Furniture executive Roger Friesen planted a mustard seed in Colombia back in the early 1970s. He was working for MEDA at the time – our first full-time overseas staffer. The mustard seed was called MENCOLDES, a local development agency he started.
Last year Friesen returned to Colombia to retrace his roots. He was delighted to see MENCOLDES still actively helping the poor, including newer initiatives, such as a School for Peace and a program to resettle displaced migrants from the countryside.
“It was gratifying to see that after 35 years it continues to have a big impact with programs tailored to the needs of the country,” Friesen said.
But there was a special connection that related to Ten Thousand Villages, on whose board Friesen serves in Canada. While in Colombia he visited Fruandes, a company that markets dried fruit through Ten Thousand Villages.
Fruandes exists mainly to create jobs for the many displaced women who migrate into Bogota to escape from paramilitary violence in rural areas. And how did Fruandes get its start in business? With a loan – since repaid – from none other than MENCOLDES. Talk about coming full circle.
So the next time you visit a Ten Thousand Villages store, buy a package of tasty dried mango or pineapple from Fruandes, and think about the MEDA mustard seed that was planted so long ago.
(For a full report on Friesen’s trip check the article “The return of Don Rogelio” in the January/February issue of The Marketplace.)
