Vol. XXVI No. 7
Kerri Goodman-Small & Miles Small
The View
U
nbelievably, this online issue represents the eighth year that we have published the Making a Difference magazine. Remember, as before, CoffeeTalk is once again donating $1,000 to the non-profit that receives the most click-through to their website. Over the years we have seen many great ideas – some have gone on to flourish, and some have perished, but they all have represented the best that we hope for our industry and ourselves. We have witnessed a clear shift in the purpose of non-profit activities away from specific solutions – water and sanitation, education, and housing for example – toward more holistic approaches that involved the entire farming community. At the lead of these developments is the idea of ‘sustainability.’ This word has been evolving over the years as more organizations embrace the core fundamentals and implement them as part of their programs. Sustainable communities, in a nutshell, are those that have received a water system (for example), and the resultant increase in prosperity enables them to buy their own replacement parts and find their own expertise to maintain and repair the system, ultimately removing the external donor from the equation.
2
For years most non-profits approach was to place programs in developing countries that seemed like the perfect idea in the boardroom but found no traction in the served communities. Many well-intentioned ideas sputtered and ended because the program required
renewing commitments of financial and technological support. This is not sustainable. How many community health clinics have closed because no long term provision for staffing was made and no expanded prosperity programs arose in the community to pay for staffing locally. Frankly, the reason there was not a health program in the first place was that the community could not afford to pay for it themselves. Believing that filling a spare building with bandages, antibiotics, and speculums is going to fix the base problem is naïve. So now, as many of the following articles will show, non-profits have moved toward a clearer understanding of the role that prosperity plays in the success of communities and the role that prosperity in the wider community plays in the business success of coffee growing farmers. Micro-credit loans, direct market making, information sharing, and global communication are becoming important tools in “kickstarting” the progression toward community self-sufficiency and the emergence of the community as the key evaluator of needs and planning. For years we at CoffeeTalk have addressed this idea of changing perception. Direct contact between farmers and roasters has accelerated the recognition of coffee farmers as business partners. We have tried to show that farmers are a whole lot more competent business owners than many give them credit. And, more importantly, they are the agents for change in their July 2013
communities. If one were to develop an influence hierarchy in a coffee-centric town, the growers would be at the top of the food chain. Their business and personal purchases, as well as the purchases of their employees and seasonal hires are what drive the prosperity and employment in the town. Often in their little town, they are the “Bill Gates.” They are the people we should be making our closest partners. In the Northern Hemisphere, these types of primary influencers are vital to all of our business sales success. Why not in the coffeelands? Specialty coffee is amazing in its drive to reinvest in coffee growing communities, but how will we respond to the coffee rust fungus? Depressed coffee prices and radically reduced yields will leave many growers little cash to fight off the rust and reinvest in new planting. Food insecurity, broad population movement, abandoned farms, massive loss of employment for seasonal workers are very real possibilities. Will we as an industry do the right thing and pay more for Central American coffee in order to support the communities we do business with? Or, will we follow the old path – source cheaper and lower quality coffees from other regions, ignore farmer issues for eight months out of the year, blend in some Robusta because we have been told “It’s Okay,” and whine that we don’t set the price anyway. Hmmm. These are interesting times!
Contents
2 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56
The View
by Miles Small
To Give or Not To Give? Is That Even a Question?
by Jessica Tanski
Brewing a Better Community
by Greg Ubert
Healthcare with a Lasting Impact
by Justin Mool
Sustainability through Comprehensive Education
by Bill Fishbein
Sustainability for the Mainstream
by Stephanie de Heer
Sustainable Development through Capacity Building by Bill Fishbein
A Tool for Every Climatic Hazard by Mika Adler
Rust Response
by Laura Ann Sweitzer
Agricultural Innovation Through Heritage Seeds and Practices by Kristina Morris Heredia
Economic Development Through Savings, Micro-Credit, and Textiles
by Bill Fishbein
Leading With Game Changing Technologies by Anna Valls
Yanesha Robusta Coffee Producers
by Rianne Van der Bom
Providing Land, Hope, and Life to Central American Families
by Anne Baunach
Training Program for At-Risk Youth
by Lori Dube
El Paraiso Computer Laboratory by Karen Gordon
Fairtrade Access Fund by Ann Brown
Nicaragua CafĂŠ Diego - Direct Trade Coffee
by Paul Kurtz
Cameroon Boyo by Ron Cortez
Maternal Child Health and Education by Rosemary Trent
Comprehensive Development in Western Honduras
by Bill Fishbein
Small Coffee Producers in Guatemala Innovate with Climate-Smart Farming Practices by Maya Albanese
Coffee Lifeline / Black Earth Project
by Peter Kettler
Reducing Hunger in Coffee Communities of Peru by Connie Kolosvary
Food Security Project, Colombia by Janice Nadworny
Contents
58 60 62 64 66 68 70 72
ONe TRUe LOVe Café
by Krysten Aldridge
Enhancing Food Security for Coffee Producers
by Britt Rosenberg
Beans for Streams
by Dave Williams
Cervical Cancer Screening with a Low-Cost, HPV Test for Rural Communities in Developing Countries by Lauren Ditzian
Coffee Corps
by Alexandra Katona-Carroll
The Congo Coffee Project by Rodney North
Helping Military Families by David Coker
Giving Growers a Hand Up
Who We are
by Pam Apfell
Owners
Publisher/Advertising/Owner Kerri Goodman-Small, ext 1 | 877.426.6410 | 206.795.4471 kerri@coffeetalk.com Editor in Chief/Owner Miles Small, ext 2 | 206.795.2835 miles@coffeetalk.com
Special Guest Editor Jessica Tanski jessica@coffeetalk.com
International Development Rocky Rhodes, 818.347.1378 rocky@coffeetalk.com
Design
Print Design Marcus Fellbaum, ext 5 marcus@coffeetalk.com
Web Design Justin Goodman, ext 6 justin@coffeetalk.com
Administrative
Administrative Director John Newman, ext 4 john@coffeetalk.com Social Media Odyssea Rowe, ext 9 odyssea@coffeetalk.com
Mailing Info
Mail: HNCT, LLC, 25525 77th Ave SW Vashon, WA 98070 Phone: 206.686.7378 Fax: 866.373.0392 Web: www.coffeetalk.com
Disclaimer
CoffeeTalk does not assume the responsibility for validity of claims made for advertised products and services. We reserve the right to reject any advertising. Although we support copyrights and trademarks, we generally do not include copyright and trademark symbols in our news stories and columns. Postmaster: Send address changes to HNCT, LLC, 25525 77th Ave SW, Vashon, WA 98070 Subscription: The cost of a subscription in the U.S. is $47.50 per year; in Canada, the cost is $72.00. Free to qualified industry professionals. Non-qualified requests may be rejected. Publisher reserves the right to limit the number of free subscriptions. For subscription inquiries, please call 206.686.7378 x1 or subscribe online at www.CoffeeTalk.com. Copyright © 2013, HNCT, LLC, All Rights Reserved
Special thanks to Casey Blanchard, provider of this issues cover art. See her ad on page 59
Professional Memberships
Sponsors Index Company
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Phone Web
Add a Scoop by Smoothie Essentials Supplement-Boosts (415) 382-6535 smoothieessentials.com Agtron (775) 850-4600 agtron.net Blendtec (800) 253-6383 commercial.blendtec.com Bloomfield Industries (314) 678-6336 wellsbloomfield.com BriteVision (415) 374-8119 britevision.com Cablevey Conveyors (641) 673-8451 cablevey.com Cafe Femenino Foundation (360) 576-5045 cafefemeninofoundation.org Casey Blanchard (802) 985-3037 caseyblanchard.com Coffee Shop Manager (800) 750-3947 coffeeshopmanager.com CoffeeCat Coffee Jewelry (206) 795-5414 etsy.com/shop/coffeecatjewelry CoffeeNetwork.com (305) 925-4822 coffeenetwork.com Costellini’s (877) 889-1866 costellinis.com Curtis (800) 421-6150 wilburcurtis.com Daterra Coffee (330) 941-2555 daterracoffee.com.br Espresso Me Services (360) 213-0715 espressomeservice.com Follett Corporation (610) 252-7301 follettice.com Fres-co System USA, Inc. (215) 721-4600 fresco.com Global Customized Water (805) 484-1589 globalcustomizedwater.com Grounds For Health (802) 241-4146 groundsforhealth.org Holiday House Distributing / Kook Tek / Brew Tek (800) 443-4318 homelandfilters.com International Coffee Consulting (818) 347-1378 intlcoffeeconsulting.com Java Jacket (800) 208-4128 javajacket.com Just Love Coffee Roasters (866) 894-9463 justlovecoffee.com Knutsen Coffees, Ltd. (800) 231-7764 knutsencoffees.com Loring Smart Roast (707) 526-7215 smartroaster.com Mobile Coffee House (619) 889-1997 Please Call Mother Parkers Tea & Coffee (800) 387-9398 realcup.com Orleans Coffee Exchange (800) 344-7922 orleanscoffee.com Pack Plus Converting (909) 902-9929 packplus.com Plitek (847) 827-6680 plitek.com Pod Pack International, LTD. (225) 752-1160 podpack.com Rocket Man Equipment (502) 774-1499 rocketman.com Scolari Engineering S.p.A./Texpak Inc. (856) 988-5533 scolarieng.com Service Ideas, Inc. (800) 328-4493 serviceideas.com ShopKeep POS (800) 820-9814 shopkeep.com Stalkmarket Products (Asean Corporation) (503) 295-4977 stalkmarketproducts.com State Farm (800) 782-8322 statefarm.com The Coffee Trust (505) 670-9783 thecoffeetrust.org The Dynamik Group (206) 686-2525 dynamikspace.com The Truvia Company LLC (855) 855-2362 truvia.com/foodservice Tierra Nueva Fine Cocoa & Chocolate Specialists (786) 364-4444 coffeethins.com Tightpac America inc. (888) 428-4448 tightvac.com Track the Impact (619) 889-1997 tracktheimpact.com uVu Lid Company (561) 674-9415 uvulid.com Vessel Drinkware (855) 883-7735 vesseldrinkware.com Weldon Flavorings (502) 797-2937 weldonflavorings.com White Coffee Corp. (800) 221-0140 whitecoffee.com July 2013
Page
39 57 57 67 23 17 55 59 49 57 51 53 27 35 57 57 13 57 57, 73 71 43 19, 57 63 57 7 37 25 29 45 69 33 47 3 57 15 57 9 65 41 11 61 57 57 5 21 31, 74 57
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To Give or Not to Give? - Is That Even a Question? by Jessica Tanski
I
n a world where most individuals have a tendency to think about themselves first, it is more important to help those in need even before that. Nonprofit organizations do just that. They help others out of the kindness of their hearts, their passion to make a difference, and the urge to improve global wellbeing. Even more than that, they do not ask, nor expect anything in return. From providing for those who live in poverty stricken areas to building homes for disaster relief, the opportunities are endless for nonprofit organizations to help others. It is the small gestures that build upon each other to make a big difference. And it is when small gestures are accompanied with passionate individuals that even a greater difference is possible. For CoffeeTalk, it is not even an option; it is a must to help others and give back. This issue is our Making a Difference issue. It highlights nonprofit organizations that are making a difference and improving the coffee industry. It is organizations like these in this issue that make the coffee industry proud. It is organizations like these that allow the coffee industry to grow and become not just an industry, but rather a heartfelt community. A community that works together to provide one of the world’s most beloved beverages, while simultaneously stimulating economic growth around the globe. Nonprofit organizations are making a difference one can, one dollar, one shirt, and one hammered nail at a time. It is important to give back and help others. Not just because it is “the right thing to do,” but because is it what we ought to do.
COFFEECARES
Programs have been created to keep track of such donations. Profits4Purpose was first built four years ago by five young men who saw an unfilled niche to give online for small to medium sized businesses. Karen Cebreros, owner of CoffeeCares says, “It is a new innovative technology and slowly gaining momentum but it is here to stay. We 10 came along 18 months ago and fell in love with it.”
CoffeeCares was granted a license to sell this software. There are two versions, the basic CoffeeCares software and the customizable Profits4Purpose intended for the larger companies. Cebreros says, “CoffeeCares is a vertical platform built for our industry only so we can aggregate all coffee NGOs into one platform.” There are three different sizes for the CoffeeCares software: small, medium, and large. The largest program is Profits4Purpose with the CoffeeCares nonprofits dropped into it. That way an organization or a company can choose which size software is best for them to utilize. Companies can license the software and then give their employees access through a password based function. After that each company builds out the nonprofit organizations they would like to donate to. Employees can make a monetary donation or a product donation through this software. They can also donate time and volunteer for events in and around their location. Each company can customize their dashboard to show or hide items they wish to share with employees. This program tracks all of the hours, dollars, and products donated within a company. “The concept is so new but will catch on in several more years. We can no longer have a planet with half the world starving and the Western countries using up 80% of the natural resources,” says Cebreros. While the concept is new, many prominent companies are using it already. Gavina, Mars, Appfels, Prometheus, and Rebecca’s Coffee House are just naming a few. This software provides reporting so that management can involve and report effectively, efficiently, and also easily to not only employees, but clients on the entire organization’s efforts. This software is cloud-based, it is a way of the future that many companies will adopt and utilize to get give back.
July 2013
“If people in our industry care about stopping plagues, erasing poverty, building schools, helping animals, whatever the case may be; we have a way to harness the industry to capture every dime, every pound of coffee, and show the industry Coffee Moving Millions and have a say in how the money applies,” says Cebreros. CoffeeCares does not take any money from the donations, none, zero, ever! “If you want to donate a dollar, all 100 pennies goes right to the organization, every time,” she continues. The coffee industry is the first industry to band together to create change in a public manner. Cebreros’ passion to move others to make a change and ‘Track the Impact’ is inspirational. It is people like Cebreros that have the drive to create software to promote change. It is rewarding when an individual can see that their donation is making a difference to someone who can be 1,000 miles away in another country. Her software allows individuals within the coffee community to step outside their daily job as a barista for the corner coffee shop, or president of a high-end corporation and help others who really need a helping hand. The following stories in this issue are just a handful of the nonprofit organizations helping the coffee industry. Some are small in size and some are larger, but they all have something in common- they are all giving back and helping others. You too can help. By just viewing these stories you are giving one of these organizations an opportunity to gain $1,000 for their cause. CoffeeTalk Media will donate $1,000 to the project in this issue that receives the most views and clicks. Be inspired, find passion in something, and make a difference. It could be a monetary donation or a few hours of your time. Start a chain reaction and care to help others. Now, start clicking and start viewing, be a part of the change! Watch our short video here!
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Brewing a Better Community by Greg Ubert, Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea
M
y parents emphasized the importance of giving back to the community throughout my childhood. I was brought up that it was the right thing to do. Over 22 years in the specialty coffee business, I’ve learned that it’s also the smart thing to do. A coffee house is a community-based business. One way to ensure that your business thrives in your community is to help build a thriving community. Also, a study conducted by Cone Inc. found a whopping 91 percent of consumers would switch to a brand associated with a good cause, assuming comparable price and quality. Here are just a few of the benefits your business can reap from community involvement. Build Awareness. Potential customers become aware of your business when they see your name and logo associated with school sporting events, charity fund-raisers and other local affairs. Make Connections. Every time you sponsor a Little League Team, take part in a community festival or head a committee for your local Chamber of Commerce, you meet people who not only can help your business, but who are motivated to do so. Boost Brand Loyalty. Customers today are more likely to patronize a business that they view as a good citizen involved in the community. Moreover, they’ll go out of their way to visit your coffee shop instead of the corporate store or franchise down the street. Improve Morale. Companies that provide volunteer opportunities often see improvements in employee motivation, productivity and retention. Generate Publicity. Local media often cover community and charitable events. Coverage can range from having your name mentioned as an event sponsor to a stand-alone story about the good work your company does. Coffee and Community, the Crimson Cup Way I’m passionate about making a difference because I’ve witnessed firsthand the power of community in helping businesses grow and thrive – not just at Crimson Cup, but in hundreds of independent coffee houses that serve our coffee and in the small farming 12 communities that grow the coffee we roast.
