By Letuka Chafotsa
The department of cooperatives in the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Cooperatives and Marketing will today be celebrating International Cooperatives Day at Mount Moorosi in Quthing.
The event which is hosted by all districts in turns, was held at Mohale’s Hoek last year while in 2011 it was in Berea.
The 2014 venue is yet to be decided.
Cooperatives are fundamental for eradicating hunger and reducing poverty.
They are a powerful means of supporting marginalised groups like youth and women.
The event will include exhibitions where all cooperators will bring their different products to the public for marketing.
International Cooperatives Day was declared by the United Nations in 1995 to raise public awareness of the invaluable contributions of cooperative enterprises to reduce poverty and create employment.
It is annually celebrated by International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) under which Lesotho is a member.
ICA is aimed at increasing global influence to promote cooperatives as a specific value-based business model and also to develop strong cooperative enterprise for local and economic progress so as to improve capacity building, strengthen inter-cooperation, consolidate and build strategic alliance.
Against a background of a global financial crisis, cooperators around the world are set to celebrate the day under the theme, “Cooperative enterprises remain strong in times of crisis”.
