NEWS & REPORTS

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Visit One Alternative to Emigration: 
the Greenhouse in Peñon de los Baños

by Betsy Bowman

The Center for Global Justice returns to Peñon de los Baños on Saturday, Feb. 9.  Local residents who have recently joined together to form a S.P.R. – a Sociedad de Producción Rural or rural production company – will host the visitors.  These middle-aged parents of young adult children working in the U.S. want their kids to be able to come home.  With the help of the Center for Global Justice and some generous donors from previous visits to Peñon de los Baños, the Center’s loan fund was able to loan them most of the monies needed to build a greenhouse for growing organic tomatoes which they hope will provide jobs and income for their children once they return from the states. 

No parents want to see their children go to El Norte, but even less do the parents want to sell their ejido farm land.  One alternative to either of those drastic measures is to start a small business.  Some organizations in San Miguel de Allende provide school scholarships for children; others provide meals; others provide all kinds of social and medical services.  We at the Center for Global Justice endeavor to help rural folk build some sort of small productive enterprise – some sort of small business – to provide much needed income. Join us to see the progress on the green house and hear of future plans for their dairy farm. 

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