Formerly unemployed, these workers
shattered the myths
of the global economic system and outperformed
their former
bosses.
They and their colleagues
have become owners, and they've proven the
world can work
better.
The Working World: La Base Is Helping Them Do It
Development through democracy:
The next evolution in microcredit
La Base is extending the tools of
microlending to groups of worker-owners,
allowing us to
assault the sweatshop
economy in a way
never before
possible.
With small amounts of credit, La Base is helping other workers like these
show that a better world is already
possible.
Featured Loan
Project with SG - Patria Grande The cooperative SG is a commercializer of disposable products composed principally of poliethylene and cardboard. They have already completed four loans with La Base. Right now they find themselves in an important moment of growth, despite the generalized economic retraction in the Argentine economy. This loan consists of two purchases, in both cases from providers-producers, from whom they get better prices than other distributors. In this case, both of these producers were first met through previous loans from La Base.
April 20th, 2012: A week-long internal debate and planning session
At La Base Argentina, we decided to take the last week of March exclusively for a planning session focusing on the steps we need to take to take the organization to a new level of activity, resources, personnel, visiblity and lending capacity. It was, as expected, a very intense week, in which no aspect of our work was left unexamined. Several collective decisions have come out of that week, which we will be communicating and implementing as the workload allows.
One of the main goals is to incorporate two new members in june, one in administration and one to strengthen the loan agent team, and then a further agent in september.
Our interest rate will be updated to the inflation rates and our expenses, but we will not be deciding that new rate unilaterally: in line with our policy of transparency and participation, we will consult with key cooperative members so that the final rate comes out of consensus and mutual understanding.
We will also be applying to several possible sources of funding, as time allows.
We also decided to set time aside each week to focus on institutional work and implementing the goals decided during the week, and concentrate our attention to coops in our office in the last two days of the work week.
We are very enthusiastic with the new plan we have set for ourselves and believe that La Base Argentina will come out of it as a stronger, more sustainable organization with increased impact in the creation of democratic work.
Snapshot
