Two weeks in and what an eventful two weeks we have had! Being surrounded by such a contrasting culture and understanding the effects of work, family and politics has been overwhelming. Work and family appear to be hand in hand particularly in the northern area of Nicaragua.
Nicaragua’s coffee export is among the best in the world and this week our Progressio group, comprised of National and International volunteers, visited a local coffee plantation, Finca Santa Lucia: a family owned business catering for large-scale international coffee companies such as Starbucks and Nestle. I was pleasantly surprised by the sheer determination of the owner, Gonzalo, who, despite a two-year cancer battle, has been working in coffee for fifteen years.
His knowledge of the plantations was obvious: naming different areas of the plantation after his family members and knowing how many coffee plants are in each area just goes to show the importance the plantation had for him as well as the local and national economy. Gonzalo’s plantation, as well as helping the national economy, also provides work for women - especially from a background of loneliness and hardships - in the local community, helping them in both employment and emotionally as they now have the comfort of women in similar situations around them. The women who picked coffee beans as well as the other male coffee pickers definitely created a positive working environment; gender equality is a huge issue in Nicaragua and seeing women working along with men on mountains at altitudes over 1400m first-hand really gave me hope for gender equality here.
For every bucket filled with red ripe coffee beans, workers earn about 37 Córdoba which is equivalent to approximately £1. Coffee, as one of the main exports in Nicaragua, is a successful way of providing an income in communities through providing employment. It also brings communities together as they help each other on a larger scale without even realizing. I am keen to learn more about this industry and about employment for women, and this trip has certainly influenced further projects we can do regarding gender and employment in the beautiful country of Nicaragua. I can’t wait to learn much more here, and meet more amazing and determined people!
Progressio ICS volunteers blogs from Nicaragua
Photo of coffee beans by previous Progressio ICS volunteer Sharna Allen
