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PCUSA Delegation to Nicaragua |
Journey to the Coffee Lands
This January the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and Equal Exchange sponsored their first cooperatively lead Presbyterian Coffee Project and Enough for Everyone delegation to Nicaragua. Eleven Presbyterians from across the country gathered together for a powerful week of learning, growing and worship. We gathered first in Managua to learn about the realities facing the country and to prepare for our travels.
The next day we were off to the city of Boaco for a two day visit with the Tierra Nueva Cooperative Union, one of Equal Exchange’s trading partners. This was the first time that the cooperative hosted a delegation and they gave us an incredible welcome full of music, dancing and piñatas. Some delegates found the most powerful experience to be the time spent staying overnight with farmers and their families. Our group was excited and upbeat, even during two days of unexpected rain in the mountainous countryside of Nicaragua. We shared what rain gear we had and did our best to learn all we could about harvesting coffee.
Then we traveled to Esteli to the see the processing mill of the cooperative PRODECOOP, where we witnessed the final processing of coffee before export. Our guide at PRODECOOP, Ishmael Campas H. spoke to us of the importance of Fair Trade. “I think that solidarity is a real bridge… there is a chain that connects us. The more you recognize the chain that connects us, the more important it is to you”.
Finally, we returned to Managua for our wrap up as well as a chance to visit COMAMNUVI, a worker-owned Fair Trade garment cooperative. At the coop, we met the women who sew Sweat-Free Ts and Equal Exchange T-shirts and saw the garment factory they built with their own hands. Delegates left Nicaragua with a lot of excitement about different ways that we can take these experiences back to our communities.
Our group with the members and staff of
Tierra Nueva Cooperative Union in Boaco, Nicaragua
Links:
http://www.pcusa.org/enough/
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