Co-ops tackling poverty
It has been estimated that 1.3 billion people live on less than $1 a day and that 2.4 billion people live on less than $2 a day.
The democratic structure of co-operatives and self-help organizations can play an important part in tackling poverty.
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are an ambitious agenda for reducing poverty and improving poor people’s lives. They were agreed on by world leaders at the United Nations Millennium Summit in September 2000. Co-operatives can go a long way towards helping to meeting the MDGs. Select this link to find out more.
Co-operative activities already have a significant impact in developing countries in terms of credit, social protection, shelter and employment but they touch every aspect of people’s lives.
For example Esther Gicheru, Principal of the Co-operative College of Kenya, gives the example of a group of women in Rwanda who, following the death of their husbands in the Rwandan genocide, have had to survive by collecting and recycling rubbish from household bins and rubbish tips. The group have created their own self-help organisation AMIZERO, which receives support (from an International Labour Organisation funded project) through joint action between co-op bodies and trade unions. “Dealing with waste is hazardous, so the project is working on effective training and the use of protective gear,” says Mrs Gicheru. It’s a concrete example of how collective self-help can offer real benefits to people who individually, are economically vulnerable.