VSS & VJ COOP FED International Cooperative Day Celebrations

Viveka Service Society, a voluntary organization working for the last two decades in formation of community based organizations. 20 thrift cooperatives were formed during the last 15 years and a Federation of Cooperatives in the name style of VJ MACTCS Fed ltd., also formed. Near about 45 thousand families were benefitted through the activities. for the last 9 years VSS has been celebrating the International Cooperative Day Celebrations in different places in its project area. Seminars, Public Meetings and Publications were some of the activities taken up under the programme. VSS is following the International Cooperative Alliance Themes and implementing the decision made in the meetings of the Cooperators throught the year. This is the 10th ICD Celebrations in VSS and VJ MACTCS Fed Limited Cooperatives. In this year all the Cooperatives are facing crisis, as the effect of Micro Finance Regulations of Andhra Pradesh Government disturbed the financial stability of the Cooperatives. Though the Regulation is intended to save the poor women from the clutches of Money Lending Activity of Corporate Companies which are exploiting the poor with exhorbitant interest rates, the other models in this particularl activity were also disturbed irrepairably. But the Cooperatives formed by the Communities are only working model during the crisis and after the crisis. So the International Cooperative Alliance theme for the Day "Cooperative Enterprise remains strong in time fo Crisis" is an apt theme for the situation in Andhra Pradesh India and also for the Organization. Hence we have decided to conduct a public meeting with cooperators and other public to elevate the issue.