Mystery in the Fields
By Sasha Chavkin Center for Public Integrity – September 17, 2012 SANDAMALGAMA, Sri Lanka — In this tiny Sri Lankan village, rice farmer Wimal Rajaratna sits cross-legged on a wooden bed, peering out toward lush palm trees that surround his home. Listless and weak, the 46-year old father of two anxiously awaits word on whether...
Costa Rica to Study Kidney Disease Afflicting Sugarcane Workers
Center for Public Integrity – February 6, 2012 The Costa Rican government has launched a study into the causes of chronic kidney disease in its sugarcane producing northern region. At the same time one of the country’s biggest sugar producers said it is revamping its worker health and safety policies. The steps follow an investigation...
Island of the Widows
By Sasha Chavkin and Ronnie Greene Center for Public Integrity – December 12, 2011 LA ISLA, Nicaragua — Maudiel Martinez is 19 years old and has a shy smile, a tangle of curly black hair and a lean, muscular build shaped by years of work in the sugarcane fields. For most of his adolescence, he...
