefit of the workers.

For more than 15 years, El Porvenir has served the needs of its members. It is a closed cooperative, that is, it offers its services exclusively to agricultural and administrative workers of the companies belonging to our Corporation. The concept of a Savings and Credit Cooperative is based on the union of a group of people who voluntarily create a common savings fund in order to meet the financial needs of their members and help each other. Workers who join the Cooperative have the opportunity to access loans with the lowest interest rate and with payment terms according to their capacity. “The response time is immediate and El Porvenir never denies a loan to the associate. They will always get a credit according to their qualification,” says Mautong.

Likewise, thanks to the cooperative's strategic alliances with private companies, members have access to other benefits such as financing for the purchase of medicines and food without additional surcharge.

“We offer associates life insurance. This life insurance has been the star product of the Cooperative due to its low cost and the trust they have in the Cooperative. Over the years, we have awarded compensation to beneficiaries for natural or accidental death of close to a million dollars,” says Yulen Mautong.

"We are always creating and innovating products that are of interest to workers and that fulfill our mission to satisfy their basic needs." In current times, telecommunications have already become a basic need for human beings. With the pandemic, it has gained even greater relevance. Due to physical distancing and other biosafety measures such as virtuality in schools, digital connectivity has become essential. This reality has been contemplated for the range of services offered by El Porvenir: “through the Cooperative our members can purchase telephone lines, cellular equipment, internet at home at convenient prices. Due to the volume of members we handle, we have the opportunity to grant them services for better rates to which they individually would not have access. "

There are 6,600 members that El Porvenir attends regularly. Its operations have not stopped during the pandemic. “It gives great satisfaction and joy to work to give partners alternatives to grow. We have stories of farm workers who took out loans to pay for their children's studies in medical school, architecture, etc. Our team tries to give them the best alternatives to serve them in the best way. We strive through conversation and activities to create added value for them. When they go to El Porvenir it is like a family day; sometimes they even ask you to be a godfather or godmother to their children. You get to establish a personal connection,” emphasizes Mautong.