Sisters in Solidarity

A summary of my most recent project, helping to establish a revolving loan fund to benefit the women of Cooperativa La Hermandad

“Women who make money are free to make decisions and have independence. It’s ugly to depend on what the husband does… Husbands will be involved, though. It’s a mutual aid because the man also gets tired, and because the benefits are shared in the family. The man is happy to have support.”

“I’m happy with the idea of having my own business, making my own schedule, working on my own terms, and being with people who are reliable and supportive. I’m a single mother so I have to work more and travel all over the place selling cosmetics out of necessity. I can’t be with my family as much as I would like. I want work that keeps me at home.”

“I have my husband, but a woman also has to help with the family economy so she can be independent. Nobody is eternal. No job is eternal. One day there is work and tomorrow there is none.”

Independence, stability, solidarity, economic security, a strong role in the family, a sense of ownership: these are the themes that emerged in the first meeting of Grupo Solidario Las Hermanas, or “The Sisters Solidarity Group”, a collection of ten women that has formed within Cooperative La Hermandad (The Brotherhood/Sisterhood) to work together toward the common goal of greater economic independence. Las Hermanas is comprised in part of female members of Cooperative La Hermandad, as well as wives and daughters of male cooperative members. With their shared ambition and strong family ties, the sisters have come to Fair Trade 2.0 with the idea of starting a revolving loan and emergency fund that will be administered internally by the women's collective.

The current goal is to raise a seed fund of $100 per member for productive investment and $50 per member to be used for medical and other emergencies. Over the next several years, the women will  continue to supplement the fund with earnings from small-scale economic activities of their choosing. The members have also each offered to contribute from their own pockets for administrative costs, the like the purchase of an official stamp, bookkeeping materials, and other printed documents necessary for responsible fiscal management. 

The group of ten will be legally formed under Cooperative La Hermandad as a committee with four women carrying out elected positions of two years each. Officers include fund coordinator, secretary, treasurer, and fiscal manager. Over time they hope to bring in new members from the family and surrounding community as they build their capacity to manage and contribute to the fund. 

Projects will be carried out collectively by the entire group or in smaller sub-groups based on factors like the women’s interests, living circumstances (i.e. urban vs. rural), proximity to one another, and access to different types of markets. Early ideas include building a clay oven for making baked goods, opening a small café that would sell coffee produced on the farm in town, a small hen operation, making jewelry with natural materials from the farm, and planting a crop of passion fruit for sale or to produce juices, jellies, even wine. 

Many of the women’s ideas are complementary to La Hermandad’s larger social and environmental objectives, and make use of the Cooperative’s pre-existing resources. This healthy dynamic will result in a dual-advantage: each project provides the women an independent flow of income while building the capacity and infrastructure of the larger cooperative.

The sisters are approaching the formation of this fund with entrepreneurial spirit, a strong sense of unity, and a commitment to ensuring its success through formal rules and strict legality. The strength of the fund, however, is ultimately in their commitment to their families and community. Over and over the conversation has flowed back to the importance of the family economy and working in solidarity with one’s sisters, brothers, husbands, and children to the benefit of all. Within Cooperative La Hermandad, Las Hermanas will form not a splinter group, but another pillar upon which the Cooperative can continue to build a model of lasting development for their members, their families, and the larger community.