One of my goals in founding Crimson Cup in 1991 was to give back to my hometown community of Columbus, Ohio. I started with a philosophy that my company would create more L.Y.F.E.® and L.O.V.E.® in the course of doing business. •
•
L.Y.F.E. stands for Leave You Feeling Energized. We strive to energize our customers through great-tasting products, awesome customer service and top-notch coffee expertise and training. L.O.V.E. means Leave Others Very Energized. We spread L.O.V.E. through positive interactions that energize our customers and by giving back to the community.
Little did I know how much growth would come as we implemented that philosophy. From a one-man enterprise with a single coffee roaster in a tiny office, to a company of 30 plus employees, we still stay very involved in the communities in which we live and work. Our success at Crimson Cup has allowed us to give back in a number of ways. By sharing a few these programs, I hope to spark ideas for ways in which you can make a difference. Grounds for Hope Our biggest community investment is through the Grounds for Hope program. Created in partnership with Cancer Support Community of Central Ohio, sales of certified organic coffee blends help with programs and support for those living with, through and beyond cancer. For every bag of coffee purchased, we donate $3 to support education and outreach efforts. We’ve donated more than $22,000 in cash and $15,000 of in-kind services through this program since 2009. I became a board member of the organization to support its long-term vision. See Kids Dream Some of our employees volunteer with See Kids Dream, a nonprofit organization that focuses on empowering young people to achieve their potential. We’ve also donated more than $9,500 since 2009 to help kids from all over the city recognize their potential for giving back to their community. Military Coffee Drive We are hosting the second annual Military Coffee Drive at our coffee house this year. For every 12 ounce bag of coffee purchased during
July 2013
the drive, we donate a bag of coffee to activeduty military. This has become a very popular promotion among our customers. Last year, we sent more than 100 pounds of coffee to soldiers serving overseas. In addition to the drive, we send coffee and tea to troops throughout the year to offer a little piece of their hometown community while they are away. El Socorro de la Penitas, Honduras Our concept of community has evolved beyond the borders of the towns where our customers run their coffee houses to the small farming communities where our coffee is grown. We take several trips each year to visit coffeegrowing communities, and this year we began sponsoring trips to coffee plantations for coffee shop owners. Since 2011, we’ve been working with small-plot farmers in the Honduran village of El Socorro de la Penitas to develop a sustainable future for their community. By advising the farmers on consistency in growing and processing techniques, we’re helping to improve the quality of the coffee. We can then pay more for the crop. Small farmers have often received only a small fraction of the price their coffees bring on the world market. We believe education is the key to changing that. One of the ways we’re helping is by donating desks for a library and computer lab in the village’s Jose Cecilio del Valle elementary school, in which a single teacher instructs about 60 children between first and sixth grades. We also sponsored a trip to the village in May by a group of Ohio State University agricultural students and Zia Ahmed, the director of the university’s student life and dining services. Working with Stephan Erkelens of Axiom Coffee Ventures and local leaders, the students drafted a five-year plan to transform the village into a thriving coffee enterprise. Crimson Cup will be working with local leaders, Axiom, and Ohio State students to implement the plan. As small business owners, we all have the power to make a real difference in our communities, both locally and in coffee-growing countries. I look forward to working with many others in creating a sustainable future for smallholder coffee farmers and the coffee industry as a whole. In addition to his role as Founder and President of Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea, Greg Ubert holds a number of community leadership roles. Reach him at greg@crimsoncup.com.
Grounds for Health
Healthcare with a Lasting Impact Contact Name: Website: Location: Email Address: Phone Number:
Justin Mool www.groundsforhealth.org Worldwide justin@groundsforhealth.org 802.241.4146
Project Description Today, the world has the knowledge and tools to save tens of thousands of women coffee farmers from a preventable death. Put simply, no woman should die of cervical cancer. This preventable disease kills more than 275,000 women every year, with the vast majority occurring in the developing world. Projections show that by 2030, as many as 500,000 women could die annually. Coffee just happens to grow in remote areas of the world where access to preventive health services is slim to none. In most coffeegrowing countries, cervical cancer kills more women than any other cancer, more than even childbirth and pregnancy. Cervical cancer is taking its toll on the economics and livelihood of the coffee industry. However, this is not a foregone conclusion, and the Specialty Coffee Industry has had the foresight and conviction to do something about it. Since 1996, the industry has supported the work of Grounds for Health and its ongoing mission to establish sustainable cervical cancer prevention programs in coffee-growing communities. This ongoing effort has taught Grounds for Health a great deal about what works and what doesn’t. In recent years, one thing in particular has made the non-profit’s success unique: the strength of coffee communities and the importance of getting them involved in all aspects of prevention programs.
Cancer Prevention” at the Global Forum on Cervical Cancer Prevention in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This call to action has been signed by thousands of policy makers and its adoption shows that the world is at a tipping point: we’re ready to stop a major killer of women. At the Women Deliver Conference, also in Kuala Lumpur, Grounds for Health Executive Director, August Burns gave a well-received presentation on community involvement and its importance to the success and sustainability of cervical cancer prevention programs. Burns highlighted the essential role of the community in creating effective cervical cancer prevention programs, and that in order for programs to have a meaningful and lasting impact, community engagement must be seen as a critical component on equal footing to prevention technologies. The call for community engagement is part of Grounds for Health’s continued advocacy for “the woman at the end of the road”—a passion that is shared by the organization’s coffee funders and the communities it serves. The unique partnership between Grounds for Health, coffee communities, and the coffee industry is leading the way towards a future where no woman dies from cervical cancer.
Through Grounds for Health’s guidance, coffee communities in Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, and Tanzania have been able to break down barriers that stand between women and life-saving preventive services. Co-ops provide transportation. Community health promoters educate friends and neighbors. Also, local doctors and nurses administer effective screening and treatment methods that have been proven to make a difference.
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Grounds for Health wants to share its lessons learned with the world, and the global health community is ready to listen. On May 27, 2013, Grounds for Health helped unveil the “Call for Universal Access to Cervical
July 2013
Who benefits from this project? Grounds for Health’s work directly benefits women in coffee regions, their families, and their communities. Cervical cancer primarily affects women in the prime of lives, ages 40-50, and a woman’s untimely death has widespread repercussions on her family, her work, and her community. However, Grounds for Health’s advocacy work goes beyond just coffee-growing communities. The lessons learned from community involvement can be applied throughout the world in cervical cancer prevention programs. For example, because of its experience in developing sustainable programs, Grounds for Health was invited to serve as a Technical Advisor to the World Health Organization in creating the new global guidelines on cervical cancer prevention. Grounds for Health have also been asked to present at numerous conferences around the world from Rome, to Washington DC, and even to Kuala Lumpur. How can I help? The best way to get involved is to become a supporter of Grounds for Health. Major donors include Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Royal Coffee Inc., ECOM Foundation, Monin Gourmet Flavorings, and many more. Become a supporter: www.groundsforhealth.org/donate
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Horizontes sin Limites
Sustainability through Comprehensive Education Contact Name: Web Site: Location: Email Address: Phone Number:
Bill Fishbein www.thecoffeetrust.org San Gaspar Chajul, Guatemala bill@thecoffeetrust.org 505.670.9783
Project Description A brief history of the organization The seed of Limitless Horizons Ixil (LHI) was planted during a visit to Chajul, by Katie Morrow and Chajul native, Pedro Caba Asicona. Pedro was born and raised in Chajul, and became the first student from the small community to earn a university degree. As Katie quickly saw, Pedro’s success was truly exceptional given the context of his hometown. Even in a brief visit to Chajul, one is struck by both its struggle and its resilience. Visually stunning, Chajul is tucked into an isolated region of the Cuchumatanes mountain range in the Western Highlands of Guatemala. Isolation has proved a significant barrier to economic development and has also served as barrier to cultural change, for better or worse. Women and girls in Chajul still wear traditional, hand-woven fabrics featuring brilliantly colored birds and complement them with the deep red, wrap skirt particular to the Ixil region. Houses have dirt floors, latrines are far more common than flushing toilets, and meals are cooked over open fires on the floor in the center of kitchens. Chajul is a world apart from the rest of Guatemala and is immediately captivating. On Katie’s first visit, she was particularly taken by the undeniable drive of Chajul’s youth to pursue their primary means for development: education. Thus, with Pedro, Katie founded LHI in 2004, as a simple scholarship program. Students with the motivation to study but lack of funds were provided with scholarships for their tuition. In the nine years since, much has grown within LHI and in how it meets the needs of Chajul youth. With a team of five Chajulense women, LHI now runs two integrated programs, the Youth Development Program (YDP) and the Saber Sin Límites Community Library, to provide a multifaceted approach to community development through educational access. The YDP now supports 52 youth and their families with a financial scholarship and an array of educational support services designed 16 to fill the gaps of Chajul’s under-resourced
education system. The Community Library is the first in Chajul, with lesson-planning resources for teachers and homework help for students alongside literacy programming in Ixil and Spanish for young children. Together, these programs offer individualized attention to provide children, youth, and families with the academic and professional skills needed to effect change in their lives and community. What distinguishes LHI in its approach to community development is the understanding that change starts with an individual. Yet no individual, particularly no youth, stands alone in his or her journey to personal and professional success. When a child is encouraged by her parents to attend school, provided with resources like librarians and tutors to complete homework, and supported through training and workstudy opportunities to develop personal and professional skills, that child can truly live up to her potential. Her dreams become goals, and she is empowered to accomplish them. This is the fundamental theory behind LHI’s work and program development: a dynamic, needs-based response to the community it serves. This theory of change helped create the Saber Sin Límites (Limitless Knowledge) Community Library, which now boasts 1,300 users. Originally, LHI hosted a small library in its office stocked with a few dozen donated books to help scholarship recipients do their homework. Soon, friends and siblings of LHI youth also showed a great interest in accessing those resources. In 2010, the library opened to the wider Chajul community and staff began developing literacy programming. For example, weekly story hours to engage the many young children who used the library as a safe space to learn and play. Shortly after the library opened, attendance at story hour was so high that children occupied every inch of space in the room. In 2011, Saber Sin Límites expanded to a larger space just down the street from the LHI Community Center and growing story hours led to the introduction of new activities and programs to inspire positive attitudes toward July 2013
literacy and education. Older students also began frequenting the library, both out of curiosity and the genuine need for resources to complete homework assignments. In 2012, the Library’s lease grew to include an attached study room where students and teachers could access reference books and textbooks in a clean and quiet space. As part of its dynamic needs-based approach, LHI provides supplemental initiatives within its programs based on recommendations from local and international experts and direct community feedback. LHI’s women’s artisan program is an important aspect of the YDP, as it acknowledges the strong link between the empowerment of mothers and the success of their children in school. Mothers of youth in the YDP are given the chance not only to earn their own income through weaving, but also to help set fair prices for their work, develop their craft, and have economic decisionmaking power in their families. Additionally, students’ parents are integrated into the YDP via regular workshops on topics from family planning to financial literacy. When LHI hosted its first training for mothers on family planning, they were thrilled but asked that their husbands receive a parallel workshop. Upon receiving their training, the fathers were equally grateful. By sharing ideas and opening dialogue, LHI fosters the growth of healthy family environments where youth can truly flourish. If you walk through Chajul today, you will see what Katie thought was missing nine years ago. You will see what Pedro never dreamed of 10 years before that. You will see youth, mothers, and families with access to what they need and want for their own growth, education, and development. For more information, contact Clare McInerney at operations@ limitlesshorizonsixil.org.
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UTZ Certified
Sustainability for the Mainstream Contact Name: Web Site: Location: Email Address: Phone Number:
Stephanie de Heer www.utzcertified.org Amsterdam, the Netherlands Stephanie.de.heer@utzcertified.org +00310205308000
Project Description By the end of 2013, Nestlé USA will purchase enough certified Nestlé Cocoa Plan beans to produce their entire line of everyday NESTLÉ CRUNCH bars, the company’s 75 year old flagship confections brand. The beans will be certified by UTZ Certified, an independent organization focused on developing sustainable farming and better opportunities for farmers and their families. The Nestlé Cocoa Plan is only one initiative where quality goes well beyond the products themselves. Throughout the world and across their brands, Nestlé is involved in a broad range of social and environmental initiatives that together make a difference. Nestlé works closely together with UTZ Certified to ensure a sustainable supply of cocoa by helping farmers to implement good practices and offering advice on how to build their businesses. Through the UTZ certification program, farmers grow better crops, generate more income, and create better opportunities while safeguarding the environment and securing the earth’s natural resources, not only currently, but in the future as well. And that tastes a lot better. Certification is a good way to reward farmers and their organisations for producing sustainable cocoa. It also gives consumers added assurance that
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the cocoa was produced under proper conditions. UTZ Certified is one of the leading certification systems that recognises cocoa, coffee, and tea farmers who are operating in accordance with higher quality standards, giving these farms and farmer organisations a form of official certification, as well as better prices for their harvest. UTZ Certified wants sustainable farming to become the most natural thing in the world. They are on the right track because an increasing share of the world’s coffee, cocoa, and tea is grown responsibly. Beside Nestlé, they work together with companies like Mars, Ahold, IKEA, McDonalds and Smucker. Because these companies are buying increasing amounts of coffee, cocoa, and tea with the UTZ Certified label, we are able to help more and more farmers, workers, and their families to fulfill their ambitions. Coffee, cocoa, and tea products do not get the UTZ label easily. The strict requirements for UTZ certified farms and businesses are closely monitored by independent third parties. They assure good agricultural practices and management, safe and healthy working conditions, no child labor, and protection of the environment. UTZ also can track and trace the coffee, cocoa, and tea so you can be sure that your trusted product was grown, harvested and processed sustainably. Who benefits from this project? In 2012, UTZ Certified was active in the coffee, cocoa, and tea production. The program has an impact on the lives of farmers and their families. UTZ Certified stands for sustainable farming and better opportunities for farmers, their families, and our planet. The UTZ program enables farmers to learn better farming methods, improve working conditions and take better care of their children and the environment. Farmers with better crops have better prospects, which is what UTZ is about. July 2013
Not only do the farmers produce more, they achieve better quality at lower costs. UTZ-certified farmers are trained to also be good business people. This enables them to produce more at lower costs, while simultaneously producing better quality harvests. This way farmers are able to invest in their families, a sound business, the people who work there, and also in their futures. UTZ-certified farmers work with respect for the environment and in better harmony with nature. Animals, plants, and nature reserves are protected. Water, raw materials, and natural resources are preserved, and pollution is reduced. That is better for all of us sharing this planet. Thanks to the UTZ program more and more farmers and workers feel healthy, motivated, and respected. They get more chances to achieve their ambitions and so do their families. Their children go to school and are able to grow up in a safe and healthy environment, a better future for everyone. How can I help? When you buy UTZ certified coffee, cocoa, or tea you are helping build a better future. So when you buy coffee, cocoa, or tea products, be sure to look out for the UTZ Certified label. Currently, UTZ is looking into new commodities like citrus and nuts, so keep a lookout for the label in these products in the future as well. Of course we also welcome you to support us through social media like Facebook!
The Coffee Trust
Sustainable Development through Capacity Building Contact Name: Web Site: Location: Email Address: Phone Number:
Bill Fishbein www.thecoffeetrust.org San Gaspar Chajul, Guatemala bill@thecoffeetrust.org 505.670.9783
Project Description The Coffee Trust has deepened its commitment to origin by emphasizing Capacity Building as a fundamental component to its comprehensive, integrated development work that focuses on education, health care, food security, and economic development in each project location. The Capacity Building Program is specifically established to strengthen local partner NGOs in the areas of organizational development, sustainable financing, and democratic decision-making as part of the greater plan to ensure the long-term sustainability of each partner NGO. The Capacity Building program arose out of concern for the long-term sustainability of the local NGOs, as it is the local NGO that provides the foundation for each development project. For our partners to continue to grow, deliver the quality services, and meet the inevitable challenges that will confront them over the long-term, The Coffee Trust decided to make a deeper commitment to their sustainable growth beyond developing, funding, monitoring, and evaluating the projects. The Coffee Trust Capacity Building Program provides training and resources for each NGO in the areas of, 1) organizational development; to ensure a stronger impact on communitites served, 2) sustainable financing; to ensure long-term funding independent of The Coffee Trust and, 3) democratic decision making; to ensure programs are sensitive to the priorities, values, and culture of each community served. How the Capacity Building Program Functions SWOTs and Strategic Planning The first steps focus on the SWOT analysis: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats, undertaken with several NGOs during the first half of 2013. As part of the SWOT analysis, the executives, staff, and board members of the local NGOs had the opportunity to see themselves objectively, identify their strengths and weaknesses, and 20 consider how to address their challenges.
