SOLIDARY PRINCIPLES OF WORK

• At an organizational level
• At a production level
• At a commercialization level
• At a level of the distribution of the incomes

At an organizational level:

The artisans in the mark of their collaboration with COSART work in an organized way, have democratic practices, are autonomous, solidary, open to new members and respect the gender complementarity that characterizes the rural communities, and that corresponds to “equality” in the city.

This solidary way of working allows to rescue, to maintain and harness the very old Andean values of the Ayni and of the Minka based on a principles of solidarity in the way of working, fomenting then the inter learning (inside the groups themselves).
The organizational forms are linked to natural organisms (they are generally Handicraft Committees) in order to be inserted in a natural way into the idiosyncrasy of the communities and/or of the urban districts, getting integrated eventually to organisms of a higher level.

Working in an organized way allows the craftsmen, among other aspects, to defend a fairer price for their products, and also allows them to solve problems as a group, problems that are not always directly linked to the production and commercialization of the crafts. The spaces that are created through these organized groups become alternative spaces "of life" as well as economical. It's not just that they represent spaces dedicated only to production and commercialization matters, they also are spaces where producers (particularly women) can find refuge, and spaces that at the same time represent a bridge to reach other opportunities and gain self-esteem.

At a production level:

The production get realized in an organized and collective way and it values certain essential principles, such as:

1. A cultural rescue of traditional designs combined with some adaptations for the market (functional products, etc.), 
2. A cultural rescue in the way of producing, with traditional tools and techniques,
3. The use of local raw materials, local in the sense of a local development (use of animal and vegetable fibers, wood, bones, native grasses, clay, straw, barks, natural tints, etc.), 
4. Respect to the natural environment, 
5. Quality in the production and as much homogeneity as possible in the same types products.

Some objectives of producing crafts following these work principles are to learn to know how to value what one has locally, to generate its own employment with its own means with dignity, pride and self-esteem, and to harness the collective work for an inter learning and quality in the production.
On the other hand in order to reach a good commercialization one has to get matched the functional and creative dimension of the crafts with the national and international demand (for which COSART supports with trainings).

At a commercialization level:

One of the principles of COSART is to allow the producers, in spite of their collaboration with COSART, stay autonomous and independent of:

1. The handicraft activity, since the activity of production of crafts is an activity of complement (in parallel to the work of the "chacra" (field), cattle raising, eventual little store, etc.); it is important that the producers diversify their incomes. 
2. COSART market, since despite their collaboration with COSART it is important that the producers don’t get out of the local reality, but rather they continue selling in the local market, and that on the same time they look for other markets than those of COSART, learning progressively to defend a better price, and better conditions of commercialization of their crafts. Developing these new capacities the producers reach new opportunities.

The producers win dignity in being able to calculate a more "optimal" price for the sale of their products, remembering basic elements as the costs of the raw materials and the time dedicated to the production. As far as possible, a cultural value is added to the price calculation. The point is to make that gradually this more worthy price is found in the local and national market, avoiding the non indispensable middlemen.

At a level of the distribution of the incomes:

Part of the income supports the local development, development of the group of producers as well as of their community or of their distruct. Therefore was implemented:

1. An internal saving representing 5% of the total income of the sales that would corresponds to the " little bank" intern to the group. It is used in cases of emergencies (health, trip,...), for internal loans to the group, for wholesale purchases of raw materials for the whole group, for activities of cohesion of the group and of their families (travels, Christmas party, etc...). Each group defines the relevancy of the use of this saving.
2. A solidary fund for the community or the district, representing an average of 5% of the total income of the sales, not necessarily in cash. The group and their community take the decision of the purchase or of the most appropriate service they could give to their community or district.

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