For my STEP signature project, I participated in the Buck-I-SERV trip to Siquetepepe, Honduras. This trip aimed to learn about the “Farm to Table” process of coffee beans that are used in a high-class blend served by Crimson Cup on campus. We visited a coffee farm in which we learned about the process of picking the cherries that contain the coffee beans. These cherries are then sent to a dry farm in which the coffee beans are extracted and laid out to dry. We also worked with a local organization called Serve Hope to build a simple wooden house for a family in need.
Throughout this project, my view of the world greatly transformed. I had visited a few other countries before however, these countries are known for their tourism and hospitality. Siquetepepe is a smaller city in Honduras but is a good representation of how most of the citizens live. During this trip, I gained a better sense of understanding about the organization Serve Hope and their mission as well as the daily lives of the children of the farmers.
The leaders of Serve Hope are a couple that have worked with the organization since it was founded. They have so much passion for their projects and they have successfully helped over 200 families in 2023 with their water filtration systems and their house builds. They often open their own home up to the volunteers with free meals and night stays. They started a small school for children in the area that has grown to a school for students from pre-K to 6th grade with plans for a new school to begin construction in 2024. This school has also provided classes for women to learn different types of crafts which are then sold globally on social media. Seeing their passion and hard work was truly motivational as many of the families that they help often come back to volunteer as soon as they are able.
Working with the volunteers of Serve Hope also showed how important culture and religion are in Latin American countries. Serve Hope is a Catholic organization and the families that they help are often recommended by pastors or religious leaders all over Honduras. Before every build, a prayer is said to bless the safety of the volunteers and the work they are about to perform. Even though religion is part of their organization, they focus on helping anyone no matter their beliefs. Everyone is treated like family and they don’t try to push their religion off on those they help. Religion and culture are often a hard subject to discuss in the US as it is often used controversially in many political campaigns. Seeing this religious organization help others while not denying help to those who may not have the same beliefs or try to push their beliefs on others was refreshing.
At the coffee farm, we had the chance to talk with the family that has been running the farm for generations. Families from around the area come to the farm to pick the cherries during the day and receive pay based on the pounds of cherries picked. Children are often part of the process as they are taught at a young age how to harvest the cherries. Their school year revolves around the coffee season and their “summer” occurs during prime harvesting months. It was interesting to see how even at a young age, the children were already experienced pickers and were able to harvest a whole branch in a short amount of time. They were also excited to show us how to pick the cherries and were able to explain what time of cherries were ripe or ready to pick. This was very eye-opening as children are often not expected to work in the US until they are in high school or done with school.
Overall, this experience was very valuable and related to my long-term career goal of improving the infrastructure of developing countries. Partaking in the house build was a great experience to learn about more simplistic house build. Many of the houses in Honduras were also built with a concrete frame which differs from a wood frame that is typically used in the US. This trip was also very valuable because I gained a better sense of appreciation for many things that we take for granted.
