We are pleased to announce that Mike Duru, the President the Zimbabwe National Association of Housing Co-operatives (ZINAHCO) and a valued board member of CHI, has been honoured with the prestigious International Cooperative Champion Award by the U.S. Overseas Cooperative Development Council (OCDC).

Through these awards, OCDC recognizes and celebrates those international cooperative development champions and innovators who continue to advance co-ops as a locally led, equitable and sustainable business model for developing economies.

This award recognizes Mr. Duru’s outstanding contributions to cooperative statesmanship, and his unwavering commitment to advancing cooperatives and exemplary business practices, especially in low-income and emerging economies. His remarkable leadership in Zimbabwe’s cooperative sector exemplifies the true spirit of cooperation and solidarity.

Mike has these words to say about receiving this award, “It is a great honour to be accorded such an important award. I am overwhelmed. This award gives me more energy to improve cooperators’ lives, economically, socially and on their rights. The cooperative forums, meetings, conferences and exchange visits inspired me to do more cooperative work. The good work always follows you in different forms. It is an award for us all.”

The award will be presented virtually on October 4, 2023 at the Cooperative IMPACT conference.

Congratulations to Mike Duru for this well-deserved recognition!