This week, ICA president Ariel Guarco delivered a video message to the cooperative movement, offering his support during this trying time of COVID-19. In this brief message delivered from his home, Mr. Guarco encourages the cooperative community to join in the prevention of this virus.
Cooperative leaders everywhere are invited to also deliver this message to their communities and cooperative members. The English translation of this video delivered in Spanish is as follows:
Dear colleagues, dear friends,
Today I am in Coronel Pringles, my hometown in Argentina, working from my home as thousands of Argentines, as thousands of cooperative workers around the world.
I would like to take this moment and this occasion to pay tribute to all those cooperative colleagues who are working to make our lives as normal as possible, to all those who work in health cooperatives, taking care of us, protecting us, even putting their own lives at risk. Or those cooperative members who work in production, transportation or consumption cooperatives, assuring us the food of each day; or those who work in utility cooperatives, making essential services such as electricity or water and other social services are fully operational and guaranteeing continuity in the provision of these services; or to all those who work in ICT cooperatives, making possible the remote communication, so important at this time; and so many other colleagues in so many other cooperatives
For those of us who can work from home, the great contribution we can make and the great tool we have is isolation to prevent the spreading of this virus.
I am absolutely convinced that we will get out of this health and economic crisis, but we will do it with the solidarity of each of us.
Today more than ever I want to send you a strong cooperative hug from a distance and ratify my commitment to contribute so that this virus does not spread, by isolating myself and staying at home.
