Volendam Agricultural Co-operative (Cooperative Agricola de Volendam), located in Colony Volen­dam near the port of Mbopicua, was organized on 2 July 1947, under the Paraguay­an law No. 13635 of 1942, with a membership of 295, which included all family heads of the colony. The Co-operative was founded upon the advice of the colony leaders and Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) representatives to facili­tate adequate distribution of funds made available by the MCC, to enable the economical provision of supplies to the settlers and profitable sale of their produce, and to establish small basic industries that would meet the daily needs of the immi­grants. The first year its only capital was mainte­nance funds and loans made available by the MCC.  Its shares are valued at 20,000 guaranies, payable by dividends, and its 1949 turnover was 460,000 guaranies; profits are either used for the expansion of the Co-operative or paid to the members in the form of new shares. The Co-operative and its president are responsible to the administration of the colony (Amt) for all its activities and acts as the financial arm of the colony in all matters. Besides a shortage of operating capital, considerable difficulties were at first encoun­tered through the armed raids of Paraguayan ban­dits at repeated intervals, who took advantage of the unarmed Mennonite watchmen.

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 843. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

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