The Foundation
The GESTE – Cooperative Foundation for Development Cooperation was founded in 2013 on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative Association. Its sponsors are the cooperatives in Germany as well as their associations and group companies. It is a legally recognized foundation under civil law with its registered office in Stuttgart.
The purpose of the foundation is to promote development cooperation with cooperatives. The foundation's purpose is realized in particular through the promotion of suitable projects carried out by the DGRV – German Cooperative and Raiffeisen Confederation – in more than 30 countries across the Global South.
The GESTE Foundation primarily supports the establishment and strengthening of cooperative structures and systems.
How Do We Achieve This?
In particular through:
- Advisory services for building sustainable cooperative structures on the ground
- Transfer of know-how from the cooperative organization to selected projects in developing and emerging countries
- Sharing experiences from successful cooperative projects with local initiatives
- Expert visits by delegations, internships, and job shadowing for cooperative partners in Germany
On the ground in the project countries, the projects are carried out jointly with national, regional, and local partner organizations of the DGRV and GESTE.
Where Does Our Foundation Capital Come From?
The Baden-Württemberg Cooperative Association (BWGV) contributed €100,000 to the foundation capital. In addition, the GESTE Foundation received endowments from Baden-Württemberg cooperatives through the "€1 per member of cooperatives in Baden-Württemberg" initiative. Since 2023, GESTE has also been available to all other cooperative companies and group partners in Germany, as intended by the founders.
Donations and endowments to GESTE are possible at any time and can have a decisive impact on the scope of support services. Numerous cooperative companies in Baden-Württemberg and increasingly from all over Germany have already become involved in this way.
Support GESTE too with a donation or endowment. We look forward to hearing from you. Thank you very much!
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