We met up at the Seattle-Tacoma airport, early on the morning of June 26th. With loaded backpacks strapped to our bodies, we eagerly walked through the terminal, anticipating the experiences that were going to encounter. While sitting on the plane, we began to discuss the details of the job we were about to undertake.
With the support of the Blum Center, we have been hired by Freedom from Hunger as consultants to carry out qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys with clients of the Chiapas based microfinance institution, Al Sol. Freedom From Hunger is a Davis, California based non-profit organization that provides support to microfinance institutions that implement “Credit with Education” programs and village-banking style loans. Freedom from Hunger has worked with Al Sol since they began operating in Mexico. In 2009, Freedom from Hunger conducted interviews with women in rural communities in five regions of Chiapas: San Cristóbal de las Casas, Bochil, Yajalón, Palenque, and Escuintla. In the next two months, we will be returning to these areas to conduct follow-up interviews in an effort to determine how their food sovereignty and economic security has changed since first receiving a micro-loan.
We arrived in the smoggy outskirts of Mexico City and quickly hopped on the metro to find a place to sleep. We certainly stood out with our big backpacks, but the other train passengers were happy to make room for us. The next day was spent getting a feel for the culture and history of Mexico. We ate tacos at the market, admired murals by Diego Rivera, and passed the evening in the streets with thousands of Mexicans rallying for a change of government in the upcoming elections.
The next night, we caught a bus to the Oaxacan coast to soak up some rays and relax before starting work at the beginning of the month. Our time on the coast can be characterized by: sunburns, fish tacos, and clear water. We journeyed further south through the night, to San Cristobal de las Casas, where the Al Sol central office is located. In the morning, we met Matilde, the director of the Freedom from Hunger office in Mexico. The next few days were filled with meetings at Al Sol and exploration of San Cristobal.
What a wonderful town this is: cobblestone streets, colorful flags, sweet music, delicious food, friendly people, an exciting history, beautiful crafts, and two toned adobe and stucco homes. We found a nice place to live and have quickly been welcomed into a community. Tomorrow we leave for several weeks of interviews. Kelly is off to Bochil, and Willee to Yajalón. When we finish these regions, we will meet up in Palenque, and then head to Escuintla. Despite our comfort here in San Cristobal, we could not be more excited to get started interviewing campesinas in Chiapas.
Willee Roberts and Kelly Taylor
UC Davis undergraduate students in International Relations
July, 2012
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