Guillermo 'Memo' Solorzano - When we needed to have some carpentry work done on the farm, we hired local carpenter, Guillermo 'Memo' Solorzano.  Memo built the first structures on our farm - a storage bodega and a field office. In time, we found Memo to have excellent managerial skills and entrusted him with a supervisory role, overseeing the rest of the field crew on a daily basis, reporting to the Project Manager, Steve B.  We promoted  him to a higher level than he had ever been given the chance to achieve. 

Memo's caring for his paralytic wife daily before coming to work was made worse by a crumbling wheel chair and the absence of a special-wheeled potty chair. His wife, Astrid, would go regularly into bouts of depression over her uselessness and sometimes into great pain from not being able to stay upright in her chair - requiring many times for Memo to run home from work to help her. The stress on his life was immense.  After meeting with Memo and Astrid at their home, Kopali staff encouraged her to take on the challenge of becoming trained in computer skills, gain an income by working from home, and maybe even becoming a teacher to others in the local community. Kopali bought her a new wheelchair and a computer and the the Kopali administrator (Gaby) began training her in computer skills twice a month (in Excel spreadsheets and Quickbooks programs).  She is now nearly mastered both these programs and will be ready to take over the books and payroll administration of the Kopali field staff when the community is finished and turned over to the Homeowners Association.  Memo says his wife is very happy.

Worker Training Programs - So many of the men and women working on-site for Kopali Communities have little to no education or training.  Growing up in rural Costa Rica, most have made a living 'on the farm' for very low wages.  From simply chopping grass all day with a machete, to gardening, to harvesting seasonal fruit crops, many of these workers lack specific skill sets - not because they do not have the desire to excel, but because the opportunity for training, education and growth is very limited.  We have cross-trained most of our employees in Permaculture, organic agriculture, sustainable best-practices in development, etc.  Many of these individuals have taken this education and used it to excel in ways they have not had the opportunity in the past.   We have teams of workers who now are experts in pond construction, aesthetic rock design and construction, sustainable landscaping and so on.  These men and women have the opportunity to take their experience with Kopali Communities and sell their services to other developers in the area - something they could never have dreamed of previously. 

Mango Harvest Program - We have over 150 mango trees at Valle de Machuca, yielding thousands and thousands of mangos each year.  As part of our plan to stimulate economic growth in San Mateo, we have allowed local fruit vendors to harvest our mangos, which would otherwise rot on the ground, to sell them to the market.We have four incredible varieties of mangos.This has proven to be a very successful venture for these people, having no costs - only profits!