What does RAMA do?
Have you ever wondered what a typical week looks like during the summer for RAMA? Here is a list of some of the things RAMA got up to last week:
• Starting last SUNDAY, a RAMA organizer attended the Black Lives Matter vigil in Vancouver to stand in solidarity with black folks in Vancouver and across the continent in their struggle for justice and freedom in the face of state and police violence.
• RAMA organizers and student fellows did outreach over four days all across the Central Okanagan, connecting with more than 150 farmworkers.
• On THURSDAY, we met with the City of Kelowna to discuss farmworker housing and how to ensure farmworkers are included in discussions about their accommodations in the Valley. We also hosted visiting allies from Vancouver and visited an English hub in Lake Country with more than 30 farmworker students!
• FRIDAY, three RAMA organizers together with a migrant farmworker from Mexico traveled to Penticton to deliver a workshop at the BC Food Systems Network annual conference. RAMA translated as Jose (name changed) courageously spoke about his experience in Canada over the last nine seasons. Meanwhile, a fourth RAMA organizer spent the afternoon between the doctor’s office and pharmacy accompanying a worker who needed support and translation in order to access healthcare services.
• On SATURDAY, RAMA brought a group of about 10 farmworkers from Mexico and Jamaica to the House of the Caribbean Food Supply’s annual Okanagan Caribbean Festival.
• To finish the week, on SUNDAY we launched our third English language/social space in East Kelowna,and lined up volunteers for a fourth class in the Ellison area to start in August!
Add to this list the various phone calls we received during the week and a pile of casework, and you have an idea of what a typical week looks like for RAMA organizers and our incredible volunteers.
WE DEPEND ON OUR VOLUNTEERS. SO WHAT CAN YOU DO?
If you are interested in getting involved with RAMA, email us at hola@RAMAOkanagan.org. We are always looking for DRIVERS, ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS AND ASSISTANTS, HEALTH PROFESSIONALS, and SPANISH SPEAKERS to volunteer their time to support migrant farmworkers in our valley. Volunteers enable us to expand our efforts and include more workers in our activities.
WE DEPEND ON OUR FINANCIAL SUSTAINERS.
RAMA is an independent, unincorporated not-for-profit. We do not accept any corporate or government funding. We are financially sustained by donations from individual allies and non-profit associations as well as through in-kind contributions of labour, food, transportation, etc. If you would like to make a donation or share a funding opportunity, email us at hola@RAMAOkanagan.org.