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Women in Coffee -
3/8/2011
Posted By:
Steve Hawthorne
I love Google for many reasons, but a big one is that the homepage often notifies me of holidays that I never would’ve known about. Today, the Google has told me that it is International Women’s Day.
This got me thinking about the role of women in coffee. For many people, when they think about coffee producers, the stereotypical picture of a Latin American man in a cowboy hat with a machete might come to mind. The truth, however is that many, if not a majority, coffee farm owners are women.
Life as a coffee producer is not always easy – this is especially true for female coffee producers. In many coffee growing regions, women are not seen as equals in society. They frequently cannot gain economic or social power in their business or community. This needs to change…and the good news is, that it is starting to.
In honor of International Women’s Day, I want to send a shout out to some great organizations that are striving to empower and improve the lives of women in coffee:
“The International Women’s Coffee Alliance gives women independence by empowering them with knowledge and monetary support. By doing this, the IWCA hopes to elevate the role of women in coffee-growing communities.” http://www.womenincoffee.org
“The Café Femenino Coffee Project is a social program for women coffee growers in rural communities around the world. Their primary objective is to strengthen/fortify a sense of self-esteem and the re-evaluation of women’s roles in the development of the base of their coffee organization.” http://www.cafefemenino.com
“Grounds for Health’s mission is to create sustainable and effective cervical cancer prevention and treatment programs in coffee-growing communities, with the goal of decreasing the rate of cervical cancer.” http://www.groundsforhealth.org
“Mujeres en Café Guatemala is the Guatemalan Association for Women in Coffee. Their mission is to empower women leaders in the Guatemalan coffee industry by granting them the necessary tools to become competitive at the national and international level, aiming to provide them, their children and their communities with a sustainable livelihood.” http://www.mujerescafeguatemala.org
These are just a few of the organizations doing great work for women in coffee. They all can use support to continue their missions. Check out their websites and support them if you can.
Happy International Women’s Day!
Sip slowly,
Steve
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