Long-term strategic plans and short-term business plans have resulted. Some examples of important and courageous decisions made by each organization follow. The Honey Project As an alternative to cash crop dependendency, The Coffee Trust supports a group of honey producers in the Ixil region. After the initial SWOT, the beekeepers decided that their long term goal would be to form their own cooperative and operate independently of the coffee cooperative under whose auspices they were orgininally formed. The honey producers are now creating their own management systems and are pursuing a course toward financial self-sustainability in the next five years. Food Security, Nutrition, Health Care The Rural Development Institute (IDR) promotes food security, health, and nutrition. In the last three years, the IDR has developed a chicken raising project, established family and commuity gardens and promoted the construction and use of efficient, ventilated stoves in Sotzil, Guatemala. During the Capacity Building exercise, the IDR identified the lack of involvement of its Board of Directors, and the need to seek a new Executive Director. Since then, the board has reinvigorated itself. A board member took over as Executive Director, and the organization has commited to raising funds on its own. Additionally, the IDR is actively implementing the Campesina a Campesina methodology to expand in more communities at very little cost. The Campesino a Campesino methodology utilizes the experiences gained by the inital beneficiaries to share with others. The project becomes sustainable when the initial beneficiaries become the promoters. In this case, the initial beneficiaries will provide eggs to new families for chicken raising, teach gardening, provide seeds to new families, and teach new families how to build effiicent stoves with local materials.
July 2013
Women’s Savings and Micro-Credit The Chajulense Women’s Association has become very successful in the areas of savings and micro-credit benefiting 675 women and their families. The organization has grown slowly to ensure a solid foundation. However, after the Capacity Building exercise, the organization recognized that it had to increase in size to become financially sustainable. Having already developed the skils to grow, all they needed was self-recognition and the willpower to do it. The Coffee Trust Capacity Building Team Paula Rodriguez of The Coffee Trust focuses on assessing the needs of each local NGO, identifying, hiring, and supervising the professional organizations that conduct numerous trainings and other activities, and evaluating the progress on an on-going basis. Carlos Gonzalez and Carlos Hernandez of Los Carlos Consulting focus on facilitating seminars for each NGO and providing management tools to support the training process. Noelio Perez Recinos, of Perez&Recinos focuses on Audits and Control Procedures for efficient administrations. Bill Fishbein of The Coffee Trust focuses on improving fudraising skills for each local NGO. Jonathan Rosenthal of Just-Works Consulting focuses on Democratic Decision-Making for each local NGO. Group seminars are conducted to introduce different subjects, such as hirearchy of leadership, roles and responsibilities, auditing, strategic planning, business planning, and many others. Group seminars are followed by individual subject trainings with local NGO staff and executives. Later this year, the first Democratic DecisionMaking Seminar will take place adding a community-involvement-dimension to each NGO.
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Coffee & Climate Toolbox
A Tool for Every Climatic Hazard Contact name: Website: Location: Email: Phone:
Mika Adler http://toolbox.coffeeandclimate.org/ and for the initiative: coffeeandclimate.org Brazil, Trifinio (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras), Tanzania, Vietnam mika.adler@hrnstiftung.org +4949808112422
Project Description Changes in the climate are no secret to the coffee industry. Around the world coffee farmers are struggling to keep their crops and make the paralleled transition with the climate. From fungus on the plant’s leaves to complete crop destruction, farmers continue to scuffle with Mother Nature. Coffee & Climate, whose motto is, “enabling effective response” launched their ‘toolbox’ initiative in February of 2013. Project Manager, Mike Adler, is inviting us all to help spark this global and collaborative learning process. It is aimed to help coffee farmers adapt successfully to climate change. According to their website, www.coffeeandclimate. org, “The c&c toolbox is a compilation of guidelines, training materials and other didactic material to inform, capacitate and empower farmers to cope with and adapt to climate change. It addresses the lack of systematically documented information and shared knowledge on good adaptation and mitigation practices in the coffee sector.” The main purpose of the toolbox is to initiate a collaborative and global learning process by collection, evaluation, and the further development of practice and experience from the coffee fields.
References and recommendations will be made available to bring to the field with the assistance of preexisting farmer know-how and knowledge. Via the web, tools and instruments necessary to aid farmers are becoming readily available. This includes a global knowledge-sharing platform that will at some point in the future become the climate change information hub for the coffee sector. The website states, “The objective is to share, collect and consolidate knowledge and experiences on climate change adaptation and mitigation, to support adoption and implementation efforts and to stimulate interaction and communication between scientific research and implementation in the field. This toolbox is the tool needed to close information gaps but bringing together individuals of different levels of knowledge, expertise, implementation, and location to share their personal experiences and information that others may or may not have.” The framework is designed to instill change for coffee farmers everywhere. It all begins with risk assessment of climatic risks. Then reevaluation of tool utility is done through experts. Collaboratively, responses are identified and then implemented to the area in need.
Monitoring of the process is done, accompanied by an evaluation of the effectiveness. Case studies are then generated for further knowledge and references for cases to come. A single solution that is successful for farmers in Brazil may not be the same solution for coffee farmers in Costa Rica. A locally appropriate solution must be defined in each designated area. It is done though triangulation method between farmers, local experts, and scientists. The toolbox wizard is one of the most important tools within the box. It generates information that is specified by relevance of criteria to the area one wishes to improve. Climatic hazard, countries, tool type, coffee variety, and purpose are the five drop down boxes that helps generate the information. After filling out the dropdown menus, results are made available with information that has been shared. The amount of information stored in this toolbox from just a few months past its launch date, is not only impressive but the first step toward helping farmers around the globe with climate changes. Scientists, farmers, experts, and individuals alike must band together to help each other. The coffee industry, from the United States where coffee is widely consumed, to farmers in Honduras and Guatemala who provide the beans, lend a helping hand whenever possible. The Coffee & Climate Toolbox initiative is a tool that everyone in the coffee industry should have in their box. Since the climate around the world is constantly changing, we must change with it. When a country experiences a drought for the first time, this toolbox will be their answer on how to keep afloat. So please, care and share the information in your box.
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http://toolbox.coffeeandclimate.org/ coffeeandclimate.org
July 2013
Fair Trade USA
Rust Response Contact Name: Website: Location: Email Address: Phone Number:
Laura Ann Sweitzer www.FairTradeUSA.org Oakland, CA, USA lsweitzer@FairTradeUSA.org 510.663.5260 x375
Project Description With open lines of communication to 244 producer organizations in Latin America, and strong relationships within the North American coffee industry, Fair Trade USA operates at a strategic intersection of coffee commerce. Historically, the organization has used this unique perspective to connect farmers with buyers and funding opportunities. During a crisis, Fair Trade USA’s role as a connector within the supply chain becomes even more valueable. The entire coffee supply chain is keenly aware that Rust, or Roya, is an unignorable and potentially devastating force rapily encroaching on Latin American coffee supply. Roya is caused by the fungus, Hemileia Vastatrix. It infects individual coffee leaves and inhibits the coffee plant’s ability to produce cherries. Coffee farms in Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and El Salvador are among the most affected. Experts claim the outbreak could decrease coffee production for the 20132014 harvest by up to 50 percent. Producers on the front lines of the rust battle desperately need both funding and education to save their crops and livelihoods. Thus, Fair Trade USA is implementing a multi-faceted response to the rust crisis that includes taking immediate action through the Rust Response Fund and enabling producer organized actions funded with the Fair Trade Premium Funds.
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The Rust Response Fund The Rust Response Fund is a small grant program that funds projects designed to mitigate and prevent rust. All Fair Trade Certified coffee cooperatives are eligible to submit project proposals to the Rust Response Fund. The fund is
financed by Fair Trade USA, with support from business partners and individual donations. All donations are passed along to winning producer groups to fund actions combatting rust. Grants up to $25,000 each are distributed to winning proposals. The Rust Reponse Fund is an efficient way to support immediate, farmer led, action on the groud against rust. Recent winners of project funding from the Rust Response Fund include COMSA cooperative in Honduras. COMSA is putting $20,000 in grant funding towards strengthening their coffee plants to be more resistant to rust through the use of organic fertilizers and other innovative techniques. More information on this project can be found here: http://www.fairtradeusa.org/ press-room/press_release/fair-trade-usaannounces-new-winners-cooperativesmall-grants-program Fair Trade USA, with the help of an external selction committee, will award $50,000 towards two additional projects ($25,000 each) this summer. Producer Lead Initiatives In addition to grant funding, many producer organizations have elected to invest a portion of their Fair Trade Premium in efforts to prevent and mitigate rust. The Guatemalan Fair Trade coopeative FEDECOCAGUA is using 30 percent of its Fair Trade premium to fund “Anti-Rust Brigades.” FEDECOCAGUA’s “Anti-Rust Brigades” employ technologically-efficient, motorized sprayers to combat the fungus in the most afflicted areas using natural botanical fungicides. This environmentallyfriendly product, made from the Neem tree, will be used on both conventional and certified organic coffee crops.
July 2013
The Guatemalan producer organizations ASOCHAJUL and ASOBAGRI are also investing Fair Trade Premium funds to purchase fumigation equiptment and implement “Anti-Rust Brigades.” Additionally, ASOBAGRI has invested $13,000 of its Fair Trade Premium funds in purchasing supplies to mass produce and distribute organic fertilizer to their members. Together, COMSA, FEDECOCAGUA, ASOCHAJUL and ASOBAGRI are slowing the spread of rust with these grant and premium funded projects while providing a successful model for other organizations to adapt. Who Benefits from this project? Small-scale farmers in Latin America are particularly vulnerable to rust due to high poverty levels and the inability to invest in proper prevention techniques. Donating to the Rust Response Fund and purchasing Fair Trade Certified coffee enables cooperatives such as COMSA, ASOBAGRI, ASOCHAJUL, FEDECOCAGUA, and many others to assist their members in defending their coffee plants against rust. “We are proudly and enthusiastically carrying out our project work every day to protect our members’ crops” - Sonia Vasquez, COMSA Cooperative, Honduras How Can I Help? Get Involved! Purchasing Fair Trade Certified coffee increases the amount of Fair Trade Premium funds available to cooperatives to prevent and mitigate rust. Additionally, you can contribute to the Rust Respone Fund here: http://fairtradeusa.org/ donate/rust-defense 100 percent of donations will be directly passed on to Fair Trade producer organizations to fund rust prevention projects.
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Coffee Kids
Agricultural Innovation Through Heritage Seeds and Practices Contact Name: Web Site: Location: Email Address: Phone Number:
Kristina Morris Heredia www.coffeekids.org Santa Fe, New Mexico USA info@coffeekids.org 505.820.1443
Project Description Since 2010, Coffee Kids has worked with the Advice and Rural Services Center (ASER MAIZ), based out of Veracruz, Mexico, to improve the food security of local coffeefarming communities. They promote community development by improving the economic, social, and political conditions within rural communities in Veracruz, Mexico. Founded in 1996, the organization was born out of the economic and social crises that affected many rural areas in Mexico after the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). ASER MAIZ addresses poverty by training rural families in sustainable agriculture, food security, and organizational development. Mexico’s entry into NAFTA in 1994 forced transformations in rural regions, pushing them toward intensive agricultural production for an export market rather than local consumption. This has contributed to food poverty in Mexico, particularly in Veracruz where staple foods such as corn and beans have suffered low yields in recent years due to crop diseases brought about by climate change. The communities where ASER MAIZ works are some of the worst affected in
the state. These same events threaten the traditional milpa mode of production, the subsistence agricultural system upon which rural populations throughout Mexico have subsisted for hundreds of years. At the heart of the milpa triad is maize (intercropped with squash and beans). However, regionally adapted heritage varieties of maize are dying out due to GM drift, crop failure, and the influx of cheap but less nutritious varieties that are sold for seed. This project continues the efforts of ASER MAIZ to build rural food security and joins the campaign Sin Maíz no Hay País (Without corn there is no country) in promoting the recovery and protection of native seeds, while also supporting organic production techniques and encouraging more efficient use of land and water. This project will also compile and document traditional forms of milpa production and will attain a collection of seeds better adapted to the region. Who Benefits from this project? This project started with a group of 100 families from seven communities in the Totonacapan region of Veracruz, Mexico, to exchange knowledge and seeds through backyard vegetable gardens. Although many community members still grow their own food, many others have begun to purchase their food without knowing where it comes from or how it was produced. This is due in part to emigration to the US and in part to diminishing land space for gardens. Despite these changes, somewhere around 85 percent of the families in these seven communities continue to rely on agricultural activities for their livelihoods. People such as Esther Gómez Isidro from the community of Coyutla have seen their consumption of staples diminish. Esther remembers the vegetable garden her family kept when she was a child. It provided her with fresh salads and tender greens year round. Time went by and her father left for the United States. The family garden
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disappeared and she stopped eating fresh vegetables every day. Through this project, Esther recently transformed a small piece of land that she used for storing things into her own vegetable garden. She plans to grow most of the vegetables she consumes and exchange the seeds with local women. How Can I Help? Coffee Kids depends on donations to support our projects; to provide monitoring, evaluation, and training services to our program partners; and to help educate the general public about relevant issues at coffee’s origin. There are many ways to get involved. Individuals can give a one-time donation or set up a monthly recurring donation. They may also gift a donation. See which option is best for you: www.coffeekids.org/ you-can-help/donate/ Businesses may become members for $500 per year or offer a one-time donation at the level at which they’re able to give. Become a Coffee Kids member here: www.coffeekids. org/you-can-help/business-donation You may also participate by holding your own fundraiser. We can help you create and promote your fundraiser if you email info@ coffeekids.org. Social media, blog posts, and articles are all great ways to help others learn about Coffee Kids, coffee farmers, and what we can all do to help protect the future of coffee.
