International competition?
"The first world is always better at everything," might be a mind-set which we carry around like an inoculation that we received in childhood. It quickly becomes an old story and we learn nothing new. So it can be refreshing to come upon a scene where a third world high school implements an idea that deserves mention.
Enriquillo:
Travel down the coast from Paraiso towards the Haitian border and you arrive at Enriquillo. The town receives its name from a Taino Indian chief who managed to keep the Spanish conquistadors at bay. He used the local terrain and mountain scouts together with different sounds from an ocean shell to signal his freedom fighters regarding the movement of colonial troops. The jagged rocks that cover many mountainsides in this area created havoc for soldiers on horseback and Enriquillo chose such places to engage in punitive attacks. He became a legendary hero for the local people because he alone managed to withstand the colonial invasion.
Enriquillo high school:
In honor of Enriquillo, the department of education chose the town of Enriquillo for its regional office. Other towns such as Pedernales and Paraiso are bigger, but they don't have the prestigious historical name. Thus Enriquillo high school is a regional center and houses the text books for all the schools in the area.
How to offer quality beverages:
Ana Maria has the beverage concession in the Enriquillo High School. Every morning she arrives with big jugs of freshly made fruit juice. In the picture you can see the choices: orange, tamarind (dark colored), lemon (clear looking), and passion fruit (bright orange color). She uses local water purified with chlorine for the juice and ice cubes. If you'd rather purchase a fruit, she offers the seasonal best. Economics influences the choices: Coke and Pepsi cost too much for the meager student budgets, whereas the area produces all of the fruit which she needs to process. A cup of cool fruit juice costs about thirty cents, whereas the same amount of Coke costs three times as much.
Enhancing the local economy:
When the students purchase cups of fruit juice they do a little moving of the local economy. They help the growers to earn a living, together with Ana Maria's family. In addition, the amount of sugar which they consume per cup is a far healthier load than that which brand name beverages carry.
