Tomassa Ramírez, Fincas Las Flores and El Naranjo

I don't know who my father is. I feel very fortunate that this lady took such good care of me and gradually became like a new mother to me, and I will always be grateful to her.

We were very poor, so much so that I had to start working on a coffee farm when I was only seven years old. But that's also how I was able to start working for myself, and that's what I've been doing for the last 25 years. Now I own 1.4 hectares of land, and it's at a very high altitude: 1,800 meters.

It's great, not only because the climate here is delightfully cool, but also because it's a better location to mitigate the effects of climate change and grow high-quality coffee.

Shade is essential here for growing coffee, despite the altitude, simply because the sun is so strong and high in the sky. I grow avocados, lemons, and lots of plantains and bananas. I also grow trees that I sometimes cut down for firewood. It gets very cold up here, especially in winter, at dawn, when I get out of bed.

I love working in my homeland and I love being alone. I raised eleven children, but they are all adults now and don't live with me. Two of them have passed away, but the other nine are independent. Being alone and working for myself has brought me greater inner peace. I am surrounded by trees, plants, nature, singing birds, and a great sense of tranquility.

To stay in touch with others, I joined our village's local committee. We hold regular meetings to organize small improvements for the villagers, or to advocate for our interests as a group within the municipality. We work to improve access to clean water, upgrade roads, improve education, and address so many other needs.

So I keep myself busy, between my land, preparing great coffee, the neighborhood, and my many children, whom I love very much!