We are excited to introduce our newest member CRESS Mayotte, the Chamber of Social and Solidarity Economy that ensures the promotion and development of social economy in Mayotte.
Introducing CRESS Mayotte
The Regional Chambers of Social Solidarity Economy of Mayotte (CRESS Mayotte) is a representative and transversal association which ensures the promotion and development of social and solidarity economy (SSE) at the local level. Inscribed in the law of July 31, 2014, CRESS Mayotte aims to bring together the actors of the SSE in Mayotte, such as associations, cooperatives, mutual funds, unions and foundations. Since its creation, CRESS has increased its number of employees from 4 to 34 and become one of the best known umbrella organisations acting in the field of social economy on the island. It has also generated a great positive impact in its region, especially in terms of employment, by creating more than 500 jobs in the community.
Mission and Activities
CRESS Mayotte guarantees the representation of SSE interests to public authorities and supports the creation, development and maintenance of social enterprises. The organisation provides trainings and technical support to local social entrepreneurs and contributes to the collection, exploitation and availability of economic and social data on social solidarity companies. CRESS Mayotte also increases visibility of SSE and connects local impact practitioners with the wider international impact ecosystem.
CRESS Mayotte has developed number of tools to foster social entrepreneurship in Mayotte. Fanya Lab is an accelerator for SSE and social innovation which aims to develop and strengthen sustainable SSE enterprises with high social values. Fanya Lab has an integrated co-working space dedicated to support enterprises, offer trainings and fosters networking among Mahoran social entrepreneurs. CRESS Mayotte has also developed Made in ESS with the goal to respond to social and health issues on the Mahoran territory. It is a technical tool that empowers SSE enterprises in need of a technical maturation to blossom innovative and structured projects in the public health sector and social action. Lastly, the Socially Responsible Procurement (SPR) programme aims to make Mahoran public & private procurement more sustainable at a social and environmental level. To do so, the SPR creates synergies among public & private economic sector and SSE enterprises and integrates social and environmental clauses in public procurement. European Commission recognised the SPR programme as a best practice in the buying for social impact guide.
The Future of CRESS Mayotte
Apart from sustaining the operational development locally (with its Fanya Lab accelerator, Made in ESS and the Public Procurement), CRESS Mayotte is planning on developing a regional and international cooperation. As a matter of fact, they have started one cluster with Aruba and Greenland to share best practises and to collaborate in tackling similar issues.
Currently, CRESS Mayotte is trying to expand their network in other Countries, such as Mozambique, Kenya and Tanzania. According to CRESS Mayotte’s Head of Regional Strategies of SSE Djémilah Hassani:
“We need to develop a regional and international cooperation. For us, that is extremely important. Not only as a Chamber of SSE, but also for Mayotte nature itself. We are a small island and yet we cannot remain isolated, we need to connect to the word, we want to expand our borders and to take part in other worldwide initiatives and programmes”.
Thanks to the encouraging results, CRESS Mayotte has received a national delegation from ESS France to assist with the development of Chamber of Social and Solidarity Economy in Overseas Regions and Territories. As of now, the National Delegation (DNOM) is actively operating with Guadeloupe, French Guyana, Saint Martin and Reunion Island and hopes to reinforce its actions.
Euclid Network & CRESS Mayotte
Euclid Network fosters international collaboration in the impact sector and enables exchange of knowhow. CRESS Mayotte can benefit from access to the wider social enterprise ecosystem in Europe, building new partnerships and sharing best practices with other SE support organisations. Djémilah says:
“EN became of great relevance when we decided to open up and to start engaging with other territories. EN is the way for Mayotte to go international, to know other realities and learn from each other. With EN it will be possible for us to gain experience and knowhow in an operational level; it’s a way to feed and boost our local initiatives”.
Want to join Euclid Network?
If you would like to find out more about how you can become a member of the Euclid Network please contact the team!
