Story 4 | Te Conectamos Perú

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Chapter 4

William Tabera
Cocoa producer at Centroamérica

A story of personal and communal progress.

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LEARN THE HISTORY OF Centroamérica

Centroamérica

Alto Biavo District, Bellavista Province, San Martín Department.

Centroamérica is situated in the Piquiyacu Valley, at the heart of the jungle. Around 500 families live in the town, approximately 1000 people. Its geography and weather are very unique, and its people had to adapt to those conditions. For instance, they remain isolated for many days every time the river rises. Nearly 95% of its agricultural activity is related to cocoa production, and farmers also grow yuca, corn and plantain. Some locals also raise cattle. Centroamérica was one of the first places to have an antenna. In this town, where access proves to be so difficult, communications have an extraordinary positive impact in the lives of its people and in the development of regional commerce.

Story

WILLIAM TABERA

“The jungle moves at its own pace”. William feels privileged to live in the jungle, despite having suffered many of its inconveniences. The telephony and internet services that are now available in Centroamérica allow him to learn the price of cocoa in real time and to have a direct relation with the buyers. His story is one of effort and improvement. Since he arrived in the year 2000, his progress mirrored the progress of the whole town. He always had to fight to find work, and after a few years he was finally able to grow his own cocoa. That resulted in a big change in his life, that brought him some stability. Even so, the lack of communications presented a big obstacle for all the farmers. It took them two days to get to Juanji, the closest urban area. With the new road, William and his fellowmen now feel close to the city. Centroamérica is no longer an isolated place. The next big change took place when telephony and 3G connectivity services arrived. William is now happy because he knows that the future holds good things for his children.