Introducing the People of Northern Syria to Co-operatives

This is a translation of an article written in Arabic that first appeared on hawar news on 29 July, 2017

Under the banner of “The individual for the service of society, and society for the service of the individual”, the House of Co-operatives in Qamishlo has distributed flyers to introduce people to the concept of co-operative societies, explain how they work, and strengthen the relationship between people and co-operatives. The members of the House of Co-operatives, the co-chairs, and some members of communes in Qamisho distributed the flyers in all of the city’s seven neighbourhoods: Suez Canal, Gharbi, Antairyah, Qadur Bek, Hilaliyah, Kornish and Bsheriyah, and also in the city market. The members of the House of Co-operatives also explained the gist of what was in the flyers to those who couldn’t read.

The flyer reads:

Important Announcement

The methods of organisation, security and economy are some of the essential foundations that successful societies are built upon, and it is known that the economy includes industry, trade, agriculture and livestock. As leader Apo said, “Make a commune from thy soil, water and energy”.

What is a co-operative?

A co-operative is a social and economic organisation based on ethical and democratic principles. It depends on the co-operation of the members of society to secure their collective basic needs, and it works on self-administration, relies on the participation of the members of society, and it protects mother nature.
Women are an essential element in co-operatives, and with the participation of women, the economy improves.

Co-operatives are against the idea of individualism and they strengthen the group spirit.
The objective of co-operatives is the joint co-operation of people and their active participation and independent organisation, because the individual is for the service of society and society is for the service of the individual, and we live according to this principle.

For more information and inquiries call the following number:

58879 – 0937085222

Our address: Bsheriyah, besides Al-Sallah mosque.

 

Avîn Yosef, a co-chair of Shîlan Co-operative in the Hilaliyah neighbourhood, said that the distribution of these flyers is an important step in developing the co-operative societies. And Muhammed Bashir Taml, a co-chair of Shahid Haqi co-operative in the Antariyah neighbourhood, said the they should work more to improve the economy of the region.