***** 'ARGENTINA: The people's currency' *****

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Can an unofficial money system help ordinary people in Argentina get the food and goods they can no longer afford through the official economy?

Gloria Beretervide talks to members of a barter club network in Argentina to find out.  (Duration: 05'18")

The economic upheaveal in Argentina has forced many people's income to drop below the official poverty line. Many people, including a large part of the middle class, have had to turn away from the official job market and find other ways to survive.

One popular alternative is to join a barter club network - a network that allows members to swap their products and
services for an alternative currency - called a credit. In turn the credit can be used to buy products and services from other barter club members.

Today, there are over sixty-thousand barter clubs throughout Argentina, and many people have come to depend on bartering as a way of life. Gloria Beretervide met some of the barter club members and spoke to one its founders, Ruben Ravera, at the busy barter market in Buenos Aires.