The Sacconstellation is a Savings and Credit Cooperatives (SACCOs) multi-media platform by Mr. Wilson Wizalamu ADE, being developed under the oversight of NACSCUZ. It is a SACCO Development Education (DE) project, designed to reflect DE commitment to furthering SACCO community development.  [Find out more on DE program here]

• SACCO is an acronym for Savings and Credit Cooperatives also known as Credit Unions (CUs) or Cooperative Financial Institutions (CFIs) in other jurisdictions
• NACSCUZ is the National Association of Cooperative savings and Credit Unions of Zimbabwe. It is the national trade association for member SACCOs in Zimbabwe [Find out more about NACSCUZ here]

The name SACCONSTELLATION is a combination of two words, the acronym SACCO plus the word CONSTELLATION (An assemblage of stars). The name depicting the movement as an assemblage of stars acknowledges that individual SACCO members are stars and together starting from one’s own SACCO to the global movement we form a constellation that is altogether brilliant.

1. To disseminate SACCO R&D (Research and Development) for the cross fertilization of the SACCO movement in general and the enhancement of local or regional integration and cross border inter-cooperation among SACCOs and their entrepreneurial members.
2. To be a continuous awareness campaign for the advancement of the sustainable socio-economic business model of SACCO enterprises dwelling on the following issues:
   • Human Development
   • The brotherhood of mankind
   • Challenges and opportunities presented by International development issues namely:
     1. Education
     2. Savings Mobilisation
     3. Access to Credit
     4. Appropriate technology
     5. Employment, productivity and income generation
     6. Representation and democratic culture
     7. Gender
     8. Hunger
     9. Housing
     10. Transport
     11. Environment
     12. Health

3. To tell the intra-regional SACCO story of how SACCOs in the region are tackling the issues above in order to win more hearts to the business model
4. To share regional and international best practices

 

The name is inspired by the following quotation motivating for SACCO formation from an article entitled “A sense of history, a sense of destiny” by Wilson Wizalamu

“The lone stars that have achieved and accomplished much, single handedly, in our countries are few and far between. The majority of us would be a constellation, an assemblage of stars, that would be far much brilliant, together, should we awaken to the reality that each one of us need all of us and all of us need each one of us to achieve exceptional brilliancy for one and for all. ”

 

Again, in an article on the history of SACCOs in Zimbabwe, the Chairman of the National Association of Cooperative Savings and Credit Unions of Zimbabwe (NACSCUZ) Mr. Owen Mabukwa wrote,

“However even with all today's challenges, Credit Unions (SACCOs) are arguably the brightest stars in the financial services industry and that comes from their historic and continued focus on what really matters, service to members.”