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Mujeres Chajulense
Economic Development through Savings, Micro-Credit, and Textiles Contact Name: Website: Location: Email Address: Phone Number:
Bill Fishbein www.thecoffeetrust.org San Gaspar Chajul, Guatemala bill@thecoffeetrust.org 505.670.9783
Project Description The municipality of San Gaspar, Chajul is located 275 kilometers Northwest of Guatemala City, in the department of Quiché. Along with the municipalities of Santa Maria Nebaj and San Juan Cotzal, it makes up the homeland of the Maya Ixil ethnic group. In an area that was badly hit during the Guatemalan civil war, Chajul has, since the late 80s, become a producer of one the finest Fairtrade organic coffees in the country, through the help of the Association Chajulense La Unión, an association of coffee farmers brought together by Rosolino Bianchetti, a Catholic priest. By 2006, the association of coffee farmers employed nearly 500 women to sort coffee by hand. That same year, due to the need to reduce costs, the organization introduced conveyor belts for the sorting process, which resulted in the layoff of 300 women. With the support of Chajulense and other consultants, the women joined together to determine what they could do after losing their jobs. Fifty women decided to organize themselves to look for opportunities to continue growing and learning. And so begins the story of the Chajulense Women United for Life. The women began producing and selling weavings, a project inherited from the Chajulense Association, and in 2007 they formed a micro-credit program to launch and encourage productive projects. In the weaving program, 50 women create
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Board Assembly of the Chajulense Women’s Association
products that are exported to the USA and Europe, along with sales in Guatemala. They are high quality, long lasting products created on back strap looms and foot looms that don’t fray or lose their color. To date, the association continues to grow and the credit program has provided credit to 675 women at a low interest rate. The women need to organize into groups of 15 to 25 members and offer a solidarity guarantee; that is to say, if one of the women doesn’t pay back the credit, the rest of the group will pay. For that reason the women are very careful with whom they allow in their groups. Each of the groups has their own board of directors that supports in the administration of the credit. In the last two years, the credit program has had 0 percent default rate, meaning that every group has been able to make all of their payments. Additionally, the association asks the groups to maintain 10 percent of the money they receive during the year in a savings account at a bank. The savings helps them build up working capital. For the majority of the women this is the first time they have ever been able to save money. The association also provides financial literacy training where the women learn to be better administrators at home and in their business dealings, making budgets and maintaining a register of income and expenses. This training is based on training from the institution, Save the Children. Another service offered by the association is a small insurance program, which helped when one member died. The association paid off her remaining credit and gave nearly $200 to the family to help cover funeral expenses. To illustrate the importance of the association of women in the middle of this area that was dramatically affected by armed conflict, we share the story of 55 year-old Maria Hu Mateo. Maria, with a July 2013
family of eight children, saw her husband kidnapped at the beginning of the 80s. He was eventually freed as an innocent man, but he had been beaten badly. With time he fell in a deep depression and became physically ill until he could no longer work. Finally, Baltazar died in 2007 and Maria was left with six children to care for after two had married. In the midst of a difficult economic situation, Maria joined the Chajulense Women’s Association and began a business selling baskets and food in the local market. With a credit of just $1,000 she began earning around $75 per month, a modest income with which she could raise her children and even send them to school. Stories like Maria Hu’s are abundant in the association, even though the credits are small (on average $400), they make a difference in the women’s quality of life. Chajul has a population of 42,000 in a zone where nearly 85 percent are at or below the poverty level, that is to say that more than 35,000 people live on less than $2 a day. In this context, the Chajulense Women’s Association continues forward and projects to become self-sustaining with their credit program this year. Even though there is a long road to travel to make a significant difference in the area, the association has already become key for the development of the Ixil women.
María Hu Mateo
F. Gavina & Sons, Inc.
Leading With Game Changing Technologies Contact Name: Web Site: Location: Email Address: Phone Number:
Anna Valls http://www.gavina.com/ Vernon/California/USA anna.valls@gavina.com 800.428.4627 ext. 6106
Project Description “What is compassion? It is not simply a sense of sympathy or caring for the person suffering, not simply a warmth of heart toward the person before you, or a sharp clarity of recognition of their needs and pain, it is also a sustained and practical determination to do whatever is possible and necessary to help alleviate their suffering.” - Sogyal Rinpoche For 150 years, Gavina has been giving back to the community. The first two generations gave back in Cuba when the company was first started. The Catholic Church and the good work it enables was the favorite recipient. Generations three and four have continued that tradition since the family moved the business here in the 1960s. In addition to their long-standing support of the church, Gavina today supports a wide variety of causes important to them, their employees and their community. Anna Valls is the donation coordinator. In the interest of helping all stakeholders, Anna and her community involvement team have chosen to install Profits4Purpose, an innovative employee engagement and donation tracking software platform. P4P will help Gavina be more efficient, give every staff member the opportunity to participate, and communicate all good works in real time.
“We’re going to be able to broaden our impact and hopefully help even more worthy causes because we’re going to do it smarter and involve more of our employees who want to help,” said Valls. Conscious capitalism is not new to Gavina. The founding family always had core values around their business role in society. Donating for over a century demonstrates trust, compassion, collaboration, and value creation. Business doing good is good for business. CoffeeCares founder, Karen Cebreros, knew of Gavina’s community commitment. She brought P4P to Gavina’s attention, knowing it would help them help others. “CoffeeCares and Profits4Purpose is proud to partner with F Gavina & Sons to make a difference, matching employee interests and company values with community needs,” stated Cebreros. “They do excellent work and will make good use of the platform.” Gavina makes over 100 donations each month. In addition to product donations, company activities include many staff members getting together to walk in the LA Breast Cancer annual fundraiser. Now sharing information around events will be a snap. Gavina is reinventing how they live and work in the world as business visionaries and a force for good.
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Who Benefits from this project? The beneficiaries of Gavina using Profits4Purpose to enhance their charitable giving is broad. All the local nonprofits in the Los Angeles area that are currently helped by them will benefit. As P4P becomes fully implemented, the nonprofits will be able to
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request product donations and event support by filling out a form accessed from Gavina’s website. It will be an easy process and since they are filling out a form, they will know exactly what information Gavina needs to process their request, rather than having it held up while waiting for more information. Should Gavina still need more information, with a click of a button they will be able to email the requestor and then keep the subsequently submitted information all in the same place, eliminating searching for multiple letters or emails. The coffee NGOs around the world look to benefit too. Available on the P4P platform will be donation links that go directly to those nonprofits supporting the coffeelands, making it easier for Gavina to support them. Gavina’s employees benefit as well. P4P links up each employee account and allows them to search for and support causes that they care about. They will be able help broaden the scope of all who Gavina touches and impacts. How Can I Help? Make an impact in your community. If like Gavina, your company has supported your commuity and the coffee NGOs for years or decades, consider looking to do that more efficiently. Rather than spending time and effort on administering your good work, do it the easy way, and spend more of your time doing more good work. If you’ve been thinking of starting a Corporate Social Responsibility program at your company, there is no time like the present to start!
Amazonas
Yanesha Robusta Coffee Producers Contact Name: Web Site: Location: Email Address: Phone Number:
Rianne van der Bom N/A Villa Rica/Oxapampa/Peru rianne79@gmail.com +51954090045
Project Description Since January 2009, our small local NGO Amazonas has been working with native Yanesha coffee producers in the Villa Rica and Oxapampa districts of central Peru. It has been a challenge, but now we can say that the Central de Productores Yaneshas, or CEPRO Yanesha, is up and running! They started selling their coffee locally, last year sent two containers of organic coffee to Germany.This year they will do two organic and two conventional to Germany and some high quality to Canada. It is a big change from when we first started talking with the Yanesha coffee producers. During these four and a half years, some Yanesha representatives have participated at SCAA and Biofach, which helps with the understanding of the international coffee trade. Now, June 2013, we stand before a new challenge, and quite a unique one: Yanesha robusta coffee farmers! Peru is known as a 100 percent arabica coffee producing country and even most peruvians don’t know that robusta is being produced here. Over 25 years ago, two Yanesha villages in the lower part of the Villa Rica district were the beneficiaries of a state run program that was in search of a cash crop that could support these communities. One of the
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proposed crops was robusta coffee, which was installed and soon after abandoned by the program. So now there are more than 40 hectares of robusta coffee in San Pedro and San Francisco de Pichanaz; but unfortunately, the farmers never got to learn how to grow robusta coffee. This has led to almost no plant maintanance, poor post harvest handling, very low production, and little to no income. What we would like to achieve is the training of these farmers in propper robusta coffee farming. As well as the transformation of the coffee fields in well pruned, well fertilized, and well managed fields that produce high quality coffee. The farmers are already part of the CEPRO Yanesha organic certification program, which will also help in avoiding contamination and soil fertility loss as a result of poor agronomical practices. I think our timing is perfect. At SCAA in Boston this year, we sensed that the general opinion on robusta coffee is slowly changing and the CQI now has the R-Grader program! Who Benefits from this project? The direct beneficiaries of this project are the robusta coffee farmers in San Pedro and San Francisco de Pichanaz. They are native Yaneshas that have lived in this area for thousands of years. So far their main source of income has been some timber extraction, suplemented by subsistance farming and some fishing and hunting. A better income from robusta coffee farming would mean less need to extract timber which would reduce the pressure on the natural resources of these communities. The indirect beneficiaries would be all of the members of the CEPRO Yanesha coffee July 2013
organization. We think that introducing small volumes of high quality robusta coffee into the international market can help improve CEPRO Yanesha’s coffee sales in general. It is also an opportunity to let the world know about Yanesha culture. CEPRO Yanesha now has a total of 151 coffee producing members, 24 of which are robusta farmers from San Pedro de Pichanaz. There are an estimate 20 more in San Francisco de Pichanaz, who will soon be contacted to join the organization. How Can I Help? For the execution of this project, we would like to receive an expert on small scale robusta coffee production who can analize and suggest ways to improve the coffee fields and post harvest handling. Also, an expert R-Grader who can teach our Q-Graders how to roast and cup robusta coffee. And last but not least, we would like to receive donations to be able to send out technical staff to help the farmers implement these new techniques and practices. All our office expenses are covered, so all donations would go directly to the implementation of the project.
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Agros International
Providing Land, Hope, and Life to Central American Families Contact Name: Website: Location: Email Address: Phone Number:
Anne Baunach www.agros.org Seattle, WA, based; Central America Focused AnneB@Agros.org 206.528.1066
Project Description Agros International strives to reach rural families in Central America with critical resources and training that helps them to work their way out of desperate poverty. A Seattle-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Agros serves the rural poor of Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Mexico by providing access to agricultural land, water, primary education, and training in how to grow crops. Coffee is a staple cash crop for most of Agros’ communities. Our model focuses on three critical areas: market-led agriculture, health and well-being, and financial empowerment. Through this holistic, integrated model, Agros families and communities are equipped to become successful farmers; gain crucial knowledge about personal, familial, and community health; and receive training in how to manage their financial resources. Agricultural land is at the center of the Agros model, and wherever possible Agros helps farmers to establish partnerships that better enable them to market and sell their crops. For instance, at Brisas del Volcan in Honduras, farmers work with a coffee cooperative that helps them to process their raw coffee and also provides a means by which to sell it. Working with this existing cooperative helps ensure that farmers are getting the best price for their crops. In other communities such as Nueva Esperanza in Nicaragua, Agros is working with their farmers on the legal and organizational steps to set up their own coffee cooperative. In Bella Vista, Honduras, income from successful coffee crops once allowed a couple of Agros families to pay off their land loan and become title holders in under three years. Coffee is a cornerstone cash crop for many Agros families, and in many communities it is the first crop for income production that is planted once they are established. 34 As they wait for their coffee plants to reach
productive maturity (about 3 years), they receive agricultural training and inputs for other horticultural crops, such as peppers, pasion fruit or peas. This then enables them to earn an income and add healthy food to their diets. Diversification is critical to long-term agricultural success in the very rugged, remote areas where Agros works. It helps families to mitigate the risks associated with farming, such as natural disaster, crop disease, and other unexpected calamities. Who Benefits from this project? Agros works in 42 villages where farmers depend on coffee and other crops to make a living and support their families. Agros exists to restore hope and opportunity to economically marginalized people in Central America—people like Carlos and Marina. When the Agros staff first met Carlos and Marina, they were living in the slums of San Pedro Sula, Honduras—one of the most dangerous cities in the world. They lived in a run-down shack on the edge of the highway. On one side of their house cars screamed by, while on the other a polluted river flowed past. Marina lived in constant fear that her youngest daughter Lizi, whom at the time was two years old, would either be hit by a car or drown in the contaminated water. They had a dream to buy land in a safe place. However, when they did so, they learned that their investment had been stolen as part of a scam. They lost all hope for their future. When they learned about Agros, everything changed. They moved to Agros’ Bella Vista community, where coffee is a staple crop. This year, Marina, Carlos, and their three children harvested their first crop. Agros is working to reach more people in Central America with the life-changing resources of land, credit, and training that will enable them to build strong futures for their families. As we complete our capacity July 2013
development exercise, we will ramp up to a regional model, starting in Honduras, that will allow us to assist communities on a much broader scale. How Can I Help? Agros International’s work is made possible through donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations who support our mission to end poverty. We welcome anyone interested to visit our website, www. agros.org, to make a gift that will help families gain the resources they need. Our Alternative Gift Catalog has great ideas for smaller gifts that you can give in the name of a friend or loved one: oneseed. agros.org. We invite individuals and corporations to sponsor a table at our annual fundraising event, Tierras de Vida (Lands of Life). Bring your friends and colleagues to learn more about what we do and how you can be involved. This year’s event will be held on October 19, 2013, in Seattle, WA. Learn how you can help by going here: agros.org/ tdv. Education is a critical part of our work as well. We invite you to learn more about the work Agros does in Central America and tell your friends about the importance of agriculture to poverty alleviation. To get started, watch this video to learn more about Carlos and Marina’s story: vimeo. com/51298816.
Curt’s Cafe
Training Program for At-Risk Youth Contact Name: Web Site: Location: Email Address: Phone Number:
Lori Dube www.curtscafe.org 2922 Central Street, Evanston, IL lori.dube@comcast.net 847.716.0520
Project Description Local news in Evanston reported that 73 juveniles were arrested for 113 offenses during the summer of 2011. Not only are these youth (16 to 22 years old) off track to adulthood, but in all likelihood they will have a hard time getting on track without becoming employed. This is the biggest obstacle these youth face. So how do these youth become productive, contributing members of society and not part of the vicious cycle of incarceration that so many at-risk youth face? Susan Trieschmann opened a café called Curt’s Café, as a training ground in the food service industry for recently released and high at-risk youth. With more than 25 years as a successful caterer, Trieschman’s personal passion steered her in the direction of restorative justice - nonviolent mediation. Curt’s Café’s training program teaches skills for the coffee shop and food service industry while also teaching life skills so that way the youth can be successful in the community and in their future lives. We promote education, respect, compassion and integrity, and
embrace the philosophy of restorative justice in all that we do. In her own words, Trieschmann said she opened Curt’s one year ago because, “I kept hearing a lot of kids say that if they just had jobs they wouldn’t go through the system, they wouldn’t get arrested.” She continues, “They just need jobs […] if they have a history, if they’re African American, if they’re uneducated, they have everything against them. So what I’m trying to do here with the help of a million volunteers is rebuild their life skills so they have the confidence to try to get a job. They all come in saying they want to be dishwashers, and by the time they leave they want to be doctors or physicists or chemists. So it’s pretty exciting, once they see what’s out there and once they see that they’re capable of doing things.” Who Benefits from this project? According to Trieschmann, “I think we’ve had 18 kids come through in our first year, and most of them are either job placed or in college or back in high school. We’ve lost a couple, but just a few, and some have rotated back twice already. But we haven’t lost many to the justice system, which is our goal, to keep them all out of the justice system. Most of our kids have already had judicial contact or have been incarcerated.” In addition to the students, Curt’s Café is a benefit to the community of Evanston and local businesses. We are working with an underserved population in the community in an effort to curb teen violence that is an issue in our city. We are also training and providing workers for the many food service businesses in our community.
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How Can I Help? Because we are a non-profit we are always looking for additional sources of funding. We pay our students a daily stipend of $50 to work in the café. Much July 2013
of the work done at Curt’s is to keep the organization running. Administration, emotional coaching, tutoring, marketing, job placement and even baking are done by volunteers. We are hoping to raise enough money to hire a social worker that can help the students navigate many of the tough issues, including homelessness, addiction, and abuse, that they bring to work with them each day.
Mobile Coffee House Join the Food Truck Revolution
1994 Wells Cargo Trailer—Concession Trailer The owner is asking 75K for the Trailer, which includes all items in the bulleted list below. The owner will consider all offers. (Included items are negotiable if the owner can reasonably remove the item and sell it separately; in other words, if you just want the Trailer, it is in the owner's discretion to decide what must stay with the Trailer and be included in the final sale price negotiated). • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
HUD Certification (CA Requirement) 12’x8’ cargo box, 4’ removable tongue New 4500LB electric tongue jack 5000LB manual tongue jack (removable) battery for tongue jack and generator startup New shocks New Serving Window New Stainless Steal Bar for serving 1 year NEW: trailer tires (dual axel); trailer brakes; & repacked wheel bearings Window removable 8’ serving window/awning 8 flagpole holders 2 -- 6000LB jacks 20 gal. gas tank 20 gal. grey water tank 5 gal. grey water disposable tank w/hose 50 Amp shore power chord (currently trailer runs on generator only) 7000 watt generator
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
1350 hours serviced regularly on schedule 50 gal. fresh water tank 6 gal. hot water heater 1 hand washing sink 1 -- 3 compartment sink 2 water pumps (one brand new) Ceiling fan Air conditioner Covered roof vent Screen door 2 fire extinguishers Shelves/ Floor Matts/ Clock Freezer 1 -- 6’ tall true commercial refrigerator 1 microwave 1 plumbed in Bunn coffee brewer 1 La San Marco espresso machine 1 La San Marco espresso grinder Cash Register
Contact Karen Cebreros at 619-889-1997 with inquiries and offers.
