Tuesday, November 29, 2011

El tequio: working for the greater good

By Pedro Pérez

We often forget about teamwork, about lending a hand to others in need, or simply helping each other out. We live in a society where individual values are often more important than community values, and where things get done when you have the money to pay for someone to do them. During two recent program trips around the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, I visited two communities where communal work is still a way of life and an essential tradition. This type of communal work is referred to (at least in Oaxaca) as tequio and derives from the Nahuatl word tequitl, which means labor or tribute.

The tequio is, according to some people I interviewed, a way to get things done, a way to carry out big projects that the community needs and the government is unable to fund. Some of these projects might include laying the floor for the basketball court (this is, after all, the usual meeting point in most Oaxacan communities), or bringing basic services to the community: electricity, running water or a road to connect them to other communities. At least one family member from every family in the community must contribute to the tequio every time they are called upon.

The few times I have seen a tequio, I have been completely blown away by the amount of work each individual puts toward the welfare of the community without receiving an apparent economic benefit. This group effort gives the people a sense of community that is essential to maintaining order and progress.

The tequio has been, and I can only guess that it will continue to be, very important to some of the communities where Coffee Kids works, not only because economic resources are limited, but because the value of helping each other is deeply rooted in their traditions. We could all learn a little from these communities about the benefit of putting the well-being of the community as a whole before individual economic gain.