Cooperatives in Venezuela Promote Solidarity, Equality and Dignity

[Peace Patriot]

Cooperatives in Venezuela Promote Solidarity, Equality and Dignity

By RADIO AL REVES, April 12th 2011

RADIO AL REVÉS: In Barlovento, a tropical coastal region of Venezuela, Ciro Ramos de Rodriguez sits poised to talk about MUDEBAR, a cooperative of 42 women who produce textiles for their local schools, and government officials, as well as other clothing needs within the region. MUDEBAR is located in a quiet residential neighborhood in San Jose de Barlovento, and the clean, airy new building, which is home to over 100 sewing machines, shines bright in the hot afternoon sun.

CIRO RAMOS DE RODRIGUEZ: In reality, we didn't have money or anything until the government offered us credit so that we could achieve our objective, which was to associate ourselves as a cooperative. The process was a call made by the government to participate in a social mission called Vuelvan Caras, a call to all the women who were in their houses without work, simply doing domestic work, doing housework until god called, watching our grandchildren and taking care of the house and when all of the women were called to the mission we began taking the courses. We took really good courses, and from that they prepared us to become a cooperative.

RADIO AL REVÉS: The social program, Mision Vuelvan Caras, was created in 2004 as a government initiative which promoted the formation of cooperatives, small-scale worker-owned and managed businesses. The state provided credits for capital investment, tax breaks, contracts and incentives for cooperatives, and intensive free-of-charge job training and administrative support. Ciro participated in these courses.

CIRO RAMOS DE RODRIGUEZ: I learned a lot. I am now in the third year of my bachelors degree and I am treasurer of the cooperative. With the help of the professionals that the government sent here, I have learned everything I need to know such as accounting, how to keep books how to control an account, how to write checks. This is something that poor people didn't know how to do, this is something that rich people did, but poor people we didn't know how to do any of this. I learned how to do many things that businesses do that I didn't know how to do before.

(MORE)

http://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/6128

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Lots of good information at venezuelanalysis.com about what is really happening in Venezuela--from the people who are making it happen--the citizens, the poor, the voters, the small businesspeople, the workers, the grass roots organizers, who have elected a government that actually attends to the common good and encourages and supports education, training and upward mobility for the poor.