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Haiti: A cooperative for teachers. Why?
April 2000

By: Jean-François Saint-Félix, Port-au-Prince

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Since Rochdale (in England) cooperative movements have continued to develop benefits for their members. The phenomenon became infectious, if one can so speak, and various sectors of the Haitian society believe that cooperatives offer a way out of problems.

For many, it is also an extra reason to develop new ties of solidarity in order to face the difficulties that can only be solved by working together.

With this in mind, teachers of Les Cayes, a city located at 203 km to the south of Port-au-Prince, took the initiative to establish a cooperative named CEC (Teacher Cooperative of Les Cayes).

Indeed, since 3 October 1995 this cooperative, which mainly includes teachers of the city of Les Cayes and its neighbouring localities, has counted 101 members in its ranks who swear by the ideal of the cooperative, articulated as "one for all, and all for one."

Through continuous growth and more and more presence in the teaching environment, CEC is becoming a very important economic instrument. Mr. Louis-Pierre Janvier, founding member of CEC traced back the origin of the movement and confessed: "The cooperative was created at a moment when it was necessary to fill an organizational gap for the teachers themselves. The idea was to channel their energy toward something that would be useful to the community."

Yes, this "something useful" was surely there. Now with 622 members, including some institutions, a social capital of 524,500 gourdes and savings amounting to 6,305,890 gourdes, CEC responds to an increasing demand for loans on behalf of its members. Endowed with a flexible mechanism which allows access to credit, about 40 requests are accepted every month. Repayment is spread over a period of nine months with an annual interest of 15%. This discount is guaranteed.

"The teachers do not have to be the laughing stock of the workers. Their sense of savings for reasons of illness, death and rent is strongly encouraged. And they now have access to loans which, for example, allow them to consider construction projects or purchase of a plot of land…," Parnel Beauvoir stated, principal promoter of CEC.

However, he recognized also that lack of funds often prevents the society to satisfy incoming requests. More important sums are required. The leitmotiv remains: "A lot more money for many more people."

Needless to say, teachers who find themselves in the bracket of low-income earners, are fully hit by the economic stagnation in which the country is stuck.

CEC wishes to be the answer to such legitimate waiting. Mr. Fito Charles likes the principle of mutual help. He thinks that it is not the economic side, the profit, which is the most important.

"The preferred key words are: mutual assistance, solidarity, community life modeled on ‘combitisme,' favoured by our peasants. It is also the importance granted to the person, which explains the successful flight the cooperative has taken," according to him.

For Samedi Jean-Elie, it is through the cooperative that he consolidated his teacher professional status. The support that banks always refused him is now given by the cooperative with a lower interest rate.

CEC receives technical support from the International Labour Office (ILO) and functions with its own funds. A request for financial aid to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) was declined in 1996. The two major big projects which are hoped for by the members of the cooperative include a village for teachers and the construction of a commercial complex.

[605 words]

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