History of PRI in Venezuela
Tuesday, November 14, 2006 (12:01:50)

Posted by support

2000 Centro Madre (then called AMURT Community Center) in Barlovento began, putting Prout into practice. Located on three and a half hectares of agricultural land a two-hour drive from Caracas, the project serves the five nearest rural villages, which are very impoverished, through education, health, agriculture and cooperatives.

May 2003 Spanish edition of After Capitalism: Prout’s Vision for a New World published in Venezuela. Pres. Hugo Chavez recommended the book on his national television show, “Alo Presidente”.

December 2003: The National Petroleum Company of Venezuela (PDVSA) contracted Proutist Universal to give 3-day intensive training to two groups of supervisors and workers in the departments of planning, cooperatives and telecommunications. Called “Proutist Economic Development: Constructing a New Future for Venezuela”, the trainers were Dr. Michael Towsey, a university lecturer from Australia and Dada Maheshvarananda. They also gave conferences at PDVSA offices in Caracas, Maturín, Morechal and Puerto La Cruz.

September 2005 For the second time, PDVSA contracted Proutist Universal. Four representatives came: Steve Phillips, an expert in cooperative administration, Clark Forden, the Executive Director of Proutist Universal in the United States, Aaron Friedman, who concentrated in Latin American Studies at Cornell University and Dada Maheshvarananda. The team gave three large public conferences in PDVSA Caracas, Puerto la Cruz and Maracaibo that were titled, “Endogenous Development and Progressive Socialism of the XXI Century.” In addition the Proutists gave lectures to Vice Minister Raul Pacheco of Planning and Development and his staff, to Superintendent Carlos Molina of SUNACOOP and his staff, and intensive cooperative training to co-op workers in Guatire.

January 2006 During the 6th World Social Forum in Caracas (Jan. 24-29 Jan.) Proutist Universal participated in a public march for “Another World is Possible.” With tremendous teamwork, 40 Proutists gave workshops and sold delicious vegetarian food.

October 2006 PRI-V begins. Staff camps out in a kindergarten, Centro Universo Infantil.

February 2007 PRI-V is legally registered as a not-for-profit independent foundation.Cooperative survey begins in Barlovento.

July-August 2007 Documentary is filmed, "Another Life is Possible: Cooperatives in Barlovento, Venezuela". Staff moves to a small apartment, then to a printing press.

February 2008 Quinta Prout, a large house in El Marques, Caracas, is donated to PRI-V to use for posterity. Official inauguration takes place in June.

December 2008 to February 2009 Professor Louis Ricci leads a group of 21 students from the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil to PRI-V where they live and study intensively for six weeks.