Cup for Education
El Paraiso Computer Laboratory Contact Name: Web Site: Location: Email Address: Phone Number:
Karen Gordon www.cupforeducation.org Staten Island, New York 10314 kgordon@coffeeholding.com 718.832.0800
Project Description
Who Benefits from this project?
There is a need among all the coffee
Located 8 miles up the mountain from
Hundreds of children of coffee farmers
growing communities of the world, and
the main road to Mexico, very close to the
and their families in the surrounding
Guatemala is just one of many countries
border, El Paraíso Development Center
communities in Huehuetenango,
where we have projects. If you know of a
provides locals with a clinic, pharmacy, and
Guatemala benefit from this center.
community that is in need of improved
a computer laboratory. Cup for Education
Attendance has increased each year at the
educational tools please send us a suggested
has been a long time supporter of the
center’s classes, and we have been able to
project.
Computer Laboratory.
reach more children with the traveling Of course, monetary donations are always
programs.
welcome. Every dollar raised goes to the
Since 2008 we have funded the salaries for the teachers, new software, computer
How Can I Help?
projects. Everyone involved with Cup for
maintenance, and art programs over school
The best way to support the cause is to
Education is a volunteer, and there are
vacations. Funding has also been increased
talk about it. Cup is now on Facebook
no salaries or administrative costs. Cup
for small reading programs that travel
and twitter. Get on board and talk about
for Education’s administrative costs are
around to the surrounding communities to
the need in these communities. Host a
supported by Coffee Holding Company
encourage improved literacy skills, and 2
fundraiser, collect Spanish books, or school
Inc. so that we can make the biggest impact
students have been awarded scholarships to
supplies.
possible with every dollar we receive from our supporters.
attend University. These scholarships provide them with the opportunity to earn degrees that can help them improve their lives, assist their families, and communities. Both students are doing very well. We are proud to work with the El Paraiso center and see how their outreach to the surrounding coffee communities brings much needed education and skill building in a safe environment to the children of Huehuetenango.
38 July 2013
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Fairtrade America
Fairtrade Access Fund Contact Name: Web Site: Location: Email Address: Phone Number:
Ann Brown www.fairtradeamerica.org Various coffee producing countries questions@fairtradeamerica.org N/A
Project Description Here in the United States, many pleasant things happen over a cup of coffee. Books are read, personal stories exchanged, business deals made, and friendships forged. Around the world, when circumstances are fair, life-changing things can happen to the people and families of those who produce the key ingredient for that corner store latte. A livable wage can be earned, investments in communities made, and a hard earned opportunity can materialize out of poverty. Ensuring fair opportunities is what the international Fairtrade system is all about. Fairtrade America, the new organization representing the international Fairtrade system in the United States, is committed to helping smallholder coffee producers around the world to get a fairer price, access to international markets, and gain funds for community development for their product that will enable them to lead better lives. While also allowing them to invest in their communities to improve circumstances for those around them. But Fairtrade goes beyond fair trade by working directly with producers to find ways for them to improve and sustain their farms and businesses. Producers have always been closely involved in everything Fairtrade does, and now producers have equal ownership in the Fairtrade system. This makes it the only certification organization to pioneer such power-sharing between groups in the northern and southern hemispheres. Creating greater opportunity for our more than one million small farmers and workers is always top of mind. In 2012 we partnered with Incofin Investment Management and the Grameen Foundation to launch the Fairtrade Access Fund. The goal was to address the longterm financing needs of smallholder farmers in developing countries. To date, a total of $3.7
million US dollars has been distributed to seven cooperatives in Latin America. Peruvian coffee and cocoa cooperative COCLA are one of the first recipients of a Fairtrade Access Fund long-term loan. COCLA received a two and a half year, $370,000 loan to invest in new equipment for drying coffee and cocoa. With the new machinery in place, the cooperatives’ drying process will increase by five to ten percent, quality product exports will increase by at least five percent, and operating costs will decrease by five percent. On a human level, that means better professional, health, and agricultural training and education for COCLA cooperatives and their members. It also means there will ultimately be more money for improving living conditions in partner production areas through the implementation of funded projects developed to improve, maintain or reconstruct the social infrastructure like roads, bridges, and schools. Another $350,000 trade finance loan went to Nicaraguan coffee cooperative UCASUMAN, which is located in a particularly important region that provides up to 60 percent of Nicaragua’s national coffee production. The loan will enable UCASUMAN to purchase Fairtrade certified harvested coffee from the many smaller cooperatives that make up UCASUMAN. This means farmers and communities can continue to rely on the jobs and economic development the cooperative provides. Who Benefits from this Project? As a result of Fairtrade Access Fund loans, tens of thousands of small producers representing hundreds of thousands of people from coffee cooperatives in Latin American and around the world will be able to achieve a more dignified livelihood. The previously difficult-to-access loans will allow farmer organizations to invest in projects that will improve farmers’ income in the long run, and make a dent in the reported $500 million they need to cover their financing needs. By the end of 2013, the Fairtrade Access Fund is expected to grow to $25 million, and will eventually expand to Africa and Asia. That represents a lot of pleasant cups of coffee, and a lot of lives powerfully, positively changed.
40 July 2013
How Can I Help? The Fairtrade Access Fund is an investment fund with an interest in providing smallholder producer organizations with access to finance. Companies interested in investing in the Fairtrade Access Fund should contact info@ fairtradeaccessfund.com. Programs like the Fairtrade Access Fund aimed at empowering smallholder farmers are only limited by the size of the market for Fairtrade certified coffee and other products. There are many ways for others to get involved as well. •
Roasters and Retailers – Encourage your suppliers to purchase Fairtrade certified beans and promote the benefits of fair trade to your customers.
•
Consumers – Choose Fairtrade coffee, and ask your favorite roasters and markets to carry products with the FAIRTRADE Mark.
•
Everyone – Become part of the fair trade movement in the United States and help educate consumers, retailers, and businesses about the important difference fair trade can make in the lives of small farmers and workers.
Learn more about Fairtrade products to look for in stores, and about organizations you can join and support as part of the fair trade movement. Visit us at www.fairtradeamerica. org and follow us on Twitter and Facebook at FairtradeMarkUS.
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Hemisphere Coffee Roasters
Nicaragua Café Diego - Direct Trade Coffee Contact Name: Web Site: Location: Email Address: Phone Number:
Paul Kurtz www.hemispherecoffeeroasters 22 South Main Street Mechanicsburg, OH 43044 kurtzpaul@hotmail.com 937.834.3230
Project Description Direct trade means many different things to different people. In a sense, all coffee is direct trade. The farmer grew it and passed it off to another buyer. For Hemisphere Coffee Roasters, directtrade means three things: 1. We stay involved in the lives of the grower year round. This is not a onetime purchase that exploits a farmer if NYBOT pricing is low this year. We insist that it works for all parties. The purchase of coffee must lead to improvement in living conditions for the workers, sustainability for the farm, and pride of a job well done, rewarded financially. 2. We advance pre-harvest funding that enables the farmer to stay out of preditory local banking (30 percent interest) for short-term operating loans. This alone has been the gamechanger for the farmers we deal with. 3. We create traceable brands that accuratly reflect the farmer and the community they were produced in. Coffee is a representation of a place and of a group of people. It is not the importer’s or roaster’s product to brand or disguise. We commit to acurratly representing these fine coffees by highlighting the very people and places which produce them.
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We carefully select farmers to work with that are proven leaders in their communities and will be a conduit of blessing to those they employ and relate to. Often these farmers bring medical clinics, school teachers for the children, and provide spiritual support by way of pastors and counsellors to meet both physical and spiritual needs in the community.
Who Benefits from this Project? Our Nicaragua SHG is purchased directly from the Diego and Leslie Chasvarria farm outside El Tuma, Nicaragua. This small community lies 60 kilometers outside of Matagalpa. High elevation and ideal growing conditions produce great lemony and chocolate notes in the coffee. The farm is home to 90 adults who all work on this farm. These families directly benefit from our relationship. Prior to Hemisphere Coffee Roasters’ purchases, the farmer was unable to keep them working year round. There was no money in coffee. People went hungery and life was hard for everyone. Over the past 6 years we have purchased between two and three containers a year. We have advanced pre-harvest funds to enable the farmer to emply the workers year round. When a worker has money, they will buy products at the market or a kiosk. The kiosk owner now has money to buy beef at the butcher shop. The butcher July 2013
now has money to buy new tires, and on and on. When people are working, it brings an economical lift to the entire region. Real business that produces employement and paying jobs brings liberation and self worth. Something a hand out will never do. How Can I Help? We are passionate about sourcing high grade coffee and paying fair prices to this grower. The best way you can help is to allow us to fill your green coffee needs. This is a business-to-business solution to poverty and the macro isuess in coffee lands. Hand outs and subsities are not the answer. Ultimately, what a producer needs is the financial incentive to carefully produce high grade coffee. We are offering this coffee to you and/or your roaster. We have a full container (250 bags) of Café Diego in our warehouse in Central Ohio. You can help this farming community by including this exceptional coffee in your requirements.
More Than Fair
Cameroon Boyo Contact Name: Web Site: Location: Email Address: Phone Number:
Ron Cortez www.morethanfair.org Tempe, Arizona, USA info@morethanfair.org 602.418.4350
Project Description Morethanfair is a direct trade movement that brings coffee to markets using a cost and profitability system and not the NYEC pricing model commonly used by others. Here coffee farmers have partnered with coffee roasters and other sectors to ensure that high quality coffee reaches the best markets and that they and their partners share in the rewards of selling the best coffees without the risk of market fluctuations. Our partners include milling, export conditioning centers, the logistics, the warehousing providers, marketing, and distributing partners. Starting with an understanding that farmers are the owners of the coffee as it is moved, with partners’ inputs, along the supply chain, there are certain expectations necessary to obtain quality. They include farmers and their partners possessing different skills and capacities; however, they are expected, and do, deliver the best quality possible in each of their area of expertise. We operate with mutual respect and the trade process is open and transparent.
Who Benefits from this Project? Farmers are able to have their coffee moved along its entire supply chain efficiently and cost effectively. Roasters are not to worry about the price increasing because the market and quality is ensured by direct contact with the people responsible for the quality issues. Coffee consumers are able to see the whole coffee chain reaction and benefit by educating and being able to obtain the whole story behind this product.
44 July 2013
How Can I Help? You can become an agent of change by becoming financial partners and provide upfront funding (investments) so that farmers can take care of their basic needs during the months when the coffee berries are developing. If you are a trader, you can participate by using a new partner that is open and transparent. Providing opportunities for any professional along the supply chain to provide needed experience and knowledge. You can roast and retail our coffee as we are always welcoming new agents of change to represent us to a new wave of educated and smart consumers.
Pueblo a Pueblo
Maternal Child Health and Education Contact Name: Website: Location: Email Address: Phone Number:
Rosemary Trent www.puebloapueblo.org Bethesda Md USA rtrent@puebloapueblo.org 202.302.0622
Project Description Pueblo a Pueblo’s Maternal Child Health program (MCH) is designed to reduce the exceptionally high maternal and infant mortality rates among the T’zutujil Maya in the Santiago Atitlán region. The World Health Organization reports that Guatemala has the highest maternal mortality rate in Central America. MCH creates a consistent, one-to-one partnership between international sponsors and Guatemalan families, giving mothers and their children in rural Guatemala crucial medical and educational support through the most vulnerable periods of pregnancy and birth through the age of five. MCH provides this outreach via a partnership with a communitybased health center that sends social workers, nurses, and midwives into the community to work directly with families. Pueblo a Pueblo initiated MCH largely to address maternal and infant mortality. However, most mothers participate out of concern for the health of their newborn infants and young children. In a region where a typical income is between $2 and $4 US dollars a day, many mothers face the difficult choice between feeding their family and taking a sick child to the doctor. The high cost of medical care causes parents to hesitate when they should act, sometimes with deadly consequences. Waiting too long to see a doctor has already cost the lives of two young children with pneumonia in the region in early 2013. When the cost of medical services is eliminated and mothers are educated about good health care, they take their children to the doctor at the first sign of illness and get the treatment they need.
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Education is a fundamental aspect of MCH. Recognizing the signs of a serious illness or delivery complications can be as critical as having access to medical care, and knowing how to prevent sickness and responding to problems quickly is equally important. MCH gives mothers (and a few fathers) monthly workshops on topics like reproductive health, vaccines, preventable illness, nutrition, hygiene, post-partum depression, stress, and more.
Social workers and other MCH staff work to define the training topics while keeping the schedule flexible to address critical needs in the community. MCH workshops often cover topics that have long been virtually taboo in Guatemala communities, such as family planning, preventing sexually transmitted disease, and domestic violence. Family planning, in particular, can be an extremely important, but volatile, subject. In a community where families of eight or more children are not uncommon, family size can mean the difference between having food and malnutrition, health and illness, and education and illiteracy. When families have good information, they can make better choices for their own future. MCH makes it possible for women to receive Depo-Provera shots and other family-planning methods in private. As well as obtaining the opportunity to discuss their options openly and safely with other women from the community. MCH empowers women by teaching them how to overcome the limitations caused by a lack of formal education and misleading traditional beliefs that have been passed on from one generation to the next. Who Benefits from this project? There are 60 participants in Pueblo a Pueblo’s Maternal-Child Health (MCH) Program. Although maternal health is big part of the program, most mothers participate in MCH to receive free or reduced-cost medical care for their children. “When your child is sick, you say to yourself, ‘Where can we find the money?’ We only have enough for a little food,” says Juana, a mother in the program. Pueblo a Pueblo is expanding its MCH program with peer-to-peer educators. Early this year, Pueblo a Pueblo selected 20 MCH mothers with strong leadership and communication skills to be trained to share their knowledge with members of the community and to mentor new MCH mothers. “We want the women to become maternal health advocates in their communities,” says
July 2013
Rosemary Trent, executive director. “They become the messengers. The transfer of knowledge goes from us to the mothers and from the mothers to their children and the community around them. That’s what leads to sustainability.” “MCH really empowers these women,” program manager Giorgia Lattanzi adds. “We’re teaching them how to overcome the limitations caused by a lack of formal education and misleading traditional beliefs passed on from one generation to the next.” A MCH mother puts it more simply: “The topics we learn about here have changed my life.” How Can I Help? One can help by becoming a Maternal Child Health Sponsor. Unfortunately, sponsors are hard to come by, and the emergency fund – which covers urgent issues like pneumonia, a baby born with HIV, delivery issues, etc. – is very small. “Many people find it easier to donate to something tangible, like building a school,” Trent says. “Our donors must be the kind of people who can look further ahead and envision building a future for mothers and children.” As a sponsor, you have the unique opportunity to make a real difference in someone’s life. Your sponsorship links you with a mother and child or student in Guatemala. Your ongoing contributions make it possible to gain access to health care, education, and a better quality of life for children, their families and communities.
