Spotlight Interviews with Co-operators
StreetNet International: Organizing street vendors towards formalization and economic empowerment
“Spotlight Interviews with Co-operators” is a series of interviews with co-operators from around the world with whom ILO officials have crossed paths in the course of their work on cooperatives and the wider social and solidarity economy (SSE). On this occasion, ILO interviewed Ms Lorraine Ndlovu, President of the Zimbabwe Chamber of Informal Economy Associations (ZCIEA), President of StreetNet International and a board member of Women in Informal Economy Globalizing Organizing (WIEGO).
Could you tell us a bit about your background?

I was raised in an informal economy supported home. My mother was an industrious woman who did many jobs to sustain her family. She was a skilled baker, cook, tailor, knitter, crocheter and florist among other things. I learnt all these skills from her at an early age. And yes, she dressed outstandingly well and was a stickler for etiquette, for which I am eternally grateful. My father was a skilled bricklayer who applied his trade independently. Although his work was neat and impeccable, clients rarely paid him value for his work. Some actually never paid. They took advantage of his Christian faith and Church leadership. That taught me a lesson to never to sell any goods or services for credit.
Both my parents prioritised the education of their children as an empowerment tool for a sustainable life. My siblings and I learnt English at home. Our father was an eloquent linguist who spoke 12 languages and he taught us well. My mother imparted in us, the culture of reading by reading to us when we were young. She had a collection of novels and books on etiquette, which we also grew up to read. We all frequented the local library. My brother Maxwell had an amazing talent of reading and changing his voice to suit different characters. It was a joy to listen to him when he read us stories.


What is the Zimbabwe Chamber of Informal Economy Associations (ZCIEA) about?

ZCIEA's Vision is Decent standards of living for all Zimbabweans in a stable economy. Its mission is alleviating poverty through transforming informal economy activities into mainstream activities.
ZCIEA has a 5-pillar approach which comprises of:
- Organizing informal workers;
- Representing informal workers and equipping them with tools and skills to represent themselves;
- Educating training members and other informal workers on a wide range of issues which directly affect their work, rights and lives;
- Empowerment through a variety of programmes and activities to improve members' lives and livelihoods; and
- Lobbying and advocating with local and national governments on pertinent issues affecting informal workers.
What are the challenges and priorities of street vendors and market traders in the world?
Challenges
Adequate workspace and proper infrastructure for marketplaces is a critical challenge for many countries Some markets are makeshift structures with neither water nor standard ablution facilities. Informal workers with disabilities struggle even more with regard to access to workspace as the markets are neither accessible nor hygienically safe for all. The Covid-19 global pandemic further complicated the life of most informal workers due to loss of opportunities to work and lack of income over a long period.
Priorities

Representation and bargaining power is another priority. In many ILO instruments which are relevant to informal workers (C177, C189, R202, R204), direct representation of the workers concerned is stipulated. Hence the need to prioritise the inclusion and self-representation of informal economy workers in tripartite consultation and decision making, where policies that affect their working conditions and livelihoods are designed, implemented and monitored. The global Covid-19 pandemic showed that informal workers are essential service providers but on one hand they are still not valued. One strategy of adding value to informal economy work is to promote cooperatives and other social and solidarity economy (SSE) entities. Access to quality and affordable childcare facilities for our children is another one, and SSE models could be used for those as well We need structural change which ensures access to social protection for "all in need” as per ILO Recommendation 202 “including informal economy workers”.
What do you think is the role of the social and solidarity economy in advancing the rights and improving the livelihoods of informal economy workers?
The SSE is a pathway to sustainable livelihoods as well as development because cooperatives and other SSE entities are enablers for a new model of work. Production which is redistributive and equitable through SSE entities facilitates a structured way for informal workers, as groups to collectively invest time, energy and money into collective and regulated ways of production and income which can be monitored, evaluated and safeguarded by a clear operational framework for particular cooperatives or social solidarity economic units.Cooperatives and other SSE entities can help reduce or eliminate some forms of violence and harassment which street vendors and other informal workers struggle against on a daily basis. They can be an enabling catalyst towards sustainable, just and fair transition from the informal to formal economy towards decent work for all.