Sieci współpracy kół gospodyń wiejskich

The social activity of women living in rural areas is highly diversified and includes, for example, Rural Women Associations (RWAs), traditional organisations historically embedded in the Polish countryside. Having served their local rural populations for ages, they have always been in need of a diversified capital. Its acquisition can be facilitated through different entities, with cooperation taking a variety of forms and defi nitions. My analysis focuses on RWAs’ partnerships with local and external organisations located outside their commune (in Polish: gmina). What local entities do RWAs engage in cooperation with most frequently and in what form? Do they cooperate with entities from outside their commune? The RWAs included in my study tended to collaborate mostly with other RWAs and, much less frequently, with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) of the new type, Volunteer Fire Brigades (VFBs), and Local Action Groups (LAGs). They did not engage in collaboration with social cooperatives and only rarely worked with local or external public institutions and NGOs from other areas than their gmina. Joint implementation of projects proved to be the preferred form; however, RWAs were not included in the project preparation. Given their limited potential in establishing cooperation with other entities, the role of RWAs in the creation and implementation of social services in rural areas remains largely limited. With cooperation reduced almost exclusively to the local level, the acquisition of the financial, human, and social capital from institutions and organisations located outside rural areas is diminished, petrifying the local relationships and preventing change in the culture of cooperation.