Fundacion Amigos del Café
Comprehensive Development in Western Honduras Contact Name: Web Site: Location: Email Address: Phone Number:
Bill Fishbein www.thecoffeetrust.org Western Honduras bill@thecoffeetrust.org 505.670.9783
Project Description In December of 2011, Bill Fishbein, of The Coffee Trust, and Carlos Murillo, of Expocert, sat in a dingy cafe in in San Gaspar Chajul, in the Ixil region of Guatemala. They were remembering the many adventures they had together expanding development projects throughout Central America. They had recently started a comprehensive program in Guatemala promoting education, health care, food security, and economic development in the war-torn Ixil region, one of the most impoverished regions at origin. Having already achieved a fair amount of success in what was one of the most difficult places to work at origin, the thought of expansion rose to the surface again. Bill, often accused of being the tortoise, not the hare, suggested, “If we can do this here, we can do this anywhere.” Carlos, who rarely is confused with the tortoise, replied, “I know just the place, Western Honduras.” He proceeded to describe a group of forward thinking producers who he thought would be excellent partners. The following spring, Carlos arranged a meeting at the SCAA conference in Portland, and the seedling of an idea began to take root. The Coffee Trust made a visit to western Honduras the following July, to meet an extraordinary group of people. Subsequently, a private foundation was established, Fundacion Amigos del Cafe. The principles behind the foundation were three fair trade, organic coffee cooperatives (Cafe Capucas, Asocicacion Aruco, and Cocafelol); a forward-thinking beneficio/exporter (Beneficio Santa Rosa); 48 and a regional bank (Banco Occidente),
all of whom made significant financial contributions to the foundation to begin pilot projects in the area. The Coffee Trust joined the board to supervise the development projects. Carlos joined shortly thereafter. Since then, the foundation has assembled a strong group of professionals to lead the organization. Peter Rodriguez, formerly the highly respected general manager of Honduran Quality Coffee leads the team. Aida Chavez heads up programs and Delmi Rodriguez is the administrator. Two pilot projects are already underway, an efficient, ventilated stoves project along with a university scholarship program. The university scholarship project is the first capillary of an education project that will include middle school scholarships, high school scholarships, and a leadershiptraining component. A savings and microcredit project, building upon the leadership of a group of women coffee roasters from Cocafelol, will follow adding an economic development component to Fundacion Amigos del Café’s sustainability effort. Funds have already been raised to support the development of two health care clinics in the region, which will be the base of a multi-faceted health care program. A food security project will follow, completing the framework for the expansion of The Coffee Trust comprehensive development model that supports education, health care, economic development, and food security. Capacity Building, the fundamental building block of The Coffee Trust sustainability component, will begin to be implemented this summer focusing on July 2013
organizational development, sustainable financing, and democratic decisionmaking. The Coffee Trust Capacity Building component will ensure that Fundacion Amigos del Café will develop into an efficient, effective, financially self-sufficient organization, sensitive to the priorities, values, and culture of each community served. Capacity Building generally begins with a SWOT analysis: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. It is then followed by longterm strategic planning and shorter term business planning. Hierarchy of leadership exercises help to determine roles and responsibilities. Sustainable financing and democratic decision-making ensure the longevity of the program and that it remains sensitive to the needs of the communities served. Funding for the project has been jumpstarted with a significant contribution from Beneficio Santa Rosa. A supply-chain funding strategy is being pursued for the long-term that will offer importers, brokers, roasters, wholesalers, retailers, and customers of coffee from the region. The opportunity to support a variety of development projects at the origin of their supply chain. Designated contributions to Fundacion Amigos del Café may be made through The Coffee Trust, 2019 Galisteo Street, Suite H-1 in Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505 a 501(c)3 non profit organization. All contribution are tax deductible as provided by law. It appears as if the tortoise and the hare are up to their old tricks again. But, this time the winners will be the farming communities is western Honduras.
Rainforest Alliance
Small Coffee Producers in Guatemala Innovate with Climate-Smart Farming Practices Contact Name: Web Site: Location: Email Address: Phone Number:
Maya Albanese www.rainforest-alliance.org New York, NY, USA malbanese@ra.org 212.677.1900
Project Description With deforestation from farmland expansion factored into the climate change equation, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that agriculture accounts for 30 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Coffee farmers are extremely vulnerable to increasingly erratic weather patterns and rising sea level, and they are well-positioned to play a vital role in mitigating the negative impacts of climate change. In February 2011, the Rainforest Alliance and the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) unveiled a Climate Module that consists of 15 criteria focusing on the mitigation of and adaptation to climate change. Farmers are trained on the additional criteria and audited by a third-party to receive a certificate for their achievement. The new module was developed through a public consultation with more than 350 stakeholders from 41 countries. Since 2008, the Rainforest Alliance has been working on measuring carbon store capacity and GHG emissions on farms in Guatemala,
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These 3 bottles are small-scale models that measure potential levels of soil erosion on the coffee farms. The bottle on the far left has no vegetation cover, so the water coming out is darker, which illustrates that erosion would be more severe. The bottle in the middle has some leaf cover, which is preventing erosion a little better but there is still an issue as you can see by the water color. The third bottle on the right has the best natural vegetation and the erosion issue is reduced almost completely.
where a recent problem of record low rainfall has helped coffee farmers realize that a transition to low-carbon agricultural production could provide a solution. Los Chujes Sustainable, Social and Economic Development Association (ADESC), is an association of 74 small coffee farmers in in the mountainous area of Vista Hermosa, northeast of Huehuetenagno, which was the first group of small producers to earn Rainforest Alliance verification for its climate-smart farming practices. Each ADESC producer operates on about eight to ten acres of land and processes coffees at small farm-based wet mills. To meet the critera of the Climate Module, the farmers had to implement a number of improvements. For example, they built live barriers made of species of trees and plants that have optimal soil erosion prevention capacity. Second, since fertilizer is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, the farmers are now analyzing the soil to determine the ideal amount and mix of fertilizers to apply, and are increasingly making their own organic fertilizers on the farms. The fertilizers are then placed in holes dug around the coffee plants and covered with a layer of soil and leaves to reduce offgasing. Another improvement has come in the form of better data. A full inventory has been conducted of the number, size, and species of trees and plants on the farms. With this information, the Rainforest Alliance has helped farms better capture their biodiversity and carbon value. ADESC members still meet regularly at their coffee collection center to discuss climate change mitigation and adaptation and continuously improve their sustainable management practices. They have become a model of sustainable agriculture in their region and to the world, which will face increasing coffee production and supply issues as a result of climate change factors.
July 2013
Who Benefits from this project? ADESC members are now better poised to protect their coffee production and their communities from the affects of climate change. The farms are operating more efficiently and transparently, and collecting more data that continuously provides a better understanding of their impact on climate change. They can now estimate their varying degrees of vulnerability to specific events such as prolonged droughts and severe flooding, along with altered growing seasons and more regular outbreaks of agricultural pests and diseases, like the infamous La Roya, which is now plaguing Central American coffee production. Farmers are increasing their value through carbon storage as a result of restoration of degraded lands, reforestation, and improved soil conservation, and receiving a premium for their certified coffees on the international market. By participating in training and verification through the SAN Climate Module, ADESC farmers and other coffee producers worldwide are taking innovative steps to protect their farms and their families’ futures. How Can I Help? • Coffee companies can contact the ADESC association directly to purchase its coffees. • Coffee companies have the opportunity to support a new Rainforest Alliance climate-smart training program and help mitigate the effects of climate change. • Retailers can incentivize their suppliers to source from coffee farms that have been climate-smart verified. • Consumers can choose to buy sustainable certified coffees from companies working with farms that have earned Rainforest Alliance verification for their climate-smart practices.
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Radio Lifeline
Coffee Lifeline / Black Earth Project Contact Name: Website: Location: Email Address: Phone Number:
Peter Kettler www.radiolifeline.org Barneveld, WI USA peter@radiolifeline.org 608.437.7275
Project Description Radio Lifeline is a US-registered 501(c) 3 non-profit organization that provides farmers in the developing world with access to vital information that can have a significant and positive impact in their lives, those of their families, and in the communities where they live. The tools we use are designed to be lowtech, locally appropriate, and sustainable in their design. Each of our projects are devised to be both replicable and scalable, based on a foundation of collaborative partnership with industry stakeholders, universities, research institutions, and other NGO’s, in support of their individual outreach and education efforts. Since 2005, our Coffee Lifeline project has broadcast over 425 radio programs to the coffee producing communities of Rwanda, while also reaching into parts of Uganda, Burundi, and the DRC. Earlier this year we completed the first phase of our expansion project, debuting the first Coffee Lifeline broadcasts in Kenya, through a new partnership with the Kenya Meteorological Department and its regional community radio station, Radio Kangema, located in the Murang’a district. Each weekly broadcast contains information regarding agronomic best practices, cooperative development and sustainability, climate change, early childhood, maternal health, HIV/AIDS education, nutrition, food security, economic diversification, and financial literacy. Along with a series of children’s stories featured at the close of each program. The Coffee Lifeline project is designed to address issues stemming from information poverty in a world that is witnessing accelerated change within both its environment and through its technologies. In a world of instant communication, information has become one of the world’s most powerful
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forms of international currency. We believe that farmers are most able to make decisions that reflect the values and needs of their families and communities when they have access to reliable, consistent information from a variety of sources that help to address their economic as well as social development needs.
trees scheduled to take place in early 2014. As biochar only requires one application per plot, each Climate Kiln was supplied with a tool to make charcoal briquettes, creating another potential revenue stream for cooperatives, while also helping to decrease the rate of local deforestation.
Earlier this year, Radio Lifeline launched the Black Earth Project, a two year research initiative designed to evaluate the effectiveness of biochar when used as a soil amendment by small scale coffee farmers. Biochar is produced through a process called pyrolysis, or the burning of dried biomass in a low or zero oxygen atmosphere. This process prevents combustion and the usual release of carbon dioxide, black carbon, and other greenhouse gases associated with traditional charcoal production methods. When used as a soil amendment, biochar has demonstrated the ability to effectively increase crop yields, reduce nutrient leaching, help retain moisture, reduce soil acidity, and improve surrounding water quality while significantly reducing the need for additional irrigation and fertilizer inputs. Biochar has also been cited as an effective approach to carbon sequestration, remaining stable in the soil for up to a thousand years.
Who Benefits from this project? Although our projects are primarily concerned with the lives and livelihoods of coffee farmers, they also address the needs of farmer family members, as well as the many communities where farmers reside. Our Coffee Lifeline broadcasts reach more than 300,000 farmers in Rwanda, as well as an estimated 100,000 farmers in Kenya. These weekly programs provide listeners with access to information that can have a positive impact on the social, health, and economic lives of countless individuals and communities, linking them through a consistent and reliable web of information.The Black Earth Project currently benefits an estimated 2,500 producers within 6 cooperatives throughout Rwanda, while its ability to be easily replicated in most coffee growing regions around the world could impact a significant number of producer communities worldwide.
The Black Earth Project is being conducted within 6 coffee cooperatives, located in each of the major coffee growing areas of Rwanda. Six Climate Kilns, made from repurposed oil drums, are being utilized to enable farmers to manufacture biochar from agricultural crop residues such as dried corn stalks, grasses, coffee pulp, rice hulls as well as cow manure, and wood chips. Eighteen test plots were planted with bush beans on March 15 and early results demonstrated yield increases in each of the plots utilizing biochar. These same plots will be used for coffee seedlings in October of this year, with application to existing coffee
How Can I Help? Our work relies on the willingness of diverse individuals, companies and foundations to make an investment in the future of coffee farming, helping to make it a viable way of life for the current, as well as the next, generation of coffee producers. The success of our projects depends on collaboration between a wide variety of individuals and organizations that share in the common goal of achieving a more sustainable system of global agriculture. We invite anyone willing to participate in this process, either through collaborative effort or financial contribution, to contact us at their earliest convenience.
July 2013
Café Femenino Foundation
Reducing Hunger in Coffee Communities of Peru Contact Name: Web Site: Location: Email Address: Phone Number:
Connie Kolosvary www.coffeecan.org Vancouver/Washington/USA connie@cafefemeninofoundation.org 800.791.1181
Project Description The Peruvian Café Femenino Food Security Initiative began in 2009 with a mission and vision to reduce and ultimately end hunger in the coffeelands of northeastern Peru, which is still continuing today. This project started with first focusing on the women and giving them some very basic education. Since that time, this Food Security Program has grown to incorporate more women and men of several surrounding coffee producing communities in the region. After the initial educational workshop phase, subsequent phases have included family gardens, the re-introduction of quinoa grain crops, guinea pig breeding programs, and food storage projects. As this project focuses on hunger and the collateral damage attached to hunger in the coffeelands, we had to look at what were the various causes of hunger that were affecting the communities we work with. We listened to the women as they described what the problems were and then through a partnership, we began addressed them in methodical phases. These problems include: #1 Lack of understanding about basic nutrition and sanitation. #2 Lack of vegetables and fruits in the diet, causing low nutritional intake. #3 Use of white rice as a main staple in diet has created little nutritional value consumed. #4 Traditional use of quinoa in the Andean diet has been forgotten in many rural communities. #5 Food produced during growing season
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perishes on the ground when there is surplus, all the while the family experiences hunger during other months out of the year called the “Thin Months.” #6 Lack of sufficient protein sources. The First Phase of this program began by educating the women of 10 communities about basic nutrition and sanitation. The Second Phase included 15 communities and instructed/enabled the women to add two new nutritional sources for their family by implementing family gardens and guinea pig breeding programs. The Third Phase included 20 communities and enabled the women to add a re-introduced crop of quinoa, which was a traditional source of protein generations ago but has been forgotten. The Fourth Phase included women of 25 villages and instructed them on food storage concepts to conserve food for year-around consumption, such as pickling and canning. Who Benefits from this project? To begin with, the beneficiaries of this project are the women coffee farmers and their families. As the women receive training in Food Security Initiatives, these concepts are immediately implemented in their homes. Their children are impacted the most significantly with better nutrition and sanitation concepts. The First Phase July 2013
of this project began with 10 Educational Workshops benefitting 10 different communities. The Second Phase grew to include and benefit 15 communities. The Third Phase increased its reach 20 communities; and currently, in the Fourth Phase, 25 communities are benefitting. Currently this project is reaching over 2,200 people and is expected to grow. How Can I Help? This project is taking place inside the small coffee communities the Café Femenino Foundation is working in. In Peru, the trainers are a volunteer staff with the material costs funded by the Foundation. The best way to be a part of this Food Security Initiative is to donate to the Café Femenino Foundation. This can be done by going to www.coffeecan.org . Additionally, volunteers who are interested in fundraising with the Foundation can contact us directly. Many of our donors have fundraisers expressly for this project. As more funding is directed to the project, more communities will be served; and we all know that there is much need. Malnutrition rates for children under five years of age among coffee producing communities of northeastern Peru are some of the most significant. It is with this program that we will begin to see the reduction in malnutrition and healthier communities.
f o y r o t as Hope
Making a difference in the lives of women and their families in coffee communities around the world.
g r o . n a c e coffe
S OPEN
ALWAY
See how we’re making a difference by visiting our web site at www.coffeecan.org. The Cafe Femenino Foundation is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit. Š Copyright 2013 Cafe Femenino Foundation, all rights reserved
Food 4 Farmers
Food Security Project, Colombia Contact Name: Web Site: Location: Email Address: Phone Number:
Janice Nadworny www.food4farmers.org Hinesburg, Vermont, US janice@food4farmers.org 802.238.8207
Project Description Colombian coffee growers face a dire situation. The impact of climate change, producing heavy rains and coffee rust, soil degradation from decades of intensive growing practices, the high cost of production, and lower coffee prices have created a crisis. In February and March 2013, Food 4 Farmers conducted a participatory food security diagnostic with 3 coffee-growing organizations in Colombia, to understand causes and effects of food insecurity and possible strategies to address it. There, we witnessed the scars of Colombia’s difficult past. Many communities we visited lacked basic infrastructure, and are still affected by guerrilla and paramilitary activity and drug traffic. To reach some of the extremely isolated communities we were working with, we had to travel on dirt “roads” that left us wondering how in the world anyone could physically manage getting coffee down from those mountains. Our co-op project partners were COSURCA, a second level co-op comprised of a group of 12 associations in southern Cauca; Asociacion de Productores Organicos: Nuevo Futuro, a small coffee association led by Luz Elva Chacon, an organic farmer and a woman with incredible vision and love for the organization; and in-country co-op
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Marcela Pino, Rene Ausecha Chaux and members of COSURCA staff.
liaison InSitu, the NGO arm of exporter Inconexus. First, we conducted workshops with COSURCA member-coops ASPROSI, ASPROSUCRE, and ASPROBALBOA, then headed to Nuevo Futuro. Finally, we held workshops with co-ops AGROSEC and AGRONEVADA. At these workshops, co-op members created drawings of households that are either food insecure or food secure. They illustrated components of a foodinsecure family. The drawings show badly built homes, a large family with very few resources, and low coffee yields. Although the drawings varied by participant group, they all showed common denominatorssmall farms, isolation, lack of public services, and poor crop management. Members then collectively developed a list of strategies for food security. Last, we worked with them to set realistic goals for sustainable food security. Times are tougher than ever for coffeefarming communities. In some places, we saw boxes of fresh vegetables going bad because producers were not able to find transportation to bring it down the mountain. Many communities lack basic services, like water and electricity. Because of the bad road conditions and lack of public transportation, residents go to the market infrequently. Some members reported only going to the market every two months, so they must rely in foods that can be stored for long periods of time, instead of fresh fruits and vegetables. For many co-op children, primary school may be hours away. Producers told us that because the school is so far away their children didn’t go. Those that do attend July 2013
must live in other towns with relatives, and parents may see them once a week. But, we also learned about the entrepreneurship taking place on coffee farms. At each co-op, farmers showed us some of the innovative ways they are diversifying food production for income or consumption. Some use a technique of planting food crops “en asocio” (planting several crops in the same area), a wellknown agroecological practice. We learned that curies (guinea pigs) are an important source of protein for families, their droppings used as compost for coffee plants or home gardens. COSURCA is producing blackberry juice, which they process at their facilities, delicious and without sugar, and sell locally. One of the main problems affecting Colombian coffee-growing communities is the migration of young people from rural agricultural communities to urban areas. Nuevo Futuro member, Alexander, is a proud young producer trying to overcome the huge challenges of producing coffee; including low prices, coffee rust, climate change, and lack of institutional support. At the end of the workshop he told the other members, “I like this workshop because I will go back to my farm and imagine how can I improve it. And I encourage you to do the same. We can dream what we want!”
