Socially Responsible Bananas

2) Who does G.R.O.W. impact?

The G.R.O.W. program funds a variety of resources, including scholarships, housing, health care, and more for underserved farming communities in Mexico and Ecuador. In 2021, the G.R.O.W Program funded educational efforts with:

• 89 scholarships, 17 of those being University scholarships. These scholarships help cover all educational expenses that may prevent a young person from completing school or attending university.
• School supplies for junior high and high school. This includes uniforms, school supplies, backpacks, transportation, and a daily hot meal. Due to COVID, in 2021, the transportation and meal funds were reallocated to a stipend for monthly food boxes for the scholars’ families.
• College student resources. This includes tuition, transportation, supplies, and room & board at Casa Amiga, a housing facility for university students who may live too far from campus to commute daily.

In addition to educational efforts, funds from G.R.O.W. have also supported healthcare, micro businesses, access to discounted milk, and clean water.

• Health and Medical Clinic: Provides psychological workshops, assistance in processing medical benefits for minors and seniors, medical transportation, and supplies. The program also helps people access hearing devices as well as reading glasses.
• Dental Clinics: Provides hygiene materials and instructions on proper dental care. Scholars are provided dental care through local dentists when persistent problems appear (in 2021, 11 students needed professional dental services)
• Milk Program: In Cerro de Ortega, Colima, Mexico, G.R.O.W. provide fortified, powdered milk through a federal program called LICONSA. Families can buy the milk at G.R.O.W. study centers every week at about 50% of what the government charges.
• Micro Businesses: Since 2010, G.R.O.W. has worked with micro-business programs in Ecuador to help give people in the communities a hand up, teaching them the fundamentals of starting a small business and how to make it a success.
• Clean Water: In Ecuador, many villages do not have water that is safe to drink, and do not follow appropriate practices for the maintenance of drinking or cooking water. Through a program with Children International, G.R.O.W. provides filtering facilities and storage, as well as education for residents on how to make the available water safe to drink

Meet some of the G.R.O.W. scholars below and learn their personal stories!

4) How did G.R.O.W. get started?

Organics Unlimited is a 4th generation family-owned company currently run by Mayra Velazquez de Leon. It was started in 2000, with a mission to provide the best quality organic tropical fruits to consumers in the US, Canada, and Mexico. Its mission also includes operating sustainably and caring for their workers.

The true spark for the G.R.O.W. program came when Mayra noticed how many workers brought their kids with them to work, because they did not have childcare. When she started looking for daycare centers in the area, she was taken aback by how few resources there were. She began looking for organizations in the area who knew the communities and their needs and could effectively provide the resources needed to these kids.

In Mexico, less than 60% of children reach high school and less than 40% graduate high school – compared to 75% of American students who have a high school diploma. Organics Unlimited firmly believes that education is a key element in breaking the cycle of poverty, which is why so much of the focus of the G.R.O.W. program has been on education. Daniella, Mayra’s daughter and general manager of Organics Unlimited, says “it’s been awesome to see the G.R.O.W. scholars receive their degrees and come back to contribute to their home economies.”

Organics Unlimited started selling only 1 pallet of G.R.O.W. and now over 95% of what they sell is G.R.O.W! The program grew organically, and was expanded from Mexico to Ecuador where they also grow a small portion of their bananas. To date they have contributed over $3 million to the program, have funded clean water programs, malnutrition recovery programs, dental and vision clinics, micro-finance loans, and numerous scholarships.