DAWN Multipurpose Cooperative Background

As part of DAWN’s commitment to provide economic assistance and support to women beneficiaries, in partnership with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) on the project ‘Psycho-social and Economic Reintegration Program for Women Victims of Trafficking,’ DAWN held numerous career counselling, trainings, workshops and seminars in entrepreneurial building and accounting.
Counselling, training and workshops were preparation for individual economic projects that the women were to undertake. Throughout these activities, staff were present to assist and learn together with the women.

The women shared their economic situations during the activities, with experiences in setting up small businesses, including sari-sari stores and micro-retailing. Encouraged to talk about what they knew and lessons learned from their ventures, the women expressed failures to grow their businesses and their apprehensions starting anew. They reported a lack of knowledge and guidance, lack of self-confidence, and lack of capital attributed to these failures.

Women who preferred not to start their own microbusinesses, or wanted to augment their incomes discussed the possibility of pooling resources and doing joint projects. From these discussions, sharing, and consultation with the women, the idea emerged about establishing a cooperative for the women beneficiaries of the project.

By seeking the support of experts and building partnerships with them, DAWN has ensured the continuity of the provision of these activities for the women.

DAWN Multipurpose Cooperative members continue to report on how the cooperative has helped them by updating the group on how their earnings have helped augment their incomes, and by sharing that, experiences of mingling with people and engaging in gainful activity have helped them improve their self-confidence.

Following the project: ‘Psycho-social and Economic Reintegration Program for Women Victims of Trafficking’, activities of the cooperative members included an exposure trip to New Vision, a cooperative being run by the blind, and a leadership training seminar.

The DAWN Cooperative group held a general assembly, electing a new set of Board members and officers to replace the interim Board and officers, on October 8, 2008.

On November 10, 2008, the cooperative signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the PUP College of Cooperatives to provide continuous trainings, guidance and assistance to the cooperative

On January 31 to February 1, 2009, the DAWN Multi-Purpose Cooperative held a workshop seminar on Value Transformation and Effective Work Ethics for Cooperative Operation in Laguna.

During this time the DAWN Multi-Purpose Cooperative finalized the vision, mission and goals of the organization, and made plans to achieve the goals set for the next three years.

The DAWN Multipurpose Cooperative, a work in progress...

……continuing to provide loan assistance to its members and entrepreneurial and business opportunity seminars to the women, as well as additional trainings that benefit the members.

DAWN and the College of Cooperatives is behind the Multipurpose Cooperative providing the assistance and guidance to ensure its sustainability and success.

The cooperative composed of members, which include DAWN women members, staff and volunteers.