Maria Robinson first went to Honduras in the late 1960’s after graduating from Wellesley College. She was part of  the second Peace Corps group ever to be sent to Honduras. Then, after a stint in Rome as a Junior Economist on a Joint World Bank/FAO/International Coffee Organization Study,  she got her MBA at Harvard Business School. She majored in Agribusiness and did her Independent Research project on agribusiness opportunities (and lack of) in Honduras and Guatemala.

Since then, she has had many connections with Honduras including participation in election observer and human rights delegations. Now, she is moving there permanently to live in La Union, a coffee-producing town of 7.500 people  in the Department of Lempira.

Maria will be welcomed to the family of Rigo Matute who is a LIBRE party activist and leader in a coffee growing cooperative.  Maria first met Rigo in the Honduran capital Tegucigalpa on a TFA delegation. For three years after that, Rigo  spent several months a year with Maria in California, selling his hand-roasted coffee and earning money from informal work in the neighborhood. With that money, Rigo was able to build a two-story home in La Union, including a separate casita for Maria.

Rigo and his coffee cooperative have many projects for Maria, including grant-writing, marketing and addressing the high cost of credit (30 percent plus) that burdens Honduras.

Maria’s late husband Tom called Rigo “The son she never had”. Now, as she retires, she has a ready-made family to welcome her.

Maria will continue to be on the Board, and join meetings via Zoom whenever she can. We salute Maria for her courage in moving to Honduras and look forward to continuing our work together.

Maria in Honduras with Peace Corps

Maria (center) with Rigo (on left) and others in La Union in 2013