Marcela leading food security workshop at AGROSEC
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ONe TRUe LOVe
ONe TRUe LOVe Café Contact Name: Website: Location: Email Address: Phone Number:
Krysten Aldridge www.onetruelove.org Mesa, Arizona USA info@onetruelove.org 480.209.4355
Project Description We, Krysten Aldridge and Ann Cabano, hit the streets of Phoenix, almost three years ago, with our hearts full of love and our coolers full of sandwiches. We drove around in our grandma’s RV until we found people who seemed like they could use a hug, and maybe a bite to eat. This marked the beginning of our grassroots outreach movement, and within three months, we grew from a team of eight to over 500 volunteers. We quickly began to see that outreach had very little to do with the food, drinks, and clothing. The biggest gift we give people is a place of dignity for them to share their stories. The hunger we witnessed was on a whole different level than we had ever imagined. Some of these lives, victories, and experiences go totally unnoticed, and for us, that bottle of water, ‘sammich’ or cup of coffee began to be an excuse to have a conversation. We both come from a life in the service industry, and our favorite part about it is that awesome feeling you get when you walk into a coffee shop and the employees know your order. That recognizable solace the café down the street provides when you are still welcomed regardless of your bad day…that excitement that fills your being when total ‘strangers’ behind a counter ask you about the job interview you had, or how your birthday was. It is this type of setting that we provide on the streets. When we realized the parallels, we decided that it was time to take it to the next level. After serving over 6,000 people on the street, and learning a whole lot about what it means to truly help people, we applied for our non-profit status so that we could extend our reach a little bit further. In January 2013, we decided that we were going to open a café and coffee shop to provide a permanent space for the magic 58 to happen. To give those beautiful stories a
more consistent place to settle, to create a loving environment filled with that unique kind of bond that only exists in a setting where the desire for food and coffee is the common ground. There is a great divide in the work we do‘us’ and ‘them’. The truth is that anyone is one decision, one paycheck, or one instance from being on the other side of ‘ok’. It is our mission to create a space where this division does not exist. Feeding the heart, mind, and body of every human being with honor, integrity, and respect regardless of one’s abilty to ‘afford’ it. In order to insure everyone is served, we have set donation prices on the menu and volunteer options for people who cannot pay for their meal or coffee. Who Benefits from this project? Well, the most obvious answer is the folks we have helped on the streets of Phoenix. Also, our café is housed inside a healthcare facility that serves low-income families, allowing us to have constant contact with a population that is definitely ‘in need’ of alternative solutions and ideas. One of the side effects of this work is life-changing perspective. People who once judged and scoffed have written to us and called us to tell us how their lives have transformed. People who have once felt incapable of helping, all of the sudden recognize their unique contributions. Additionally, we have a coffee and kitchen skills program. This is where we train and provide placement assistance for people who have been deemed unemployable. The streets are full of untapped potential, and we have a beautiful gift in recognizing that. How Can I Help? In-Kind Equipment: Double Brewer for Coffee & Tea Espresso Grinder Espresso Machine Convection Oven
July 2013
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MercyCorps
Enhancing Food Security for Coffee Producers Contact Name: Website: Location: Email Address: Phone Number:
Britt Rosenberg www.mercycorps.org Portland/Oregon/USA brosenberg@mercycorps.org 503.896.5863
Project Description 25 million people depend on coffee cultivation for their livelihoods around the world. The nature of coffee production, however, often consists of a once a year harvest for which farmers are paid for their labor, leaving many struggling to make ends meet for several months out of the year. In too many cases, families do not have enough to eat and children go to bed hungry. These are known as “the thin months.”
saving habits, and accessing credit to 3,000 farmers. Farmers now have the resources they need to create and follow a budget and access credit for purchasing inputs like seeds and equipment. This helps farmers to help themselves out of poverty. The maternal and child health component of this program has established mother support groups where mothers meet to share and learn from one another, with a specific focus on promoting breastfeeding.
At Mercy Corps, we are working closely with Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. and other partners to fight seasonal hunger and poverty in the coffeelands. Like all Mercy Corps programs, our projects are community-led and marketdriven, recognizing the unique contexts of each community we work in.
We are working in Guatemala with USAID and other partners to provide training sessions for farmers based around topics like the safe handling of pesticides and water and soil conservation. The Innovative Market Alliance for Rural Entrepreneurs (IMARE) project is helping rural farmers gain the skills to access larger commercial markets for their produce. In the first three years of the IMARE program, farmers increased their net earnings by 59 percent and boosted their sales to formal markets by $1.2 million.
The causes of food insecurity and poverty among coffee farmers around the world are as diverse as the beans they grow. A community of farmers in Indonesia might need maternal and child health support, while a Nicaraguan coffee producing family may need technical advice to increase production or help diversify crops. In Colombia, our Land and Opportunity in Tolima (LOT) program is helping 1,300 coffee producing families secure land ownership as well as promoting sustainable use of resources through training in land management, farming, and family gardens. Land ownership means that famers can access the financial services they need to invest in their land, leading to increased production, quality, and income. In Indonesia, our Community Health and Investment for Livelihoods Initiative (CHILI) is providing financial literacy training, promoting
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Mercy Corps is also partnering with the Coffeelands Food Security Coalition, which is composed of six coffee companies including: Counter Culture, Farmer Brothers, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc., S&D Coffee, Starbucks, and Sustainable Harvest; along with the Specialty Coffee Association of America— committed to addressing seasonal hunger and poverty in the coffeelands. We have teamed up with the Coalition and Association Aldea Global Jinotega on our Empowering Food Secure Communities program in Nicaragua. We are working with 900 people to improve farming and business techniques, develop diversified sources of income by encouraging the cultivation of home gardens and diversified crop
Photo: Ken deLasky for Mercy Corps Two girls involved in the Inclusive Market Alliance for Rural Entrepreneurs (IMARE) project around Coban, Guatemala.
July 2013
production, and engaging local governments in providing assistance to vulnerable families. Who Benefits from this project? At Mercy Corps, we work in the toughest places around the world to turn crises into opportunity. The beneficiaries from our food security projects are often the most vulnerable coffee-producing families suffering from food insecurity. In the areas that we work in Colombia, for example, over half of the population lives in poverty while food insecurity affects 70 percent of the rural population. Our programs target historically marginalized groups, including the landless, women, and young people. Food insecurity affects men, women, girls, and boys differently. We seek to understand the connections between gender, poverty, and hunger; and we work to ensure that program design and implementation are gender sensitive. Here is the story of one woman we work with in Indonesia, in her own words: “I was in my second pregnancy, and every month I was checked by the midwife in my village. She invited me to join the Mother Support Group held in my village. I joined the group when my pregnancy was six months along and I was happy to get more information about exclusive breastfeeding and the health benefits. My first baby wasn’t exclusively breastfed (only breastfed for three months) and my baby was often ill and I didn’t know why. I have applied all the information I gained in the group and my husband also supports my decision to provide exclusive breastfeeding to my second baby. I encourage other mothers to do the same and to get involved. The group also teaches other health related topics.” How Can I Help? Mercy Corps relies on the support of individuals, foundations, and corporations to make our work in the coffeelands possible. Visit www.mercycorps.org/ways-to-help to learn more about how you can help. To learn more about the Coffeelands Food Security Coalition, visit http://www.mercycorps.org/ tags/coffeelands
Just Love Coffee Roasters
Beans For Streams Contact Name: Web Site: Location: Email Address: Phone Number:
Dave Williams JustLoveCoffee.com Murfreesboro/TN/USA dave@justlovecoffee.com 615.642.9776
Project Description
person, for life, through the purchase of
Every 30 seconds a child dies from a water
one bag of the fairly traded, organic coffees
borne illness. Almost half of all people in
found at www.beansforstreams.com.
developing countries suffer from health problems caused by poor water sanitation.
“We’re excited to be teaming with
Since 2009, Just Love Coffee Roasters
Waterstep, as this partnership enables us to
has committed 5 percent of all profits
have the opportunity to be directly involved
to address the water crisis in places like
with their work to provide clean water to
Ethiopia; where estimates indicate that 57
the communities that need it most,” said
million people live without access to clean
Rob Webb, Founder and President of Just
water.
Love Coffee Roasters.
Established in 2012, Beans For Streams is
This program fits perfectly with the
a philanthropic program started by Just
long-standing model that Rob founded
Love Coffee Roasters of Murfreesboro,
Just Love Coffee Roasters upon. The
TN, which supports clean water projects
Murfreesboro, Tennessee-based company,
throughout the world. Working with
which hand roasts organic, fairly traded
Waterstep (waterstep.org), a Louisville-
coffees from around the world, was
based non-profit organization focused
originally established to provide a turnkey
on fighting the worldwide water crisis,
fundraising solution for adopting families,
funds are used to provide highly portable
mission-minded groups, and non-profits.
able to provide clean water for one person for life through the sale of each bag of their speciality coffees. In 2012, the funds from
water purifications systems and health and hygiene training to the places that need it
Who Benefits from this project?
most.
Funds are used by partner Waterstep (www. waterstep.org) of Louisville, Kentucky,
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Beans For Streams is best known for being
What is most unique about the program is
to assemble portable water purification
that each cup of Just Love Coffee consumed
systems and train volunteers to place these
goes back to provide clean water, as 5
units wherever they are needed, both on
percent of all JLCR profits are committed
existing water wells and as new wells are
to this program. Beans for Streams ups
being installed.
the ante by providing clean water for one July 2013
Beans for Streams provides clean water for 40,000 people who desperately needed it in Ethiopia. How Can I Help? Drink Just Love Coffee Roasters’ Coffees! To purchase coffee and give clean water to a person that needs it visit www. beansforstreams.com. Additionally, Just Love Coffee partners with volunteers traveling all over the world to provide training and clean water systems, through Waterstep. Making a trip? Contact Just Love Coffee Roasters to inquire about training to install a system.
Serve Your Customers Some "Love"
Add some “Love” to your coffee menu with any of over 25 coffees hand-roasted by Just Love Coffee Roasters and shipped directly to your shop from our roasting facility. Plus, all of our wholesale accounts have access to our expertise in areas such as equipment purchases, marketing, private labeling, and training for both you and your baristas. Kosher Certified
For samples and information about serving your customers some “Love” call 1-866-894-9463 or visit JustLoveCoffee.com/wholesale.
Basic Health International
Contact Name: Website: Location: Email Address: Phone Number:
Cervical Cancer Screening with a LowCost, HPV Test for Rural Communties in Developing Countries
Lauren Ditzian www.basichealth.org New York/New York//USA lditzian@basichealth.org 212.241.0733
Project Description We have the tools to prevent and treat cervical cancer, yet a woman dies of this preventable disease every two minutes. That is approximately 270,000 women each year. Nearly 90 percent of these women live in developing countries, many in rural areas similar to the locations our cofffee beans are grown. While Pap smear screening has been responsible for decreasing cervical cancer incidence and mortality rates in the US and throughout the developed world, effective program implementation has been nearly impossible to achieve in limited-resource settings. A successful Pap smear system requires extensive infrastructure, technical expertise, and patients returning many times for repeat visits. This is very hard to achieve when women live far from a clinic with limited time, money, and transportation.
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testing has the potential to revolutionize screening because women have the option to collect their own sample in the comfort of their own home. This means no more trecking miles to the health unit to see a healthcare provider!
In response to this challenge, a new test has been developed that has the potential to provide the most accurate screening technology to women living in rural areas around the globe; a test that does not require the complicated infrastructure needed for a successful Pap smear program. The test, called careHPV, was developed specifically for use in low-resouce settings. It doesn’t require running water and is semi-portable.
Over the next three years, a total of 30,000 women will receive careHPV screening. During this time, Basic Health International will conduct investigations to answer many important questions regarding its efffectiveness and feasibliity, including the following: “Is it cost-effective?” “Is it possible to intregrate this test into the current cervical cancer prevention program in El Salvador?” “Is it acceptable among patients, their communities, and policy makers?” “Can this test be implemented in other countries?”
Basic Health International is working with the Ministry of Health of El Salvador to run the first pilot program using this technology. In fact, 2,000 women living in the Paracentral region of El Salvador were screened with careHPV between September 2012 and March 2013. It was overwhelmingly accepted by the women and their healthcare providers. In addition, HPV
The results of this pilot project will be replicated and packaged to strengthen cervical cancer programs in developing countries worldwide. Working with the highest level of rigor in the developing world, our results will be applicable to underserved populations everywhere. This prevention model will serve as a turn-key for countries across the globe. Who Benefits from this project? Over the next three years, 30,000 at-risk Salvadoran women will receive the most accurate cervical cancer testing available. But most importantly, if the program is cost-effective and highly acceptable among July 2013
women, the Salvadoran government will adopt the program as its own. This will facilitate HPV testing for all at-risk women across the entire country for years to come. In addition, since this is the first program of its kind, the results will be used as a model for other developing countries looking to implement HPV testing in their own country. This prevention model will help save the lives of our grandmothers, mothers, sisters, and daughters around the globe. To learn more about this program, please check out a documentary that was made for the new show, The Cure, on Al Jazeera English TV. http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/ thecure/2013/05/2013520142618755476. html How Can I Help? Please help support this program by visiting our website at www.basichealth.org to learn about what we do, and how to make a donation. Donors like you make change possible. Please email Lauren at lditzian@basichealth. org with any questions. We thank you in your generosity in helping us end a preventable disease.
Coffee Quality Institute
Coffee Corps Contact Name: Web Site: Location: Email Address: Phone Number:
Alexandra Katona-Carroll www.coffeeinstitute.org Worldwide akatona@coffeeinstitute.org 562.901.3166
Project Description The Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) created Coffee Corps in 2003 when it was awarded two separate grants from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Coffee Corps, a volunteerbased program, provides technical assistance to growers, associations, and stakeholders throughout the coffee value chain by matching industry experts to specific projects. CQI’s Executive Director David Roche has a background in coffee agronomy and production, and his expertise in this field has provided increased clarity and impact at the farm level: an area that is consistently underserved in the industry. This program is currently active in all coffee growing regions, including East Africa, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Indonesia. In the last ten years, Coffee Corps has sent over 350 volunteers to over twenty coffee producing countries, logging an impressive more than 25,000 volunteer hours. Tens of thousands of producers have been able to understand more about quality and earn higher prices for their coffee through various workshops and training programs. Just as importantly, many importers, retailers, and roasters have developed meaningful, long-term relationships with producers. For many volunteers, it serves as their first connection to origin. Michael Phillips, 2010 World Barista Champion and Coffee Corps volunteer, comments, “I think one of the essential things that CQI does is identify a need, find the right people and put them in the right places. I would certainly consider the time and effort I spent working at these [barista] events to be some of the more valuable and well received trainings I’ve ever done. I don’t think you can calculate the value because the ripple effect is enormous.”
