Trust and Great Leadership
Author: Esther A.
On Thursday, May 23, 2019, we went to another De La Gente Co-Op in Santigo where we met Arnulfo, the Secretary of the cooperative, and Roberto, the Vice President of the cooperative. They told us about the history of the cooperative and how they use to have over 100 members with a strong community. When a natural disaster occurred around 2008, it destroyed a lot of the area and blocked the farmers access to the area we were currently sitting at. The Co-Op lost their leadership and was left in a bad place. Roberto, Arnulfo, and a couple of the other leaders came together to rebuild the Co-Op. There are currently 50 members but 35 active meaning they bring some of their coffee beans to the cooperative. The members are paid when they bring their beans to the cooperative. If you're wondering how they get paid, selective members take out loans where they sometimes have to put their land as collateral to obtain these loans. When De La Gente pays them several months later, they are able to pay off the loan.
After hearing this, I sat there and thought to myself the importance of unity and great leadership. The truth is the individuals who take out the loans are creating huge liabilities for themselves and their family. However, if they did not do this, a lot of people would not be able to support their families.
Later, we went to Pueblo a Pueblo where we learned about their organization and the work they do with children. They, too, like Common Hope recognize that educating a child could not be the only way to alleviate poverty, but rather a holistic approach such as providing information on nutritional health was part of the solution. Something I found fascinating was their "Beekeeping Project" where they educate farmer how to beekeeper in order to make honey and wax. This is a way to supplement the farmers income or to help those who don't own large plots of land. In my finance classes, we learned about the diversification of a portfolio in order to control the risk of relying on one asset. It was great to see various concepts being applied on a larger scale.
Would you sacrifice yourself or your family for the good of the whole?
On Thursday, May 23, 2019, we went to another De La Gente Co-Op in Santigo where we met Arnulfo, the Secretary of the cooperative, and Roberto, the Vice President of the cooperative. They told us about the history of the cooperative and how they use to have over 100 members with a strong community. When a natural disaster occurred around 2008, it destroyed a lot of the area and blocked the farmers access to the area we were currently sitting at. The Co-Op lost their leadership and was left in a bad place. Roberto, Arnulfo, and a couple of the other leaders came together to rebuild the Co-Op. There are currently 50 members but 35 active meaning they bring some of their coffee beans to the cooperative. The members are paid when they bring their beans to the cooperative. If you're wondering how they get paid, selective members take out loans where they sometimes have to put their land as collateral to obtain these loans. When De La Gente pays them several months later, they are able to pay off the loan.
After hearing this, I sat there and thought to myself the importance of unity and great leadership. The truth is the individuals who take out the loans are creating huge liabilities for themselves and their family. However, if they did not do this, a lot of people would not be able to support their families.
Later, we went to Pueblo a Pueblo where we learned about their organization and the work they do with children. They, too, like Common Hope recognize that educating a child could not be the only way to alleviate poverty, but rather a holistic approach such as providing information on nutritional health was part of the solution. Something I found fascinating was their "Beekeeping Project" where they educate farmer how to beekeeper in order to make honey and wax. This is a way to supplement the farmers income or to help those who don't own large plots of land. In my finance classes, we learned about the diversification of a portfolio in order to control the risk of relying on one asset. It was great to see various concepts being applied on a larger scale.
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