Part A: Field Work. Visit to Sopo, interviews with community members and participants of the project. Take notes and analyze community's responses. Use the visit to complete the final report.
Part B: I had the opportunity to visit Sopó with Lina Sanchez, the coordinator of that specific project. She showed me around and we visited the main places where the project functioned and she introduced me to various community members as well so I could talk to them and ask them their personal interest and point of view in the project. We went to see the major (the project in Sopó is managed mainly by Alpina and the municipality who have almost the same investment in the project) who unfortunately was not there, but I got to meet the accountant while Lina talked to him about the possibility of extending the project to the next year. It was interesting to see the dynamics of the conversation, it seems that although both parties were interested in continuing, the accountant called the first lady, and asked if they were interested in continuing with the project or not. They had to reevaluate costs and benefits from the project because since January 1st, new government officials have been elected.
Part B: I had the opportunity to visit Sopó with Lina Sanchez, the coordinator of that specific project. She showed me around and we visited the main places where the project functioned and she introduced me to various community members as well so I could talk to them and ask them their personal interest and point of view in the project. We went to see the major (the project in Sopó is managed mainly by Alpina and the municipality who have almost the same investment in the project) who unfortunately was not there, but I got to meet the accountant while Lina talked to him about the possibility of extending the project to the next year. It was interesting to see the dynamics of the conversation, it seems that although both parties were interested in continuing, the accountant called the first lady, and asked if they were interested in continuing with the project or not. They had to reevaluate costs and benefits from the project because since January 1st, new government officials have been elected.
I also had the opportunity to meet different “tenderos” in the area. Tenderos are people who own small markets (imagine an Oki Doki but smaller, less organized and with a smaller variety of products), and are part of the project as Alpina was trying to help them sell fruits and vegetables to encourage people to buy them. F.A provides different types of trainings, informational sessions, and provide them with materials not only to learn how they can sell these products, but how they can make them in their own backyards. This was an important part of the project but after talking to most of the tenderos, I found out that there is not a strict follow up job done by Alpina and the Department of Agricultural Development.
After visiting and talking to different people, I was able to create a much clearer perspective of what can be done in terms of productive projects for Sopó. I was also able to observe a couple of things that are not necessarily are working right and I can incorporate that as part of my final report for F.A. However, I saw an extremely responsive community from Sopó, they seem to like the project but most importantly, and they trust in the work that is being done by Alpina and are interested in continuing with them in the following years. This proved my assumptions of the good job that F.A has been doing with their projects, because they are truly making people feel that “collective wellbeing” that they mention so often as part of their values.
You mentioned there are new goverment officials in place now. Did you get a sense of how people are viewing the newly elected? While this have a negative or positive impact on the project/company?
ReplyDeleteThe new government officials started in January 1st, so I haven't had a chance to really perceive how people are viewing the new major. From the few comments that I heard about this issue, is that people feel positive about this transition (although they really liked the work that was done by the last major in terms of socioeconomic development). I believe there are very high expectations of this new government since the last major was recognized on a national level because during 2011 he made Sopo a municipality "free from extreme poverty".
ReplyDeleteEqually important, it seems that the First Lady is very interested in working in Social projects as she has her own non profit organization dedicated towards social causes. Although this is good, it could affect negatively the project being done in Sopo because as I talked to Lina (the director of the project in Sopo), she believes that the First Lady might want to take over the project or develop new ones in the name of her own non-profit organization (perhaps to give status, and improve the presence and name of it in the municipality and later in a state or national level). This does not mean that their intentions are bad, but I believe that this would have a negative impact in various ways. First, the project would lose continuity which would discourage community members who were interested in the project. Second, it will have a strong effect in the community, the main reason being that the community already identifies Fundacion Alpina and Alpina as an important player in the region, and an allies that has helped them improve their life styles (might be due to tradition, as Alpina started in Sopo in 1945). For this same reason, it will affect the company because it already has a presence in the municipality.
It seems however that the new government is interested in working with Alpina, but from what I sensed in the visit to the City Hall, it seems that they want to work with them in a different way. Apparently they want to integrate a couple projects that the First Lady wants to start with the already existing ones. Hopefully, all the work that has been done, and that will be done will keep benefiting the community.
Interesting!!
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