Day 11: Above It All

Today after work, Adoña, Alex, and I vowed to climb up to the Coca-Cola sign that is perched halfway up the western mountains above San Pedro Sula. As a security precaution, I have decided not to run around the city, so I was excited to get a little exercise at this spot that is a haven for Hondurans looking for a little athletic adventure. As we drove toward the base of the mountain, the jungle of cement and cars ended in a sea of green. Nature’s chorus of birds and breezes quickly replaced the artificial sounds of civilization. Higher and higher, our feet followed the serpentine path up the majestic mountain. Dollar signs loomed larger with every passing moment, but these incredible vistas were not solely to be enjoyed by the rich. Squatters, too, had made their mark and were happy to offer a cold water to passersby, at a premium of course.

Finally, after collecting more S’s than are in a Scrabble game, it was our turn to go…. C-O-C-A-C-O-L-A. 14 points, not bad at all. Hundreds of feet below, thousands of people carried on with millions of mundane chores that make life possible. Banks, churches, homes, and hotels all simultaneously burst into light as dusk was fast approaching. Way off in the distance, a single light pulsated with a message of danger or perhaps hope, but we were unable to decode its message. Turning our backs on the city, our feet made their way back on the trail, fireflies pointing the way home in the darkness.

Joel Montgomery

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Day 10: Meetings

Having worked in Latin America before, I am accustomed to having people arrive late to meetings, but working at CJM has been a whole new experience. On Sunday, we had scheduled an important meeting for today in which I was going to summarize their decisions and give a little structure to the new and improved cooperative. One of the most important people never showed up. He didn’t even call to let us know that he would not be joining us. We continued with the meeting, but no one wanted to get into too much detail until we had the other member present. During the meeting, I shared with the team a checklist to help identify the necessary objectives that needed to be accomplished for them to successfully transition into the new cooperative. I have been very conscious to offer direction without doing the work for them. In another month, I will not be with CJM, so it’s critical that they go through this process, understand the changes, and of course feel comfortable with them.

I’ve also noticed that many of the collaborators in CJM have multiple jobs, but I have no idea how they are able to keep them. While in the US, most workers are expected to be at work most of the time, many of the Hondurans are doing numerous other projects besides their “primary job.” It’s certainly common in Latin America for people to have jobs on the side to supplement one’s income, but this seems to be a whole other level.

Joel Montgomery

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Day 9: Typical Day?

Today I met Salvador and Juan Jose, two members of Creative Associates International, who are the regional coordinators of the USAID-SICA funded project, Regional Youth Alliance (Alianza Joven Regional) . The project seeks to prevent youth from entering gangs and helps those who have left the gang life behind. CJM is receiving some support from this project.

After bringing Salvador and Juan Jose up to speed on my work with CJM, we attended an unveiling ceremony of a mural that was painted by former gang members as a critique of the vastly different lives of rich and poor in San Pedro Sula. The mural is located on the central avenue, for all to see. During the celebration, there were dancers and live music.

For lunch, we headed to a typical Honduran restaurant called Power Chicken. Ever since I arrived in San Pedro, everyone has raved about it and I must confess that all the hype is not in vain. I ate chicken, steak, arroz chino, platanos maduros and washed it all down with a tall glass of horchata.

During the evening, I attended a Rotary Club meeting at the Hotel Copantl. What impressed me most was to hear the chorus of booming bass voices belt out the National Anthem with pride and love for their country.

Joel Montgomery

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Day 8: Dinner with a Side of Politics

This evening, I had dinner with a fellow Thunderbird and his girlfriend in a local hangout, Pecos Bill. One of the things I love most about having graduated from Thunderbird is that I can be in any country in the world and almost always find a Thunderbird alum.

Much of our dinner conversation revolved around current events and national politics. According to my friends, Honduras has become a staging area for drug trafficking, as the Mexican government has clamped down on the trade through its borders. Within Honduras, there are a number of unpaved runways deep in the countryside where the Colombians land with their products. About a week ago, there was a land dispute between farmers and cattle ranchers in eastern Honduras that resulted in ten people being killed with AK-47s. While land disputes are common, the use of automatic weapons almost certainly points to the drug trade’s involvement. Apparently, some of the Mexican drug cartels have come to Honduras to set up operations that transport the illegal substances by both land and sea to the lucrative American market.

On the politics front, I have learned that Honduras’ president, Manuel Zelaya, has populist tendencies and is friends with Venezuela’s notorious socialist, Hugo Chavez. In Honduras, the president has only one four-year term with no provision for reelection. National elections will occur again in November 2009.

