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Gloria & Stanley Kuehn

Gloria & Stanley Kuehn

Inducted: 2011

For nearly 30 years Gloria and Stanley Kuehn have devoted themselves to helping people in some of the world’s most war-torn and depressed areas.  In the process they have built a legacy of sustainable, cooperative communities that have changed thousands of lives.

As Project Manager with CLUSA in El Salvador, Stanley worked with small farmers to grow non-traditional and organic crops to meet new and growing markets.  Gloria was an integral part of his team, helping to educate those in the community and promoting the work with visiting dignitaries.  With CLUSA in Nicaragua, the Kuehns established value-added export markets that were previously out of reach for co-ops and small farmers.  They also trained local farmers to work together in NGOs to enhance their quality of life.

The Kuehns brought their expertise to Africa with the World Council of Credit Unions, helping local farmers identify sustainable crops, access microloans, and become small-scale agricultural producers and owners of microenterprises.

The Kuehns’ innovative work has not only improved the lives of poor farmers, but also developed civil infrastructure, spurred economic growth, and forged bonds between developing and developed nations.   It has also put cooperatives on the cutting edge of social and environmental progress.

 

Werqu Mekasha

Werqu Mekasha

Inducted: 2010

Mekasha helped revitalize agricultural cooperatives in Ethiopia. Having held high government posts under the Selassie regime and been jailed for eight years after the regime was overthrown, he devoted himself to improving the lives of his countrymen through agricultural cooperatives, running ACDI/VOCA projects that helped assure cooperative independence and make co-ops viable businesses. Through his heroic efforts, Ethiopia’s cooperatives not only increased farmers’ incomes but also set the stage for growth and trade, especially in the coffee sector. Werqu plays a significant role as the first ever International Cooperative Hall of Fame Inductee.