CRESAÇOR – Cooperativa Regional de Economia Solidária dos Açores

CRESAÇOR, the Cooperativa Regional de Economia Solidária dos Açores, runs thematic agencies for entrepreneurship and microcredit, for social and territorial cohesion, and for inclusive tourism under the name Açores para Todos. It's based on São Miguel and works across the whole Azores archipelago. Its mission is to promote solidarity economy and local, community-based development in the region. The cooperative was formally set up in 2000, within the Projeto de Luta Contra a Pobreza (IDEIA). CRESAÇOR represents the Rede de Economia Solidária dos Açores, a network that has grown to 37 cooperating institutions. It helped found the Rede de Responsabilidade Social das Empresas e Organizações dos Açores, which now has around 27 members. Since its early years it has also belonged to the Rede de Economia Solidária da Macaronésia, alongside Cabo Verde, the Canary Islands and Madeira. Current projects include Vozes Migrantes, on migrant voices and community support networks, funded by the Direção Regional das Comunidades in partnership with the Câmara Municipal de Ponta Delgada. Open Doors is an Erasmus+ project on accessibility in European tourism. BioMUST4All focuses on ways of experiencing Azorean biodiversity that include everyone. The cooperative also manages the Rede CORES market and a directory of solidarity-economy businesses. Its training sessions are open to tourism operators, guides and students. They're usually free, but you need to register beforehand. One, on tourism accessibility, was held at the Azoris Royal Garden. By its own count, the cooperative has organised more than 8,520 guided visits, built 141 partnerships, run 248 events, supported the creation of 312 companies (around 620 jobs) and welcomed 3,262 senior visitors to the islands across 425 projects.