66 Currently, the Coffee Corps program
includes an array of specific technical assistance options, expanding the ability to provide request-based support more efficiently. Assistance and technical training includes expert consultation in many areas, including agronomy and production, processing, roasting, cupper training, laboratory development, marketing, barista training, and origin profiling. This “a la carte” style menu has proven to be highly effective and serves as a model that can be replicated by CQI’s origin partners to expand their ability to provide need-based assistance. Coffee Corps continues to remain a vital source of technical assistance for producing countries and relationship building within the supply chain, and we look forward to continuing this important work around the world. How Can I Help? We receive many applications from producers around the world in need of technical assistance. Unfortunately due to budgetary restrictions, we cannot support July 2013
all of them. Since CQI is a 501(c)3, all donations are tax deductible and would directly support improving coffee quality through technical assistance, capacity building, cupping training, laboratory development, and other similar programs. To make a donation, please visit us at www.coffeeinstitute.org.
Equal Exchange
The Congo Coffee Project Contact Name: Web Site: Location: Email Address: Phone Number:
Rodney North www.EqualExchange.coop West Bridgewater, MA, 02379 rodney@equalexchange.coop 774.776.7398
Project Description The Democratic Republic of the Congo, aka The DRC, is today mostly seen only as huge, tropical country ravaged by decades of civil war and wide-spread violence. Strangely, the reality is both worse and better than that perception. It is worse in that few in the U.S. realize the actual scale and nature of the violence. More than 6,000,000 have been killed in the DRC since 1995, and hundreds of thousands of women have been raped, most often as a tool of war and intimidation by both sides of the fighting. It’s estimated that one woman is raped every minute in the DRC. Unfortunately the fighting and the sexual violence upon women and girls continues today, and it is most common around Lake Kivu, on the DRC’s eastern border with Rwanda.
women heal from the trauma of rape, and also to provide skills and training applicable to their lives and traditions. Approximately 40 to 60 percent of the women treated for sexual violence at the Panzi Hospital go to Maison Dorcas, which provides extended shelter, literacy and skills training, and trauma treatment for women and their children who often have no place else to go. Our contributions are used to train women in weaving and making soymilk, bread/binets and fruit juice. These programs are being expanded this year.
But the reality is also a little better than the headlines because there are wonderful organizations that are trying to turn things around. For example, there is the small, but growing SOPACDI co-operative of organic coffee farmers just north of Lake Kivu. They are trying to make a sustainable, peacable livelihood amongst the ongoing strife. Long ago the DRC had a substantial coffee sector, but it fell into ruins during the long years of war. SOPACDI is trying to rejuvanate their local coffee economy, and to once again make a name for fine Congolese coffee on the world market. More than 15 percent of the members are women, many of whom are widows whose husbands died trying to smuggle and barter coffee across the lake to Rwanda.
(Note: Equal Exchange & SOPACDI are both indebted for the work of TWIN Trading in the UK, who has been vital to both our organizations efforts described here).
Therefore, the FIRST element of the Equal Exchange Coffee Congo Project is, of course, to work with the farmers of SOPACDI to present their harvest at its best to the US coffee drinking public. All the farms are between 4,900 and 6,560 feet. About 50 percent of the co-op’s coffee, primarily Bourbon, is processed at the central washing station. The coffee goes through a Rwandan-style fermentation-and-washing process that ends on raised African drying beds. Our Quality Control Manager, Beth Ann Caspersen, not only led the creation of this project, but has traveled to SOPACDI to provide technical assistance.
68
The third component of the Congo Coffee Project is to raise awareness about the reality facing farmers and women in the Eastern Congo, and about programs that are making a real difference in those communities.
Who Benefits from this project? Hundreds and hundreds of people in the Eastern Congo benefit directly from the Congo Coffee Project, and many more thousands benefit indirectly. The small-scale organic farmers of SOPACDI benefit from Equal Exchange’s Fair Trade purchases of their coffee. They benefit from Beth Ann’s assistance with the quality control program and recruitment of qualified cuppers. They benefit from our efforts to introduce them to the broader coffee industry. Tens of thousands of other small coffee farmers in the DRC benefit from our efforts to raise the profile of specialty grade and organic coffees from their country.
The Panzi Hospital is a 450 bed facility in a city of one million people and provides life-saving treatment, counseling, and aftercare programs to more than 2,000 survivors of sexual violence each year. In 2012 it also delivered over 3,400 babies, and treated approximately 500 children for malnutrition. It is one of the few centers in the region to provide treatment and support for HIV/AIDS. It is also one of the few medical centers in the DRC that does not require payment before providing emergency care. Approximately 40 to 60 percent of the women treated for sexual violence go to the hospital’s “Maison Dorcas” aftercare program, which provides extended shelter, literacy and skills training, and trauma treatment for women and their children who often have no place else to go. Woven bags produced by the recovering patients will be sold via the Equal Exchange website. In 2012 Equal Exchange raised $16,138 for the Maison Dorcas program, all earned through the sales of Congo Coffee Project coffee. How Can I Help? You can help by: • Buy, sell, & serve the organic, Fair Trade coffee from the Equal Exchange Congo Coffee project. Every sale means more revenues for the SOPACDI farmer co-op and a step towards rejuvenating the Congolese coffee economy. Plus every 1 lb bag bought at wholesale generates a $1 donation to the Panzi Foundation, to help support the critical Panzi hospital in the DRC. Every bag bought at retail ($12) via our online store generates a $2 donation to the Panzi Foundation. • Purchasing of the woven bags produced by the women engaged in the Maison Dorcas program. Later this year they will be available via our online store http://shop.equalexchange.coop/ • Spreading the word and raising awareness about the troubles in the DR Congo, and these great efforts to create a new future for the Congolese
A second component of our project is to raise badly needed funds for The Panzi Foundation, who operates the Panzi Hospital and its “Maison Dorcas” aftercare program for women in the town of Bukavu, just south of Lake Kivu. This hospital is specifically to treat female victims of sexual violence, and is the only facility of its kind in the DRC. A key objective of Maison Dorcas is to help
Congo Coffee Project: www.equalexchange.coop/congocoffeeproject The Panzi Foundation: www.panzifoundation.org/ Women for Women International: http://www.womenforwomen.org
July 2013
Fisher House Foundation
Helping Military Families Contact Name: Web Site: Location: Email Address: Phone Number:
David Coker, President www.fisherhouse.org info@fisherhouse.org 888.294.8560 or 301.294.8560
Project Description
lodging has been saved from military,
Families are able to help their loved ones
Fisher House Foundation is best known
verterans, and their families since 1990.
and aid in their healing process. They
for the network of comfort homes built on
Over 180,000 families have been served
are able to watch them grow and become
the grounds of major military and Veterans
since 1990 as well.
healthy individuals again.
as in Europe. These homes are donated to
Homeland Filters has also made a big
For the children, they are able to grow up
the military and Department of Veterans
impact on the Fisher House Foundation.
with both parents in their life and gain the
Affairs. The purpose behind these homes
They reviewed charities and Fisher House
bond of their military parent.
is to enable family members to be close to
Foundation stood high above with 96
a loved one to support and comfort them
percent of their revenue going to programs
How Can I Help?
during the hospitilization for a combat
that help Military Families. Homeland
You can help by making a donation online
injurt, illness, or disease. These homes are
Filters then decided to “pay it forward.”
at www.fisherhouse.org/donate/
in close proximity to medical centers.
Their customers will be acknowledged
The revenue goes to the programs that
for their contribution to Fisher House as
help Military Families. You can make a
a benefit to their Homeland Filter Purchase.
donation “In Honor” or “In Memory” of
Affairs medical centers nationwide, as well
Each Fisher House has between 8 and 21
an individual or organization. You can
suites between 5,000 and 16,000 square feet. Each house can accommodate
Who Benefits from this project?
designate a gift to a specific purpose. We
between 16 and 42 family members. Each
The injured military, verterans, and their
attribute 100% of your gift to that program
suite has private bedrooms and baths to
families all benefit from the Fisher House
or specific Fisher House. Undesignated gifts
accommodate each family. However, the
Foundation.
will be used where needed most.
facilities, a large dining room, and a living
The wounded soildures get the medical
You can also mail in your donation utilizing
room equipt with toys and a library.
attention they need, while similtaniously
the Printable Donation Form on the
getting the family support they need
website.
families share a common kitches, laundry
The Fisher House Foundation ensures that
by having their family within a close
there is no fee to stay in one of these homes.
proximity.
Purchasing a Homeland Filter will also
An estimated amount of about $200 million
benefit Fisherhouse Foundation because
out of pocket costs for transportation and
contributions are given to Fisher House from each filter purchase.
70 July 2013
Growers First®
Giving Growers a Hand Up Contact Name: Web Site: Location: Email Address: Phone Number:
Pam Apffel www.growersfirst.org Laguna Beach, CA pam@growersfirst.org 949.551.1085
Project Description
thriving communities. This creates
Nearly 15 years ago, specialty coffee roaster,
sustainable systems, which provide
Dave Day, was traveling through coffee
significant income to family farmers,
growing regions in South and Central
along with health, education, social, and
America and observed the challenges that
environmental improvements.
farming families were facing. It became his passion to work with these farmers
Not only does Growers First® do significant
to improve their quality of life. With that
work on the behalf of farmers and
passion motivating him, Day started the
communities it serves, they also take
America, with plans to expand to South
non-profit organization Growers First ®.
interested individuals with them for the
American and Africa in 2014).
This NPO utilizes agriculture, education,
purpose of education and volunteer service. How Can I Help?
and community networking as tools to help
1. Donate funds to Growers First®
improve the quality of life for impoverished
Day says, “Every time I take industry
farming families and empower them to
partners, supporters, and expert volunteers
become self-sustaining. It has always been
on a trip to one of the cooperatives, we
Dave’s intent to “give a hand up instead of
are overwhelmed by the evidence and
a hand out.” Over the years, Growers First®
sheer volume of personal and community
has been part of significant transformation
success stories. Of course, we have the
can be utilized by poor agricultural
in the lives of farming families - changes
field assessments and data that track these
communities. In the past, we’ve
that are both measurable and traceable.
transformational wonders, but I never
been part of donating books, soccer
grow tired of hearing farmers share their
uniforms, clothing, vehicles including
personal stories of victory over poverty.”
an ambulence, wheelchairs, etc.
Growers First® assesses the needs of a
organization and/or projects. 2. Participate in providing micro-loans for poor farmers. 3. Donate goods and/or services that
4. Join Growers First on a trip to learn
remote farming community, then works to develop community cooperatives on
Growers First® continues to build
about and serve remote, rural farming
behalf of the farmers. It trains farmers
life-changing partnerships with the
communities (building/repairing/
in agronomy to enable them to radically
world’s impoverished farming families,
painting community centers , schools,
increase their crop yields, and works with
empowering them to make their own way
medical clinics, agricultural education,
various non-profit partners to provide
out of poverty through hard work and
forming community cooperatives,
medical and dental care, vehicles, micro-
entreprenueruial ingenuity.
etc.). 5. Visit our website (www.growersfirst.
loans for farmers, and training. Who Benefits from this project?
org) or contact our office for more
Villages are being transformed into
Impoverished farming families living
ideas (info@growersfirst.org)
sustainable farming enterprises, with long-
in remote rural communities around
term socio-economic and environmental
the world (currently focused on Central
72 conditions associated with healthy and July 2013
Coffeelands Trust
Polus Center for Social and Economic Development Contact Name: Web Site: Location: Email Address: Phone Number:
Theresa E. Kane www.coffeelandstrust.org Clinton, MA 01510 USA tkane@poluscenter.org 978-270-2457
Project Description Major coffee producing regions have also been the sites of bitter conflict. These include Colombia, Peru, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Vietnam, Laos, Uganda, Angola, and Ethiopia. Tragically, areas with the heaviest concentrations of landmine use and the best coffee producing regions frequently overlap. The mountainous areas where high quality coffee is grown are often the same areas that in times of war are strategically significant as borders between territories, or as strongholds for opposing forces. Landmines are a particularly effective weapon in steep terrain where movement is limited to mountain trails that traverse agricultural areas, the same areas where coffee growers live and work. These explosives, or fear of them, cause good land to go uncultivated, mined roads becoming inaccessible to transport goods to market, and people without reliable sources of income lose their homes and farms. Landmine survivors and their families spend the rest of their lives dealing with the physical and emotional impact of landmine injuries. The Coffeelands Trust supports coffee farmers and their families who have been impacted by conflict or war. It is a project of the Polus Center for Social and Economic Development, Inc., a U.S. NGO that has supported people with disabilities since 1979. Working through local resources, the Coffeelands Trust interviews coffee growers who have been impacted by landmines, to understand their situation and identify individualized plans to address their needs. This funding may be used to pay for artificial limbs, physical therapy, vocational training, and small business grants to help them get back to work. The Trust is a vehicle for people working in the coffee industry to give something back to the farmers who sometimes risk their lives to pick the crop that supports their families. Grants and contributions from coffee companies are often matched by public grants such as those from the U.S. Department of State, Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement (PM/WRA). The
Department of State has an interest in supporting landmine victims, and the coffee industry has an interest in supporting coffee farmers. It is a great example of a private-public partnership that leverages contributions and makes a significant difference in the lives of people living in coffee growing communities around the world. The Polus Center works with contributors to identify the locations where they purchase coffee that are impacted areas. In many cases the infrastructure is already in place through case managers and rehabilitation centers to immediately implement the contribution, or the Polus Center works with its partners in the area of victim assistance throughout the world. Progress reports, photos, and sample stories such as Danni’s are provided. Who Benefits from this project? The key beneficiaries of the Coffeelands Trust are coffee farmers and their families who have been injured by landmines and explosive remnants of war. While the mini-grants are given primarily to the survivor, most have families who have been impacted by the survivor’s inability to work. The Polus Center takes a holistic approach, so there may be several needs expressed by an individual family such as the need for a wheelchair or prosthetic limb, then the establishment of a small business, and possibly scholarships for the children of the victim. An example recipient is Danni, a 14 year old young woman who lost her leg to a landmine in 2012.Thanks to a grant from Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Danni will walk again and be able to return to school.Danni lives in Nariño, home to many small farms that provide some of the finest coffee in the world. The location where Danni stepped on a landmine while visiting her grandfather is very far away from Bogata, where she had to fly for treatment. She was provided with her first prosthetic limb during a prosthetic training course offered by the Polus Center in Bogata. Danni is a lovely young girl, very enthusiastic and grateful to have the opportunity to walk again.
July 2013
Her grandparents accompanied her to Bogata and they were very supportive and appreciative of the prosthetic services she received.
How Can I Help? There are several ways that members of the coffee industry can help. 1.)Financial contributions to the Trust enable the Polus Center to continue to provide its victim assistance services through economic mini-grants and payment for prosthetic and wheelchair services. 2.)In-country, the coffee industry can play a critical role in helping the Trust implement its work through local partners and service providers. For example, the Coffeelands Trust has partnered with the Colombian Coffee Federation (the Federation Nacional De Cafeteros De Colombia, or FNC) and a vocational training center in Colombia called TECNOVO to create an innovative case management project to support landmine victims in coffee communities since 2008. 3.) In 2011, the Polus Center also established the Coffeelands World Gifts Espresso Café in Massachusetts, which employs people with disabilities and sells fair trade jewelry, gifts, and household items made by landmine victims and other people living in coffee growing communities. This opens up markets for handicrafts that create an alternative source of income for people impacted by conflict and helps to address the broader issue of the “thin months.” Financial contributions and sales help the Café continue its operations. An easy way to support the Coffeelands Trust is to buy products online at www.coffeelandscafe.org, and to help spread the word to others. All proceeds from the Café contribute to the Coffeelands Trust.
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