The Power of the Cooperative Model



Posted December 27th, 2007 by tedericco

I would like to start a discussion about the experiences that people have had with the use of cooperatives in peace building and the strengthening of civil society. My experience in Indonesia, especially in Aceh after the tsunami of 2006, I taught me that cooperatives are one way to empower civil society, enhancing rights, both economic and cultural, and to promote democracy.

Especially in post-conflict areas such as Aceh, it is without a doubt essential to have security before true democracy can be successful and social justice can be achieved. Coops can help provide this security, both economic and physical, I found.

Does anyone else have experience with cooperatives?  

Here is a quick presentation about some of the cooperative work in Aceh: http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:eFP76XKqZpEJ:www.ica.coop/calendar/ga2005/tulusf3.pdf+aceh+coop&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=us 

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npearson's picture

Cooperative model

Submitted by npearson on Sun, 12/30/2007 - 10:32.

This is a very interesting topic to open for discussion. The impact of natural disasters on poor communities where conflict has also compounded the loss of life and poverty has grown. The recent cyclone that hit Bangladesh killed so many and dislocated already poor coastal communities. Trying to get aid to the communities that need it most is always a challenge and all too often falls short of that important goal.

The resource that you provided a link to does give interesting background information about the conflicts in Aceh and Sri Lanka and the rationale for investing in cooperatives. Please share more with us about how these cooperatives were actually set up and what has been the result of their activities since that time. 

The connection made about the on-going conflicts and their interference in the cooperatives prior to the disaster was very interesting - and the need for the cooperatives to consider how to engage the ex-rebels to bring them in as allies rather than opponents. If you have more information about how this was actually done, this would be great to learn more about. 

Nancy Pearson, New Tactics Program Manager