Mangos and Computers

January 13th, 2007 La Encantada, Peru

Mangos (dried)

The price of mangos here is an atrocity. One of the major ways to earn income here is to farm mangos. They sell for about $3 a case which holds about 25 mangos. Mangos in the States sell for about $1 a piece minimum. I decided we have to find an alternative. So we have begun drying them.

Solar power is a very economical way to dry fruit, if you have frequent access to it. Considering it tops 100º F here just about every day, this is not a problem. About 3 weeks ago we built a dryer out of plywood and began drying mangos. We plan on selling them in supermarkets and some other specialty shops that have nuts and other dried fruit. Other Volunteers are already lined up to purchase any leftovers we have. That is for this season. The season lasts from November to February. If we have success we will try to export next season and find some profit margin for the farmers. So far so well. I´ll give you an update when we make our first venture to sell. We are still waiting for enough bulk. Currently, we can only dry a kilo every two days.

Computer Classes

I started teaching computer classes this week. I have twelve students in two different classes that last two hours each from Monday to Friday. It has been interesting experience. All the kids want to do is draw since I taught them Paint. Next course I will teach that last. The teenagers have been learning Excel and it is rewarding to see their faces when I teach them shortcuts and tricks like Autofill. I think soon I am going to teach a course on how to design a catalog. The kids are excited everyday for class and that makes it worth it when they drive me up the wall.