The Desperation of a Salesman

Unlike my other blog posts where I comment about what I'm doing in Panama, this one is actually part of what I'm doing and allows the reader to participate. Let me explain:
I'm working with a coffee cooperative in Cerro Iglesias, and the project we hope to complete before next year's harvest will improve both the quality of our coffee and the quantity we can produce. Because I am not allowed to ask my friends and family to send down envelopes of cash, no matter how noble the cause, we solicited funds through an organization called Peace Corps Partnership, which allows other people to donate online to fund our project. Here's the website:
www.peacecorps.gov/re sources/donors/contribute/projdetail.cfm?projdesc=525-087&region=latinamerica
On that site, I think I do a pretty poor job of explaining what the money is for and who will benefit, so I'll try to do a better job here.
The money (approximately $1500) is primarily for two things: a 2 1/2 horsepower, gas-powered motor, and the materials for a coffee drying house, similar to a wood-framed greenhouse.
1. Five years ago, a Japanese NGO built a coffee processing plant (beneficio) in Cerro Iglesias so that the people could process their own coffee beans. The green apparatus in the picture is the de-pulper, which removes the bean from the fruit by forcing the beans through two revolving turbines. A wooden funnel on the second floor, which is connected to the de-pulper, allows for many bags of coffee beans to be de-pulped at once. Due to the size of the de-pulper, it can not be turned by hand, which is why we need a motor. Perhaps the NGO did not provide a motor in hopes that the community would prove its commitment by buying one themselves, but this type of motor costs $400-$500, which is money they didn't and don't have. The local cooperative managed to acquire a smaller, hand-operated de-pulper, but during the peak of the harvest it is insufficient as the processing of coffee is very time sensitive. This smaller de-pulper is also not sheltered from the rain, so when a downpour comes both the men working and coffee get soaked. With a motor to power the larger de-pulper, we will be able to process more coffee and at a higher quality, while staying dry.
2. The rain, which peaks during the coffee harvest, is the reason the drying house is necessary. Much like de-pulping, drying is very time sensitive: the longer the beans stay wet, the more flavor they lose and the lower the buying price. The drying house, which is much like a wood-framed greenhouse, will allow the beans to continue to dry when the rain comes. Right now, we place the beans out in the sun in the morning (see below) and then cover them up when the rain comes in the afternoon. Because our drying facilities are inadequate, we sell our beans partially dry, at a lower price. The drying house will allow for more coffee to be dried more quickly.
Those are the two main components of the project, but paramount to those details is the fact that the project is an investment in local agriculture, which is the best way for this indigenous area to advance and gain autonomy. Agricultural crops such as coffee are the only products that people in Cerro Iglesias and the surrounding areas can sell outside of their communities. Therefore through agriculture is the best opportunity for local employment, which is the only way to entice the younger generation not to look for work in the cities. Cerro Iglesias will advance and adapt one way or the other along with the rising tide of modernization, but if done through agriculture, such as a coffee, that advancement can promote autonomy and retain local culture.
I really dislike the role of the salesman, primarily because I am so bad at it. I think this project is important though, and not just because it will make me feel like I got something done in my time in Panama. So I'm schilling here. Thanks for reading. Happy Holidays.