Empowering Individuals in the Global Community Through Entrepreneurship
John M. Mackey (CEO of Whole Foods Market)As we have done business around the world increasingly we feel we have the responsibility to help those communities we are trading in. Our partnership, through the Whole Planet Foundation, with Global Vision International, will help our Whole Foods Market Team Members contribute to our mission.
Whole Foods Market supports Team Member volunteer trips to global communities where Whole Planet Foundation is funding microcredit. Team Members volunteer for 2-4 weeks to experience the impact of microcredit and sustainable systems, be connected to the food we sell, learn language and culture, and provide community service. Since 2007, 89 Team Members have volunteered in communities in Guatemala and Costa Rica, feeding 75,200 meals to school children, distributing 15 tons of food, building 22 carbon-efficient stoves for families, teaching 114,573 classroom hours, relocating 82 turtle nests, releasing 1,114 hatchlings and patrolling 600 miles of beach, planting 6,490 trees, working construction for 692 hours, and meeting 510 Whole Planet Foundation microcredit clients lifting themselves out of poverty. In 2010, 25 more Team Members will be volunteering in Guatemala. Follow them at twitter.com/wholeplanet and facebook.com/wholeplanetfoundation.
In 2011, we hope to offer volunteer opportunities in India, Kenya and Peru.
Volunteers have the unique opportunity of being immersed in one of several indigenous communities situated near our base town, Panajachel, a beautiful old town on the shores of Lake Atitlan, an awe-inspiring spectacle of sheer beauty, surrounded by volcanoes. Volunteers work alongside GVI Staff, supporting the leaders of the local indigenous communities to develop educational and community programs. The programs assist children who otherwise would not have the opportunity of any formal education or who need educational reinforcement, and the local families to improve their own standard of living via micro-financing and small scale construction initiatives.
Going to Guatemala meant so much to me because it put real people and real faces on the Whole Planet Foundation mission. My perspective completely changed when I looked in the eyes of those women borrowers- what challenges they face every day and how hard their life is. They are beautiful, amazing women with a lot on their shoulders to carry and they just need that little loan to rise above the challenges of their society and their life. I felt a responsibility to them and I knew the best way I could assist them is by creating awareness when I returned back to my local stores. Asking people to donate $1 or 2 dollars is such a small amount for us, but collectively can add up to an entire loan for a woman, or 2 loans for 2 women, etc. The effects of that $1 or $2 are even more far reaching because it touches her family, her children, and even the generations to come. I hope that through my Guatemala experience I can make a huge difference in the lives of the borrowers and their families.
Kerry Page, Rocky Mountain TM Volunteer
Volunteers who join this four-week program live and work in one of the poorer regions of Costa Rica, and are able to experience different regions of the country through excursions. The project is based in Limon Province, in a town called La Alegria, close to Guacimo. Guacimo lies on the eastern side of the country, 2.5 hours by minibus from San Jose, towards the Caribbean coast. Volunteers travel from San Jose to EARTH University to tour its banana plantation and processing facility where EARTH repurposes banana waste into paper, and to learn about the benefits of Whole Trade Guarantee Program. In the same week, volunteers are taught about microcredit by Grameen Trust, a Whole Planet Foundation partner, and will attend a borrower meeting and visit the businesses borrowers have developed as a result of the microloan. Team Members learn Spanish and interact with the community, learning about the history of the area and the social and environmental challenges. Community service includes work on a program of education, as requested by the local community, which may include English Language teaching after school, one-on-one reinforcement, and adult education. There is also limited opportunity to assist with construction programs as well. On a weekend, volunteers visit New Chapter Organic's Costa Rican farm, Luna Nueva, which is near to Arenal Volcano. They will see the medical gardens, learn about the rainforest and bio-dynamics and have a composting workshop. On a another weekend, Team Members will visit the impressive Tortuguerro National Park and perhaps see wildlife such as monkeys, caiman, crocodiles, and the stunning birdlife such as toucans. Volunteers will learn about and join a turtle conservation program at night and if they are lucky, may see turtles emerging to lay their eggs. The third weekend is available for Team Members to explore Costa Rica as they wish, as popular activities include zip lining, rafting and the beach! This program helps Costa Rican families to improve their standard of living, via sustainable development initiatives, educational facilities for the next generation of Costa Ricans and also assists in the conservation of Costa Rican natural resources.
In Costa Rica we had the opportunity to meet some of the microcredit clients. We went to their homes and saw what they can do with a microloan. At one borrowers home we saw a tilapia fish pond, a small field of ornamental plants and a sugar cane grove. The family was very happy and am sure healthy! $200 can go a long way toward changing a family and their future.
Scott Price, Southwest Region TM Volunteer
