Cecosesola

CECOSESOLA (Coperativa Central de Servicios Sociales del Estado Lara) is a hierarchy-free, solidary association of cooperatives in Venezuela, with emphasis on cultivation and distribution of food and health care.

History

The umbrella organization of cooperatives for social services in the state of Lara was founded in late in 1967. The first project of CECOSESOLA was a funeral home. It is now the largest in the region, 20,000 families here pay a monthly small contributions. The Institute operates its own coffin production.

About fifty-based organizations with a total of 20,000 members (employees and users) are connected to the network. 1200 Cooperative fashionistas work as "full-time" (trabajadores asociados) at CECOSESOLA. They get their livelihood directly from the total composite.^[1] They pay a weekly amount which is mentioned in the definition of wage labor "advance" (anticipo). The height is about twice the government-set minimum wage. This advance is based on people's requirements, so it is not the same for everyone. Those with children, for example, get more. In 2010, the turnover of the company amounted to 430 million Bolivares - around 100 million U.S. dollars.

Projects

Lara is in the west of Venezuela, and its capital is Barquisimeto, with one million inhabitants. Here CECOSESOLA operates three weekly markets, where every week 55,000 families - about a quarter of the urban population - provide them with fruits, vegetables and foods. 450 tonnes of fruit and vegetables are sold weekly. The prices are on average 30 percent lower than those of privately operated markets. In addition, there is a shop for home appliances and furniture, where members can buy the products with installment payments without the usual high interest rates.

In the six projects of 190,000 health care treatments are performed per year. In 2009, the newly built health center was inaugurated in CICS. Here, alternative treatments such as acupuncture and massages are offered, but also surgical procedures and laboratory and X-ray examinations. The prices are 60 percent below those of private hospitals. For members of the cooperatives certain treatments are free.

The cooperative also includes farms: Twelve organizations in the states of Lara and Trujillo with over 200 small farms (2-3 hectares) supply the markets. In some, companies will try to replace agrochemicals with biological crop protection. Small production cooperatives produce foods that are sold in the markets - bread, whole grain pasta, cereals, tomato sauce, herbs, spices, honey, fruit pulp etc. There is also a credit union and other financing and a Solidarity Fund.

How does CECOSESOLA work?

There is a high turnout of customers whose needs are not always discussed with them outside. Some of the customers are also involved in the cooperatives.

Inside the most striking feature is the absence of hierarchical positions. "All members can always get involved at all levels with the same rights. Decisions in consensus and met again for discussion, if someone declares his non-acceptance in hindsight, was independent of whether the person involved in the decision or absent. In 2011, there were about 3,000 of the weekly meetings in individual and cooperative projects instead, and 300 cross-meetings."^[2]

There is no governing body, no managing director and no supervision. You trying to make sure that the meetings are not a substitute for, the management or the manager. Each person or group to take responsibility for decisions that must be made in everyday life. consensus means for the members otherwise than unanimity. For the unanimity all members of a group or organization must be present. This corresponds to a vote in which all are in favor. A consensus decision is when they 'corresponds to, We, that is the criteria that you share in this moment -. Whether this decision was made by a person, a group or an informal gathering this kind, to make decisions, can obviously lead to chaos and missteps that may attract large economic losses. But all economic losses are by far compensated by the flexibility and dynamism that results in the organization, in that we free ourselves from the cultural shackles that restrict all our capacities and creative potential."^[3]

CECOSESOLA trying to take the place of power and enforcement of personal interests in an opposite process. Dismantle hierarchies, making information accessible to all, build trust relationships and to establish its own identity on the collective power of solidarity. The experience of CECOSESOLA can explain different concepts:

The productive force "cooperation" leads to increase efficiency.

The way of cooperation and cohesion increased motivation of employees.

The construction of network structures based on trust and cooperation supports the long-term survival of cooperatives.

Here, the forms that people interact with each other like here in relationship, beyond the sphere of work and production. Perhaps it is here rather a different way of life that needs no justification for efficiency criteria. "When we succeed, the self-organization of living with respect for others and the Other, we will do by and by this momentum to our own, and our behavior will be consistent with the process of life. This opens us the possibility to go beyond the dutiful ecological behavior that will get only from a utilitarian nature, which is at the service of man. We have the opportunity to be ecologically from scratch, since the nature then some of us will not be Separated: We are all natural Maybe we are just before opting for a form of life.. A choice that requires us to overcome the hierarchical relationship of power over the others that are part of our cultural heritage. An election in which it is clear that the takeover may be no alternative but to change the world ..... "^[4]

References

External links

• CECOSESOLA -- official website