It has proved to be a stable and sustainable model; co-operatives’ joint ownership ensures that the members give the best that they can to deliver the best product and receive the best rewards.*Best of all, it means that everyone can enjoy the profits and everyone receives what they are duly owed. This year’s theme is: “Cooperative enterprise remains strong in time of crisis.”
We support some incredible co-operatives, and our links to the groups show us the amazing changes they have brought to their lives. Elsa is a single mother in rural Colombia and she suffers from an illness which prevents her from being able to walk. Colombia, especially in rural regions, is dominated by a sex ist culture and attitudes. There isn’t much support for people with disabilities, let alone single mothers, so she, like many other single mothers she knows, is unable to find work to support her family.
Angela with some of the members and supports of Ecobolsos in 2012 - Elsa is in the middle.
Elsa decided to take matters into her own hands, and, noticing the recycling problems in the country, started to make a change for the better. The group of single mothers and women with disabilities started to crochet plastic bags into amazing, colourful, detailed handbags. Providing them with an income, putting themselves in control of their lives, and being able to do it from home allows them to also care for their children. Basically, we think they are Super Women! And they are showing us how everyone can do it better.
(*A co-operative is an organisation or enterprise run or owned jointly by the members, who share the profits and benefits.)
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