Solidarity Will Transform the World

"This book is not only a great read, it is an inspiring testimony to the human spirit."

Rev. J. Bryan Hehir
Harvard University

• Introduction
• Download a Study Guide Companion for the Book
• Chapter 1: Building Hope and Solidarity on the U.S./Mexico Border
• Chapter 2: Fighting HIV/AIDS in Zambia
• Chapter 3: Organizing Self-Help Groups in India
• Chapter 4: Peacebuilding in Rwanda
• Chapter 5: Coffee Farming in Nicaragua

The Golden Kernel: Building Hope and Solidarity on the U.S./Mexico Border

Isadro Molinar seemed to be contemplating family history as he held the "E" cattle branding iron, a keepsake from the earliest days of the Rancho Santa Elena. For half a minute, the 39-year-old stood transfixed before me, gazing at the tool like he understood all too well that the family legacy rests on his shoulders. Gilberto Molinar, Isadro's 71-year-old father, interrupted, pointing with pride to the two-man tree saw that he first used in 1949 and the crude plow and planter that he and his father once utilized to plant corn and beans. "It's a better life here," Gilberto said, "if they can earn just a little more."

Meet the Mexicans from the first chapter of Solidarity Will Transform the World — "The Golden Kernel: Building Hope and Solidarity on the U.S./Mexico Border." They have found hope in the possibility of life with dignity inside Mexico through economic development projects along the U.S. border.

An interview with Erica Dahl-Bredine

Erica Dahl-Bredine works for Catholic Relief Services' program for Mexico. In this interview, she talks about the crisis on the border between Mexico and the United States.