Lesson One Concept of Co-Operation
Lesson One Concept of Co-Operation
LESSON ONE
CONCEPT OF CO-OPERATION
1.1 INTRODUCTION
People are social animal and they should leave together as group in their daily life. Traditionally
people used to leave together in a village centered life to their problems. Today the current
constitution in Kenya gives the citizen freedom of associations. This implies that today’s co-
operation is legal entity recognized by the sovereignty.
In any community, co-operation exists in different forms of association of people who have
voluntarily come together as a group of driven by their social and economic needs. Through these
associations members are able to cope with their problems and challenges of life in an attempt to
improve their living standards and conditions.
Example
• A Group of people who come together to weed their crops of harvest their crops for one
another in turn until everybody is assisted.
• Villagers brought their resources to construct an access road/ dam/ cattle dip e.t.c.
In conclusion people carried out these tasks without being forced or demanding any payment.
They supply joined together in order to perform some work with the hope that the following day
they would also benefit from the group activities, this is the informal / traditional
co-operation. Remember that nothing was written rules/ duties everything was verbal and
everybody adhere to it since it was voluntary. It's based on mutual trust
N.B the harambee spirit is Kenya which has been done in promoting our social and economic
development has its roots in this type of informal co-operation.
In conclusion you notice that the need for co-operation among traditional communities was
important for their survival. They never had money to employ labourers, build shelter e.t.c and
therefore the case today. All the people have the basic needs for food, shelter, security and sense
of belonging, hence requires a combined effort.
The idea of co-operation therefore is not new, since as we have seen it has been practiced for a
long time where those people co-operated as a result of people fighting for survival against nature.
They co-operated in order to solve problems caused by physical environment wild animal and
drought.
1.7 DIFFERENCES
➢ Traditional was mainly practiced in respect to natural or environmental problems while
modern are formed primarily as a solution to exploitation and as a collective action to solve
particular social and economic problems.
➢ Traditional co-operation was a way of life with a loose kind of association of people who
are bound together by their sense of social duties and desires to help one another. Modern
co-operations are formed consciously and regulated by the laws of a country and the co-
operation principles.
➢ In informal co-operation the rules and duties were verbal while the former have written
rules and duties.
FEATURES OF CO-OPERATIVES
1. An Association of Persons:
• A Co-operative Society comes into existence when a group of individuals join hand and
form an association.
2. An Enterprise or Undertaking: It is run by members themselves at their own cost and risk.
3. Voluntary Association: An individual is free to join the Society and resign from his
membership of the Society at his will and discretion.
4. Service Objective: The main object of co-operative society is to serve its members rather than
to earn profits.
5. Democratic Management: The Co-operative Society follows the cardinal principle of
democracy i.e, one man one vote. The affairs are handled by the Board of Directors. The capital
does not get any special treatment over human being in co-operation.
6. Equity: No discrimination among members is made on the grounds of religious faith, political
ideology, and educational qualifications and so on.
7. Norms of Social Justice : There is no class division among capitalists and working class in Co-
operation.
8. Socio-economic Movement: As part of Socio-economic Movement, The Co-operative
movement, is viewed as a constituent part of the overall socio-economic movement of the country.
9. Proportionality or equality : It is based on proportionality or equality. The surplus is
distributed not according to share taken but according to the proportion of business operation a
member has effected with the society.
10. Universal Movement : It is a Universal Movement found in all countries of the world.
11. At the service of both the members and the community : Every society stands for the
economic upliftment of the members and the social, cultural and economic betterment of the local
community
OBJECTIVES OF CO-OPERATIVES