Think Creative - Issue 6

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Learning from the experiences of migrants

By Evelyn Rupert, Writer and Editor

Both would be detained and deported by U.S. immigration authorities. To put a human face on Creative’s research into the root drivers of migration, Creative’s Communications team spoke with nearly 20 people across the Northern Triangle who had come to the same conclusion as Ervin and Edgar. They were from urban and rural areas, men and women, and of different ages and ethnicities. Their experiences and motivations for migrating were equally as diverse. But the common thread that tied together this powerful package of stories was a shared desire to build a better life for themselves and their loved ones. Watch their stories: Saliendo-Adelante.com

We found Ervin (pictured left with his family) way out in a dense cornfield, ripping ears of corn from their dry stalks and skillfully husking them. He wasn’t going to sit idle and wait for us to arrive for the interviewwhile there was work to do. Both Ervin and Edgar (pictured on the previous page with his wife) depend on agriculture to make a living in the Petén department of Guatemala. They say that it has become increasingly difficult to make ends meet laboring on rented land as climate change decimates their chances of a successful harvest. In 2018, Ervin and Edgar each decided that finding work in the U.S. was the best way to provide for their young children. About two months apart, they said goodbye to their families, hoping for the best.

In this Issue

12 p. Why Migrants Risk It All

07 Dispatches

Updates from around our world

08 // Healthy homes and harvests in Honduras 09 // • Conflict prevention in Guatemala • Field Notes

10 // Honduran families bolster youth resilience 11 // Portable parks in Salvadoran communities 12 Cover Package Why Migrants Risk It All

Inside the extensive study on what’s driving Central American migration

ON THE COVER: Ervin Choc carries his young daughter through a cornfield. Photo by Janey Fugate for Think Creative .

Photos by Janey Fugate

4 | Think Creative | Fall 2019