Meet Ana Silva, CRESAÇOR (Fajã de Baixo, Portugal)

In 2021, Ripess Europe celebrates its 10th anniversary!

As part of this celebration, and in order to honour the network and its members in particular, Ripess Europe will be conducting interviews, throughout the year, with the people who have brought it to life since its creation. Follow us on this European tour of the network’s members!

This time, we have an appointment with Ana Silva from CRESAÇOR (Portugal).

 

Hello Ana, can you tell us a bit more about yourself and your organisation?

CRESAÇOR – Regional Cooperative of Solidarity Economy was born in the framework of the Project to Fight Poverty – IDEA (1999-2005) and by the creation of a program for the development of socio-professional insertion companies in the Azores, having assumed legal personality in 2000 in the form of a Social Solidarity Cooperative.

It currently aims to pursue the following General Objectives:

Increase access to education, training and incubation of the workplace, within the framework of the Social EmploymentMarket and access to Microcredit;

Support the creation and sustainability of solidarity economy initiatives, promoting, valuing, marketing and distributing their products;

Provide economic and financial consultancy services with the objective of the sustainability and autonomy particularly of micro-enterprises of social inclusion.

CRESAÇOR is equated to IPSS (Private Institution of Social Solidarity) and holds the status of a legal person of public utility, a Tourism and Maritime Tourism Animation Company, is a Certified Training Entity and the Promoter Agency of the Microcredit Measure in the Azores. It streamlines a Social Incubator “Incubaçor”, a UNESCO Club, a Local Center for Support for The Integration of Migrants. It also holds the Azores For All and CORES Brands.

Its mission is to promote the solidarity economy movement in the Azores, combining the dimensions of local and community development, vocational, personal and social training and production and marketing.

CRESAÇOR visions, through the economic level, to integrate socially and professionally, socially disadvantaged families and communities, with a view to improving their citizenship skills and quality of life.

It represents the Solidarity Economy Network of the Azores that supports and accompanies at-risk audiences promoting their inclusion through training and employability, having as reference the principles of the Solidarity Economy. It is part of the Solidarity Economy Network of Macaronesia. It is also a founding member of RIPESS Europe and REDPES and an associate member of ARDE, CONFECOOP, ANIMAR, FEBEA and the European Microfinance Network.

What does it mean for you to be a member of Ripess Eu?

CRESAÇOR is a founding member of Ripess-Eu. For CRESAÇOR, it has been an honor as a founding member to see the network grow and spread its values in the European economic and social space.

What does Social and Solidarity Economy mean to you?