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REGINA — Conexus Credit Union is committing $100,000 to support women leaders around the world, backing a global mentorship program designed to strengthen co-operatives and build economic resilience in developing regions.
The funding will support the Women’s Mentorship Program run by the Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada, an initiative that has been quietly transforming lives and leadership pathways for more than two decades.
Since launching in 2002, the program has supported over 250 women from credit unions and financial co-operatives across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Participants receive hands-on mentorship, governance training, and real-world business experience, often returning home to take on leadership roles or mentor others in their communities.
For Conexus CEO Celina Philpot, the impact of the program is both global and deeply personal.
“We host them in our homes and they spend some time with us understanding the business and getting a bit of exposure to Canadian life and what a financial institution looks like and operates in Canada,” Philpot explained. “With the idea that they would take that knowledge back home.”
More than mentorship
The experience goes far beyond job shadowing.
“There’s also a formal kind of program that Co-operative Development Fund puts on,” Philpot added. “So it’s not just the hosted component that just enhances their learning experience. It is something that they do on an annual basis.”
Participants are immersed in both the technical side of financial co-operatives and the cultural experience of life in Canada, creating a unique exchange that program leaders say benefits everyone involved.
“At the very heart of the Women’s Mentorship Program is mutual exchange,” said Mariel Edwards-Carreau, program lead with CDF Canada. “While participants gain the skills and confidence to grow as leaders and transform their communities, Canadian credit unions gain just as much through the perspectives, experiences and leadership these women bring.”
A Saskatchewan connection to global impact
Conexus’ investment is rooted in the co-operative principles that helped build Saskatchewan’s own financial system, now being applied to communities facing economic barriers around the world.
The credit union commits five per cent of its pre-tax profits to community initiatives, a philosophy that extends beyond provincial borders.
“Really the perspective there is to enhance the quality of life of our communities,” Philpot said. “We have a huge focus in Saskatchewan, but also believe in supporting communities outside of our region.”
That global outlook is driven by a belief that economic opportunity creates lasting change.
“Understanding within the Global South, there’s a lot of economic disadvantages for people,” she noted. “We strongly believe by giving people a hand up through this program that they can create prosperity within the context of their communities.”
Real impact, real stories
For participants, the program can be transformative.
Grace Wanjiru Kung’u of Kenya described her experience as life-changing, saying it helped her break through barriers and step into leadership with confidence.
“This has been a truly transformative experience. It has shaped my career, who I am as a person and how I show up in my community,” she said. “I now feel like I’m in a place of unlimited possibilities.”
Stories like hers are at the heart of why programs like this continue to grow, connecting local expertise with global need.
Building a more connected world
This June, Conexus will host two participants in Saskatchewan, continuing a long-standing tradition previously shared with Cornerstone and Synergy Credit Unions before their merger.
The goal is simple but ambitious: create stronger leaders, stronger co-operatives, and stronger communities.
“Really our hope is to again support economic growth and prosperity throughout the world,” Philpot said. “A more prosperous world should be a more safe world.”
As Saskatchewan’s co-operative roots extend far beyond its borders, initiatives like this show how local investment can ripple outward, shaping leadership, opportunity, and resilience on a global scale.
