Tuesday, March 3, 2020

Chiapas Update: Day 1 and 2

 Hello there followers! These past two days have been a delightful introduction to our ABST experience! Within this time we have met a series of growers in the Salvador Urbina community and have learned about the beginning stages of coffee farming! Some highlights have been visiting with farmers named David and Samuel, who taught our group about their lifelong craft of coffee farming, and the change that Cafe Justo has brought to the community.

In this time we have been able to learn about the harrowing economic difficulties that many face in communities across Mexico and the world. Just a decade ago, Salvador Urbina and the surrounding areas were mainly comprised of women, the elderly, and children. So many families couldn’t sustain themselves, and to try to keep afloat, so many men came to the United States to earn a sustainable wage. During this time, they worked tirelessly, paying taxes and social security that they would in many ways never tap into. But every cent they could, they would send home to support their family, including children that they had never met.

This struggle and sacrifice has been elevated by programs like Cafe Justo’s coffee co-op, providing a path for families to sustain themselves and earn equitable wages in their community. It has been transformational to see economic justice lived out, literally connecting families in the homes we are visiting.

Now, we are preparing to learn even more about the coffee growing process, and continue to connect it to migrant issues and the communities we are immersed within this week. Be sure to stay connected by reading our Facebook posts and blog as the week progresses!










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