December 2017

What co-ops are doing to help refugees build better lives
A session explored the potential for
co-ops to address the refugee crisis.
Simel Esim, head of the Cooperatives
Unit at the International Labour
Organisation (ILO), talked about the
challenges faced by refugees, including
access to jobs. In 2016, the ILO conducted
a study on how co-ops engage with
refugees. One of the findings was that
partnerships between co-ops and refugees
are critical. The research concluded that
co-ops provide services and goods, such
as social care and housing, which are
essential for refugees but not as readily
available through other enterprises.
Jan Anders Lago from HSB housing
co-op in Sweden said that without the
contribution of refugees to the economy,
the country would be poorer.
Carlo Scarzanella from AGCI, the
General Co-operative Association of Italy,
talked about Auxilium, a social co-op
which has been active since 2007 in the
management of several reception centres.
Hoseyn Polat, senior adviser to the
National Co-operative Union in Turkey,
highlighted that local communities were
the most crucial player in the integration
of refugees, with co-ops being part of it.
They can help reduce tensions between
local communities and provide jobs
for refugees.
Guido Schwarzendal, managing
director of Bauverein Halle & Leuna, a
housing co-op in Germany, said 1.4% of
their tenants were refugees, for which the
state covered the rent and membership
fee. The co-op is also working to promote
integration among members, moderating
discussion groups between neighbours
and publishing brochures with
information about how to live together.
Akram-Al-Taher, director general of the
Economic and Social Development Centre
of Palestine, described the Al-Jiftlik co-op
in Jordan, which is made up of women
involved in food processing. The co-op
model offers secure employment and has
enabled them to set up a kindergarten for
their children.
In addition to these case studies, the
ILO study includes examples of 27 co-ops
that are involved in responding to refugee
needs in different contexts.
uFeature: Co-ops and refugees, 42-47
Dr José Carlos Guisado given posthumous Rochdale Pioneers Award
The Rochdale Pioneers Award was
posthumously awarded to Dr José Carlos
Guisado, who died aged 61 on 14 October
last year while attending the International
Summit of Co-operatives in Quebec.
Dr Guisado, pictured, was president
of the International Health Co-operative
Organisation (IHCO) for 15 years. IHCO
is a sectoral organisation of the Alliance
that represents and provides a forum for
discussion about health co-operatives. It
allows people to share information about
the sector and promote its development of
health co-operatives.
Dr Guisado took his medical training at
the university hospital in Seville and at
University College Hospital in London.
He was involved in the health
co-operative movement for more than
34 years; he was appointed the general
secretary of the European branch of IHCO
in 1998 and chair of IHCO in 2001.
He was also a director of the Spanish
Business Confederation of Social Economy
(CEPES) and chief executive of Fundacion
Espriu of Spain, which provides health
services to over two million people and
employs 32,500 health professionals.
He joined the board of the Alliance
in 2013, after being nominated by the
Sectoral Organisation Liaison Group.
The award aims to recognise, in the
spirit of the Rochdale Pioneers, an
individual or an organisation that has
made an outstanding contribution to
the global co-operative movement. It
was presented by Monique Leroux,
president of the Alliance, who said: “His
personal convictions led him to the co-op
movement whose values he bore tirelessly
and consistently,
“He belonged to that category of human
beings who are an inspiration to all the
work that we do.”
The reward was received by Dr Guisado’s
wife and sons, and his friend and former
colleague Dr Carlos Zarco, director general
of Fundacion Espriu.
Dr Zarco said: “I was lucky when I knew
him 20 years ago, he chose me to help
him manage a hospital as his deputy. He
became the best teacher I ever had, and he
gave me his faithful friendship to the end
of his days.
“He was always thinking about how
to improve healthcare co-operatives,
and to improve healthcare. I believe
that if he could see us today he would
be smiling upon us, extremely pleased
and grateful.”
26 | DECEMBER 2017