Pacheco is Voluntario Global’s most recent cooperative. It is a farm school located about an hour outside of the city and it is place for people in the community to go and learn about farming and gardening. The people who attend the school are usually of university age; they attend mandatory classes every Saturday and return to the school at least one other day of the week to practice field work.   

One of the students has a plastic toy rat that he takes with him whenever he goes to the school. He likes to use this rat to play pranks on the others at the school by placing the rat in random places on the school grounds to scare the people into thinking they see a real rat when they are in class, working, using the bathroom, etcetera.         

This toy rat is known among the Voluntario Global community as the Rat of Pacheco and has become a fun joke amongst the students, teachers, and workers of the school. It keeps things light and fun at the farm cooperative and it is a nice reminder to all of us at Voluntario Global that even while you are working, you can still have fun.