Joel Montgomery

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Day 7: Direction

On Sunday afternoon, the CJM team and I traveled to the outskirts of San Pedro Sula to Ami Noel’s cousin’s weekend home. After traveling for about 30 minutes on a paved road heading South, we turned off on a dirt road and headed deeper and deeper into the countryside. On the way, we stopped by a truck full of watermelons to buy some fresh snacks for the afternoon. As we got closer to the house, we passed by some quaint little dwellings of local farmers and then Ami Noel pointed out our destination at the top of the hill, an impressive country cottage that seemed as if it should belong in the Alps instead of the Honduran countryside. Apparently, Ami Noel’s cousin owns a small Maquila and has built the business from scratch.

We all jumped out of the truck as soon as we arrived in the driveway like kids that had just seen their first water park. We explored the land and marveled at the beautiful scenery. After riding horses and relaxing in the shade, we focused our attention on the question at hand, “What was the future of CJM?” During our Friday reality check, I had given the team five possible scenarios regarding the future of CJM: 1. Do nothing, 2. Modify the current model, 3. Focus on building a sustainable business first and then add the social element at a later date, 4. Focus solely on the social objective, or 5. Close CJM. During our retreat, we analyzed each possibility by listing the advantages and disadvantages. Jesus shared the original vision of the cooperative, which was to be an umbrella organization that would help sell the services of micro enterprises. In theory, these small businesses were to be funded by members of the group. In reality, CJM had failed to develop the internal expertise necessary to offer each of the technical services, and as a result was forced to subcontract to other suppliers, some with questionable ethics. I suggested that the group refocus its efforts on developing the expertise within the group first. Suddenly, a cloud began to lift over the team. They began to make alliances with one another and decide what types of businesses they would like to start. The excitement was palpable. No longer would they be forced to conform to an idea of selling services they did not understand, but rather, they could focus their efforts on creating their own small businesses that revolved around their own experience. As a result of the meeting, three small businesses are forming in the following areas: Graphic Arts, Fumigation, and Consulting. For me, the most exciting part was that the idea didn’t come from a single member of the team, but was a group effort. I must confess that I had no idea how the retreat would end, but now I am energized and excited about the future.

Joel Montgomery

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Day 6: On to the Soccer Fields We Go

During Saturday afternoon, Jesus and I headed to the outskirts of San Pedro Sula for a soccer match. The match was held next to a center called “Feed the Children,” where a lot of street kids are receiving help. When we arrived, the younger kids were already playing on the oddly shaped field, dotted with water-filled potholes. Most of the locals were playing without shoes, while the visiting team had orange uniforms and nice soccer cleats. We sat under the shade with a nice breeze to cool our faces. Suddenly, out of nowhere, appeared a 10-year old kid with bright eyes that said “Hello, how are jou” (In Honduras, “y” is pronounced as a “j,” so many people learning English have trouble with pronunciation). Little Misiel and I conversed for a bit and I later learned that he had been a street kid as well and had no idea who his mother was. I can only imagine that this child has gone through more than his fair share of tragedy and yet he is so young.

After the young kids finished their game, I got to play with the older group. I am certainly no expert, but I played reasonably well against these players who have been football fans since they were three or four. Our team won 4-1.

Joel Montgomery

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Day 5: Digging Deeper into the Problem

After a nice breakfast of baby cereal and bananas, I headed to work. Two of my colleagues are interested in starting their own Graphic Design firm and wanted to meet with me to discuss how they should go about preparing for the venture. We had a nice talk about how to properly analyze the financial viability of the future business along with the necessary steps in order to define the structure and processes.

Around 10:00am, I received a phone call from a friend’s grandmother who is involved in a foundation that is sponsored by the Catholic Church to help ex-gang members. During this past week, I’ve noticed that there are at least six organizations that are targeting the same group of former gang members. From rough estimates that I have heard, there are a total of 300-500 gang members in San Pedro Sula. Most of these organizations are targeting the same 60 individuals, with only 25 receiving the majority of help. These organizations put the same tattooed faces in pictures and updates in order to get more funding to serve around 25 people. In many cases, the target group is not even consulted about their thoughts. Some organizations even pay the former gang members to attend worthless talks so they can “prove” their effectiveness. The focus seems to be on attendance instead of actual improvement. For me, this whole experience has served to highlight the fact that real change must involve passion and business. The separate organizations should meet to discuss a common plan to help this group of young people, but power plays will surely keep this from happening.

This afternoon, I led a meeting with most of the CJM team to discuss my observations and analysis of their organization during the past week. Although it was not a huge surprise, I shared with them the reality that they need to make some major changes in order to survive the future and more importantly to serve their target group. I gave them a three-page report that included a list of steps toward sustainability. I ended the meeting reiterating the fact that I was not going to go through the steps by myself, since the purpose was to involve them in the process so they can learn and carry on the plans in the future.

Joel Montgomery

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