Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Let’s talk a little about economic themes.
We will learn in the following news report about the work of a company
that dehydrates Nicaraguan organic fruits that has just begun to export internationally.
A company that tries to offer job opportunities, mostly to single mothers, in the municipality of San Marcos in the department of Carazo.
And it is a company that furthermore works with renewable energy to protect the environment.
“The group of women that are present,
we do the same everyday, we have the same knowledge.
Some days some of us process and cut the fruits.
Others put them in trays and place them in the cart that goes in the dryer.
Others are packing.
And it has been a very nice experience because I have learned so many skills in the dehydrated fruit process there.”
Guadalupe is one of the 10 single mothers who works at Burke Agro,
A company located in the municipality of San Marcos, department of Carazo.
Burke Agro dehydrates organic fruits, like banana, mango, pineapple and pitaya (dragon fruit), among others-
fruits that are sold through the Sol Simple brand in the local market as well as in the international market.
“Sol Simple can represent all the work that we are doing, which is working with solar energy and the group of single mothers who support us in the supervision.
Putting money in the hands of a single mother has a more positive impact economically in a marginalized community
than it would in hands of others, so it’s a way that they can take care of their children better.”
“We go with our children to work and there is no problem because we do not have anyone to take care of that them.”
Juana has a 6 year old son and has been working at Burke Agro for 5 years. They get paid 90 cordobas a day since they work by production.
“We hope that Mr. Will opens doors of opportunity
so that we always have a stable job,”
Luisa Amanda of 35 years old has two daughters
and decided to leave her job at a sweat shop although it implied to perceive less income.
Because the job in the sweat shop is very complicated, I was very poorly treated
and every day would be very exhausting after the two years that I worked there. So, here I feel more at peace.
Guadalupe has two boys and also worked for 10 years in a free trade zone, and although makes less money,
the time she dedicates to her youngest son compensates it.
“I’m not saying that right now economically I am well,
but I feel that with little money I can cover expenses and it gives chance me to fulfill my tasks that are pending.”
According to Guadalupe, in the municipality of San Marcos the only two sources of jobs
are coffee picking and sweat shops and for the majority for these single woman mothers, their dream is for their children to study a technical career.
There are high school graduates that find jobs at sweat shops
because they cannot continue their studies due to their economic situation.
The hope for this group of single mothers is that each day they can have more opportunities in
Burke Agro and that the demand of products and production increases.
“What I am trying to do it is to expand our line of products to diversify a little to
give to more jobs and we have seen that it finally works because we are
employing with regularity now much more that before but what would be ideal is that we work daily.”
Even though Burke Agro has been operating for 5 years, only a year
ago it started exporting to the international market. “We are contracting with
Whole Foods. It is the largest organic and natural grocery store chain in the world…
Yes, it is called Whole Foods Market and it has about 317 super markets in the world.”
A contract that is promissory, according to the representative of CEI in
Nicaragua. “There is a huge demand for dried fruit that is within the culture
of the American and European consumer who likes using dehydrated
products to take them on trips and pack them in children’s snacks.”
Indeed with the purpose to offer a more healthy snack for children was
that this brilliant idea came up from William Burke who was a literature teacher.
“With my experience and interest in renewable energy and organic snacks, there had to be a better snack for kids."
"The organic product is perceived like a natural product."
In the future Burke Agro aspires to construct a center for single mothers who work in the company.
My focus would be on education and a place where the children can go,
kind of like a kindergarten funded by Burke Agro/Sol Simple providing materials for education.
“And mostly what we desire is for Mr. Will to always give us work. We help him
and he helps us in that way to be able to help our children be something in the future."