“Dear God, please look after our families while we’re gone…Dear God, please look after the driver of our bus, help him drive well so we all arrive safely…Dear God, thank you for this opportunity, may we learn much from it.”
And then we were off to El Salvador to see a real working spinning plant! We had managed to convince the Interamerican Development Bank to finance a trip for all members of the Genesis co-op to visit the factory in San Salvador that purchased all our organic cotton this past year. The owners of the plant had agreed to show us around so that we could all see how a spinning operation works, an important precursor to training in spinning production, and something that we could do while we wait for results from the lawsuit against Coker International and equipment.
But more importantly, the trip was meant to boost the low morale of the Genesis members, give them something to focus on and look forward to, and – if they were thrifty with the per diem they were given for the trip – a little extra income.
During their preparations for the trip co-op members voted to spend some of their per diem to purchase polo shirts with the monogrammed Genesis logo and each member’s name embroidered on the sleeve. To you or me, the shirt-buying might seem like waste of precious resources, but it was symbolic for co-op members. When Jamileth showed up at her extended family’s home and showed them her two Genesis shirts, their response was, “Wow, so you really do have a business.” And the monogrammed uniform shirt proved it.
For others, the fact that we were finally able to arrange the trip to El Salvador was in itself significant – former co-op members had gotten wind that a trip was planned and said, “That trip is never going to happen, that’s just the gringos telling more lies to manipulate you.” When we bought the bus tickets for the 12 hour journey north, Genesis members practically blew raspberries in the faces of the naysayers – it felt good to be doing something concrete and big after so long waiting around! Sara overheard her mother – who has been worried about Sara wasting her time at the co-op when she’s sure equipment will never arrive – bragging about her on the telephone. “Sara has a trip to El Salvador now, her business is up and running and this is just the first trip of many, nothing can stop them now!”
It was the first time out of Nicaragua for most co-op members, and many who had never even seen the north of Nicaragua watched out the windows in fascination as we headed up to El Salvador. I think everyone was scared – of leaving their families, of going so far away, of being in an unfamiliar place. I know they missed home, I know many cried themselves to sleep at night. But they shared food, drink and cell phone minutes with one another, and in the morning everyone was in the lobby of our hotel at 6 AM, showered and dressed in their monogrammed Genesis shirts, ready to head to the factory.
The plant manager himself met us and not only showed us all the different sections of their (97,000 sq ft!!!) spinning factory, but gave us extensive information specific to the spinning process as well as general business advice (“It’s easier to prevent a problem than fix one.” “Time is golden.”). Everyone was awed, practically tripping over themselves as they walked around open-mouthed filming the factory with their cell phone cameras.
Our host was kind enough to answer our endless questions and when the Genesis folks began to say, “It looks like we’ve got to go expand our building,” he kindly replied, “It’s all about scale. Everyone has to start somewhere.” He then told us the story of how their factory was started 30 years ago in a space the size of the Genesis factory, and how over the years it has grown to include a whole complex of several city blocks employing 1,230 people. The Genesis co-op was much encouraged by that story. And when we met a 98 year old woman who started work there 30 years ago and is still employed (as a greeter at the knitting factory), the older women of the Genesis group rejoiced, hugged her within an inch of her life, and all had their pictures taken with her.
One of the most helpful parts of our trip was gaining an understanding for the entire textile process. The Genesis folks had already met some of the technicians from the Salvadoran plant when they came to Nicaragua to teach them how to inspect the cotton for polypropylene contamination, but while in El Salvador they were able to see why that inspection was important. We were also able to see our wobbly, loose-packed bales of Nicaraguan organic cotton next to the neat, tightly packed bales of cotton imported from the U.S. and see firsthand why that causes problems in the spinning plant (the Salvadorans have offered to help check our baler to see how we can increase its packing pressure). Seeing the spinning process allowed us to put a mental picture and process to the machine names we’ve heard for so long. On our last day there we were able to see the knitting and dying factory, which allowed us to understand why determining color and characteristics of the cotton to keep different lots of yarn separate is important to the end product.
We were able to squeeze in a morning of sightseeing around San Salvador (learning about Archbishop Romero, first trip to a real art museum) and an afternoon at the beach eating shrimp cocktails, which made it seem like a real vacation for the Genesis folks. Still, when we crossed the border into Nicaragua, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. “Even if I get lost now, I can still find my way home!” Geovanny told me.
There were many wonderful moments during our trip to El Salvador, but one of the best came at the end, when the Genesis members all began calculating what they could do with money they had left from their per diems.
Jamileth waved her leftover cash at me and said, “With this, I’m going to buy a washing machine. I’ve already found a deal on new ones at the market.” Imagine what Jamileth and her daughter can do with all the time they’ll save once they don’t have to wash the family’s clothes by hand all weekend long.
Ramona’s mother celebrated her 95th birthday the day we got back to Nicaragua. “I’m going to buy a toilet and have it installed in the house,” Ramona told me. “That way my poor mother won’t have to go out to the latrine in the mud during the rains.”
So, was the trip to El Salvador a success? Absolutely. – Becca
