Is there a connection between domestic violence and standard of living? Between poverty and extreme value retail? Can teaching women to read help a third-world country rise to prosperity? Anne-Marie Jamin thinks so.

Anne-Marie is a 23 year old former Valemount graduate with a degree in development studies. She has spent time travelling the world and contemplating the tremendous disparity between the rich west and impoverished peasants in South America.

Several weeks ago she visited home and we spoke to her about where she has been and what she’s learned.

After high school Anne-Marie earned a degree in Development Studies and spent time in Mexico and a Canadian town as part of a rural development exchange, a program identifies the sustainable and non-sustainable elements of a rural community, and examines international issues at a local level.

Most recently Anne-Marie was in Quetzaltenango, the second most populous city in Guatemala.

“I went to Spanish school for a month, travelled for a little bit in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras. The last couple of months I was working for an organization called Nuevos Horizantes. They are a non-governmental organization that deals with violence against women,” she said. “They have a great program, legal aid, educational programs, health programs, psychological help.”

“I taught literacy classes for groups of indigenous women in rural communities and I also helped out with workshops on issues like self esteem, gender issues, domestic violence and that kind of thing.”

She also helped out at the only woman’s shelter in the country.

“It is crazy because domestic violence is a huge problem in Guatemala,” she said.

She also helped out at a free medical clinic on the outskirts of Quetzaltenango.

“It’s great because all of the children in the area receive free health care. Everyone over 16 pay a very minimal amount to get help. There are volunteers there from all over the world,” she said. “I even got to give a few vaccinations.”

She chose to work with Nuevos Horizantes because of the way they help women.

“It is an organization that empowers women instead of saying, ‘We’re doing great things for you, here is our charity.’”

She said that there are many non-governmental organizations in the country. After Hurricane Mitch in 1998, many organizations learned just how much help was needed there. The peace accords for very long drawn out civil wars had only been signed in 1996.

“There is still a lot of violence within the country. There are gangs, drugs and corruption in government. So a lot of NGOs gravitate there.”

“There is a pull to Guatemala. It is so rich in culture. There are so many indigenous people who still wear their traditional dress. It is really neat to see.”

Women’s issues for peace

For Anne Marie, it is just common sense that women’s issues and development of the whole country are bound tightly with each other.

“Women run things in Guatemala. They do everything for the family. They take care of the family and work so hard all of the time. They make up 50% of the population. How can development of women not be related to development?”

“Education is huge tool. It is the only way that any sort of non-violent change can come about. I think that a lot of women don’t receive a proper education. Forty seven percent of Guatemala is still illiterate,” she said.

“It is imperative to deal with domestic violence because it is such a huge, huge issue in Guatemala. After the civil war ended, all of these men were left with no work because they had obtained their livelihood in the military. A lot of them just had sketchy backgrounds so they just hopped over into the drug trade.

“It is so hard to earn a living in Guatemala. You can never get ahead, and it can be so frustrating for men not to provide a livelihood. Usually they take it out on women.”

Anne-Marie said that while development may change traditional ways of life in Guatemala, change is inevitable.

“With development comes westernization. But seriously, western influences are coming with or without addressing development. Western influences are really hurting Guatemala.”

Western affluence and third world trouble

Anne Marie bears a disconcerting message for those of us who are comfortable in our affluence.

“First world countries depend on third world countries to survive.”

“We would not be able to live the way we do without the cheap production of the things we get in third world countries. We wouldn’t be able to buy our coffee at Starbucks or our clothes in China without taking advantage of low prices and manipulating regulations in third world countries.”

“People are so desperate for salaries that they will compromise the rights of their workers or environmental rights. If everyone in the world lived like North Americans we couldn’t survive.”

Anne Marie said that although there is a difference in the cost of living between the third and first world, companies pay less than it takes for families to survive.

“We come from a country where if you have a little bit of motivation, if you are a little bit of a go-getter. You can further yourself, you can go travelling, go to school, you have so many opportunities. In Guatemala, you have to work two or three jobs just to survive.”

She believes that companies pay off governments so they can cheat environmental regulations, and disregard worker rights.

“That’s how these corporations can make things at such a cheap price and that is how we can buy a ridiculous amount of stuff. I’m just blown away sometimes going into a house and seeing how much stuff there is. We can afford it because people make it for almost nothing. We depend on poverty to maintain our standard of living.”

Anne-Marie said that she didn’t get to see factories while in Central America.

“Factories are so closed up. They have huge security systems, they won’t let any foreigners near it. I’ve spoken to women who have worked there. Women would have to take pregnancy tests and if they were pregnant they would usually get fired, and if they were a really good worker, they would get stuff put in their drinks without being told that would make the baby abort.”

She said that people take these jobs because there are no other options.

“When people have children waiting at home, of course they will take the factory job. There is no land left, there are no jobs, you can’t make any money.”

“When you look at the issue head on, it is so overwhelming. You think about it for a couple seconds, feel guilty and then turn on the TV. But people have forgotten the power of the masses. At the end of the day it is us who support corporations and what they do. People have forgotten how much power and choice we have.”

Local is the way to go.

Anne Marie believes the disconnect between the grower and consumer has untold consequences for the environment and humanity.

“The pollution and the amount of pesticides that go into fruits and vegetables in order to ship them to our doorstep is so harmful for the environment and the produce that we eat.

“People who are working the land can see the effects first hand and will have to live with these effects (without being able to afford the produce).”

She said that Canadians don’t have to see the factories that produce our goods that create so much poisonous pollution.

“We put our waste in landfills, cover it all up and sweep the walkway at the end of the day and we’re good to go.

She said that when buying local you can see the effects of what you purchase and support first hand.

Anne-Marie plans to begin an after degree in Nursing at the University of Alberta in September 2008, because it will give her a concrete skill for development work.

“Right now I hope to make as much money as possible and go back to Central America in the fall for five or six months.”