Lester is a long-time international farm worker, in fact he\u2019s been coming to Canada for more than 18 years. He originally hails from Arriaga, Chiapas, in southern Mexico.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am very happy to be working here,” he says. \u201cIt has been good for me and more importantly it has been good to my family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although he\u2019s away from his family for almost eight months a year, what he is able to do with the wages he earns in Canada has made it very worthwhile. \u201cWithout this type of job, I would not have been able to help my children fulfill their dreams,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n
Lester has three children, two of whom are just about to finish their post secondary education. His son is earning a degree in mechanical engineering, and his daughter is finishing up her engineering degree in community development. This would not have been possible had Lester not become an international farm worker.<\/p>\n
Lester has always kept his children\u2019s education goals and their future at the top of his mind. 18 years is a lifetime to be away from a family for almost eight months of the year, but it\u2019s a busy lifetime that\u2019s making a difference in his family\u2019s future.<\/p>\n
Over time, Lester has grown both emotionally and in his expertise at JC Fresh Farms in Southern Ontario where he feels part of the family.<\/p>\n
From an emotional perspective, he knows distance can sometimes be hard on relationships, but for him, it\u2019s been worth it.\u00a0 Today, thatnks to the internet, Lester is able to communicate every day with his wife and family. \u201cThey can ask me anything, and I am also able to participate in their lives too. We talk every single day, and it\u2019s not just about how\u2019s the weather? We stay close because we are a family, and we all have roles to play. Mine is just different because of the distance, but I\u2019m still very involved.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lester also learns from his Canadian journey.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve gained a lot of experience in different types of work and crops. I take this knowledge back home to teach to others.\u201d With his support and encouragement, his wife has also become a leader in her community back home.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":26165,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[79,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28624","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-labour-campaign","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n