How Clean Energy Helped this Former Farmer in Costa Rica Give Back to His Community
Contributed blog post from Cool Effect
At 1872.07 meters above sea level, the Los Santos Wind Farm — known as Parque Eólico — provides clean energy to more than 120,000 people living in Costa Rica’s beautiful rural mountains. Not only is the clean energy a huge benefit to the local community, it has enhanced the lives of its many residents, including ‘Don’ (a Spanish word for Mister) Johel Araya Camacho, 54, a hard-working man of average height who has worked almost half a century as a laborer.
The project, located alongside the Pan-American Highway in Los Santos Valley, known internationally for its export-quality Arabica coffee crops, generates up to 35 percent of the electricity needed by the local community. It’s run as a cooperative, called “Cooperativa de Electrificación Rural Los Santos” or “CoopeSantos.”
Parque Eólico, a green project which avoids up to 14,000 carbon tons of emissions annually, not only protects the environment, but also enriches the community by generating local work opportunities. In an impoverished rural area such as this, the combination of clean energy production and creating formal employment options contributes to a genuine sustainable development.
Don Johel went from living in a modest cottage and working long hours in dangerous conditions to receiving a salary that allows him to live well and provide health insurance for his ill sister. He has worked for CoopeSantos since the wind farm started operations in 2011.
Growing Up Working in the Fields
“I feel relieved because I didn’t have a boss back then. Now I have insurance and I’ve got it all,” said Don Johel, whose first job was working in the fields at the age of 10. At the time, he had no choice but to help his father provide for their family, he said.
Don Johel enjoys beginning each morning with a cup of black coffee. After the last sip of coffee, he’s ready to start his working day.
During his childhood at the neighboring village of San Cristóbal, providing for his family was a priority. This meant he was unable to attend school to learn to read and write. Don Johel is the middle brother, with both an older and younger sister. Since his father died 24 years ago, he has devoted himself to taking care of his mother Zoraida and his two sisters. He previously worked as a farm laborer, a property watchman and a coal miner, often receiving unfair compensation for his hard work.
“Coal mining is a very courageous job. You should see how demanding it is. But here (at CoopeSantos) I saw the clarity of the world,” he said.
In order to install some of the project’s 15 wind turbines, CoopeSantos bought the property where Don Johel had lived for the past nine years. In the process, they promised him a job with them once construction was finished. They offered him a stable job with benefits including insurance, health care, and a safe place to live with his mom and his sister Betty, who suffers from epileptic seizures.
Instead of living in a tiny cottage made of rusted zinc sheets, he and his family moved into a well-built home on the project’s property. Before CoopeSantos appeared, Don Johel worked as a contract day laborer on an as-needed basis, sometimes only two or three days a week.
“I earned just a little. (Landlords) took advantage of me. I used to earn a third of what I deserved. Sometimes I received less than $7 per day for weeding the field during a downpour,” explained Don Johel.
But things changed when CoopeSantos offered him a secure job as a maintenance assistant and a property custodian. “I fix the fences, mow the lawn, make drainages, take care of the hydrangeas, wash cars, that’s my job,” describes Don Johel.
Contributing to his Community
After living in his new home happily for three years, Don Johel faced another challenging moment when his mother passed away of a sudden heart attack. After the tragic loss of his mother, Don Johel decided that his sister Betty would move in with his younger sister, a housewife who lives in a nearby property, so she could help care for her. But every afternoon once his daily duties are finished, he walks up the hill to visit Betty and Miriam.
“With the salary that I earn here, I can survive and also I can assist my sister (Betty),” recounted Don Johel.
He also uses some of the lawn on the property for subsistence organic farming, mainly for maize crops. He’s always eager to share with his neighbors — whether it’s providing them with all the corn remnants or chopping firewood for them.
“Here (in CoopeSantos) I feel happy and satisfied. No one abuses me. My coworkers appreciate me. I don’t have to complain,” said Don Johel.
He is right. His co-workers are fond of him; they invite him to group activities, ask him to come to lunch, and they’ve even started calling him Johelito. (Creating a diminutive by adding a suffix is common practice in Costa Rican culture when treating someone with affection.)
He gained their respect through his well-documented family solidarity and hardworking attitude. Before working with CoopeSantos, Don Johel said he didn’t feel part of something bigger, like he does now. He now has the opportunity to improve his living conditions but also to grow as a person, he added.
After finishing his daily tasks between the 44-meter high wind turbines, Don Joel is ready to visit his two sisters and show his love by giving a hug and maybe even making a warm homemade Costa Rican dinner. He cooks at home but wouldn’t deny his love for “los gallitos” cooked by his sister. His persistence, solidarity, and family-oriented goals are an example of what CoopeSantos strives for.
Don Johel inspires CoopeSantos to keep up with its efforts to contribute to infrastructure investments, such as remodeling schools, installing public lighting, and building bus stops. Don Johel reminds us that a sense of family and community is vital for achieving real economic growth.
To learn more about Cool Effect, the non-profit organization supporting this carbon reduction project in Costa Rica, along with other great projects across the globe, please visit www.cooleffect.org. For more details on the project itself and how you can support it today, please visit the project page here.
