---

Cooperation is a way of living, a philosophy of life, and has been the very basis for human civilization. The roots of formal Cooperation can be traced to ancient times. Cooperatives are believed to enable the rural and urban poor to meet their economic, social, and cultural needs collectively, which is often difficult to achieve individually.According to the findings of this study, there is an overall increasing trend in the Union s membership and efficiency of financial performance. Membership to a Cooperative was found to promote awareness and/or income of members. This was manifested in the improvement of livestock and house ownership, quality of clothing and food consumed, and attitude towards modern health services and education. A household, among the urban community, was found to save, on the average, Birr 13 per month provided it purchases sampled items from the Union instead of from traders.

---