Essentially, the cooperatives are a wonderfully democratic idea. Actually, co-ops are exactly that; worker owned, democratically run businesses, where every member has an equal vote. Then! Then we went to El Porvenir today, a mountain-top community with a coffee co-op. With their money, which they democratically choose how to spend, they have built a school for their children and now currently have two youth enrolled in Nicaraguan universities.

I worked in the "clinic" (which we set-up for the day) with Doctor Don for half the day, calling in patients and helping to translate. Most of what we saw were ear infections, urinary tract infections, fevers, stomach aches, and muscle aches.

One guy may have fractured his fibula in his leg ... but hospitals are a-l-l-l-l-l the way down the mountain and miles away, so what do you do?? Well, he's just got to wait till they can make a trip out to the hospital and find the money to pay for x-rays and possibly a cast. Can you imagine?

Anyway, it was a beautiful place and the children were the excitement of the community as always. But rural poverty, as we all know, is the worst. They've got to take two trips on the tractor down this ridiculously steep mountain just to fetch water for themselves. Urinary tract infections can occur when you don't have enough fluids. And it all connects in this circle of poverty...

Okay, so have I found any morsels of an answer like I promised I would?

Yes, broadly. EDUCATION ... these children have so much potential to learn and better their communities. DEMOCRACY in business ... what coffee plantation would "waste" his profits on a school for his worker's children? LOVE ... this trip and every encounter with the people of this country would be absolutely miserable without the love found in each smile, each hand wave, and each difficult attempt at English/Spanish, and cross-cultural communication!

Just as a provocative question to close, How is the good ol' US of A doing on those three essentials?

Love,

Keith