At the level of collectives, awareness takes many forms in practice. For true learning to take place at both the individual and group levels, MAYA ORGANIC fosters an environment in which collectives and members are given space to question all aspects of their work and their lives. Since learning does not take place only at the individual level, reflection always includes a collective mirroring process that supports clarifying the group's understanding of poverty and labour market exploitation as systemic problems. In the collective approach, learning also involves critical thinking, in which questioning systems, and asking ‘why’ is paramount. Learning on a continuous basis is essential; constant opportunities for questioning are provided. As a result, people as individuals, and collectives as groups, take action, reflect anew, and react, as they evolve more complex understandings and deeper knowledge of particular problems. It is MAYA's belief that when people engage in this reflection process at work, they automatically begin to apply this kind of thinking to other aspects of their lives. Self-direction and self-actualisation will be an outcome.
members agree to adhere to certain non-negotiable standards, including enrolment into a learning process, no child labour, and that workers must send their children to school. All other aspects of social compliance are 'bottom-up', which means that compliance starts from where the workers are. The workers themselves define standards and constantly strive for improvement (see “Social Compliance” in section 2.34 for more detail).
MAYA ORGANIC plans to set up a funding platform which attracts social venture capital and private funding for financial support of the worker-owned enterprises at the point when they invest in their own venture. Low-interest or interest-free loans will support the growth of group enterprises into small, dynamic institutions. The MO network will ensure that they are protected against the highly exploitative global supply chain system, while at the same time, ensuring the institutional and professional capabilities of workers and institutions, to meet the quality standards which dominate the markets.
The strength of MO's approach lies in creating opportunities and access for workers to networks that would not otherwise be available to informal sector workers and enterprises. The network likewise creates tremendous potential for manufacturing units to benefit from one another. MO encourages a widening network of similar livelihood initiatives to join the movement. Ultimately, MO seeks to expand the MAYA ORGANIC approach in the informal manufacturing and service industries on a scale that will increase equity between the rich and the poor within the country, if not the world.
2.32 The concept of learning
Although the MAYA ORGANIC approach includes all activities described in the previous section, this document, as a learning process document, will focus primarily upon the learning taking place at the level of collectives and the facilitators, rather than at the level of MOSS.
In the view of MAYA ORGANIC, impacting the informal economy requires increased awareness at multiple levels. At one level, MAYA ORGANIC had to understand the connections between the working poor and wider social and economic structures, that is, the systemic aspects of poverty. Without this knowledge, transcending the barriers preventing the poor from accessing resources and exercising their collective voices is impossible.
