Cecosesola

Short Summary

The Central Cooperativa de Servicios Sociales del Estado Lara (translation: Cooperatives of Social Services of Lara State)—Cecosesola—is a social network of about sixty cooperatives and grassroots organizations in the Venezuelan state of Lara. Its cooperatives provide funeral services, healthcare, community-backed loans and many other services to about 20,000 members. Its food production and distribution system extends across five states, and sells US$70 million worth of food a year at prices 30% below the market.

Website: cecosesola.net

Location: Lara State, Venezuela (Note: The network has a bioregional influence and even a transnational impact without being organized transnationally)

Logo. source

Profile

Cecosesola was founded in 1967 in Barquisimeto, the capital of Lara, by some people who were concerned that, upon their deaths, their families would not be able to cover their funeral expenses. After they came together to form a cooperative-based funeral home, their success in that venture led to other cooperative efforts.

In the 1980s, after its transport cooperative failed due to power struggles and after the head of its funeral service quit, Cecosesola embarked upon radically open and flexible of managing its businesses and "employees." As a 2010 coop report notes, "There are no chains of command; everyone has the opportunity to participate directly, without intermediaries; tasks are rotated among members and decisions are consensual." By its own charter, Cecosesola has no board of directors or hierarchical ranks. Any of its more than 20,000 associates can participate in meetings with the same rights.

As a networked enterprise, Cecosesola is perhaps most notable for its highly participatory, trust-based social processes that are used to coordinate the work of more than 1,300 cooperative associates (as of 2017). Thousands of others who have dealings with the Cecosesola network are also affected by its distinctive culture. As one Cecosesola member describes its organizational ethic:

"We try to transcend the individualistic and selfish behavior we all tend to have. This facilitates the transcending of the emotions and the logic that rule our society: hierarchical relationships, fragmentation, discrimination, sectarianism, and the accumulation of power, wealth and knowledge. That is why we have no managers, no directors nor any hierarchical structures."
Gustavo Salas, an associate for more than 40 years, says that the most important thing in the organization is:
"Respect! I don't just mean tolerance, but respect for the other person we are living with. We cannot treat our counterparts like things that we want to profit from. We must perceive the entire person. In order to do that, we need transparency, honesty and responsibility."
In the course of 3,000 meetings per year, and 250 joint encounters among members, the organizations hosts a kind of "permanent reflection process" to discuss business issues (prices to charge, problems needing attention) as well as personal and social solidarity issues.

While there is no direct representational system, the open get-togethers and consensus process allows everyone's voice to be heard and to assure inclusiveness and consent in decisionmaking. The point is to nourish a sense of trust among people. The depth of this feeling can be seen by Cecosesola's decision to not use cash registers because people concluded it would be used to monitor cooperativistas at markets, which would be tantamount to withdrawing trust. Associate Gustavo Salas said: "So we continued as before, without cash registers, and using envelopes. We saved the money for the investment. And we gained trust."

YOUTUBE iM0ti-5Rh7E Video about Cecosesola in Spanish with German subtitles

Projects

One of Cecosesola's proudest achievements is its health network and health center, the Centro Integral Cooperativo de Salud, a self-governed hospital that serves 220,000 patients every year without conventional hierarchical management and at fees 60% cheaper than private alternatives.

The Centro Integral Cooperativo de Salud, a self-governed hospital. source

Friends & Partners

It is a federation of roughly sixty cooperatives and grassroots organizations.

Finances

To start its health center in March 2009, for which US$3 million were needed, Cecosesola raised US$1.8 million by selling fruit salads at the markets; by soliciting short-term, fixed interest deposits from cooperatives and individuals; and through consensus-based contributions made by all full-time staff.

Cecosesola does not accept financing or other support from the Venezuelan government. It wishes to maintain as much of its independence as possible.

Cecosesola does not accept financing or other support from the Venezuelan government. It wishes to maintain as much of its independence as possible. In 2014, however, the government decided to tax cooperatives at a rate approximately 35% higher than the rate applied to for-profit businesses -- a rate that would put many cooperatives out of business. Cecosesola has resisted, but relations with the state remain a challenge.

See Also

  • Other commons categories that are related to this one's, or specific similar examples

Sources