What is Social Solidarity Economy?
Today, perhaps as never before, more people are becoming aware that capitalism has turned our lives and our planet into a commodity. A system that is environmentally unsustainable and socially unjust, and that it is not able to guarantee the happiness and dignified life conditions of all persons in any place on the planet.
Social Solidarity Economy includes a wide range of practices that span economic, social, environmental, political, communitarian or holistic dimensions.
News—
Roberto Ochoa : Indigenous Peoples, Living Memory, and Food Sovereignty
rom a city of craftsmanship and manufacturing in Ecuador, surrounded by diverse agricultural and agroecological rurality, Roberto Enrique Ochoa Dávila —member of the RIPESS LAC Indigenous Peoples Commission and the Intercultural Association of Yachak Aiyapu Pumapungo— carries in his bag the spiritual, cultural, and political strength of Indigenous peoples, deeply connected to the Chakra, the land, and the universe. In [...]
Elise Pierrette Memong Meno: Without women fishers, there is no Food Sovereignty
From the commune of Mouanko, in the Littoral region of Cameroon, Elise Pierrette Memong Meno—member of the African Network of Social and Solidarity Economy (RAESS) and the National Network of Social and Solidarity Economy of Cameroon (RESSCAM)—brings with her the experience of women who have turned clam (oyster) fishing into a source of livelihood and a fight for dignity. Mouanko, [...]
Judith Hitchman: Building Bridges between Food Soverignty and Social Solidarity Economy
Since the late 1990s, Judith Hitchman began her path in the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) as an interpreter. Very soon, her work led her to encounter the food sovereignty movement and to become part of Urgenci, the International Network of Community Supported Agriculture. There she first served as cross-cultural advisor, then advocacy officer, and later, President. Over time, Judith [...]
What is RIPESS?
RIPESS is a global network of continental networks committed to the promotion of Social Solidarity Economy. The member networks themselves (Latin America and the Caribbean, North America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania) bring together national and sectorial networks, thus ensuring strong territorial anchoring.
The combined local and global scope gives RIPESS legitimacy to promote SSE, foster intercontinental cooperation, and advocate at different levels. RIPESS members believe in the importance of the globalisation of solidarity, and the ability to build and strengthen an economy that places people and planet at the centre of its activities.
