Letter from the executive director 03 The FOOD SECURITY issue 04 a letter from the development director 05 Food security and the sustainability of specialty coffee 06 Travel log: Data collection 12 AUGE wins international prize 16 CycleAmerica 2011 18 Gracias! 24 Featured Donor: S & D 25 The Nordic Barista Cup: Taking Baristas Back to Origin 26 que corra la voz 30 Carolyn Fairman executive director José Luis Zárate international program director Pedro Pérez international program coordinator Peter Kettler development director Joey Apodaca development coordinator Elisa Kelly development liaison Kristina Morris communications coordinator Thanks to our supporters! 32 en español la seguridad alimentaria y la sostenibilidad de los cafes de especialidad 09 diaro de viaje: la recolección de datos 14 contraparte AUGE gana premio interncaional 17 coffeekids.org 505.820.1443 info@coffeekids.org 2 coffeekids.org
Letter from the Executive Director Dear Coffee Kids Supporter: This issue of La Voz emphasizes Coffee Kids food security initiatives in coffee-farming communities in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Peru. We hope that by reading our feature article by Rick Peyser of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters you will gain a better understanding of why this critical issue is at the forefront of this newsletter and why it is so important for all of us who appreciate that wonderful cup every morning. At Coffee Kids we emphasize quality-of-life issues. From improving health care, to providing opportunities for education, to ending hunger, we recognize that a life of dignity is something we all deserve, and we believe that quality of life is directly related to each of these concerns, not the least of which is food security. Without the ability to feed yourself and your family throughout the year, it is virtually impossible to focus on a quality harvest. If we want coffee farming, and hence our morning cup, to be sustainable, we have to include quality-of-life issues in our sustainability efforts. As Peyser points out, one of the greatest threats to the long-term sustainability of our industry is chronic food insecurity in small-scale coffee-farming communities. Therefore, efforts to alleviate food insecurity as well as initiatives to address all quality-of-life issues for coffee farmers must be an integral part of the coffee industry. Coffee Kids is a strategic partner in helping to make quality coffee available every day, now and in the future. Indeed, we must not be afraid to look at the longer-standing livelihood issues and their effect on communities. Coffee farmers face issues of hunger, lack of access to medical care, lack of education, and infant mortality as a normal part of everyday life. By supporting Coffee Kids and forming this strategic partnership, you are directly addressing all of these issues, not only that of food security. We d like to thank you for understanding the critical nature of this reality, for taking the time to consider the problem and address it head-on with us. Thank you for supporting Coffee Kids. Sincerely, Carolyn Fairman Executive Director helping coffee farmers improve their lives and livelihoods. 3
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From the desk of: Peter Kettler, development director Food security. For many coffee consumers those words might conjure up images of inspectors in pristine white lab coats, clipboards in hand, picking over bunches of broccoli in search of a stray insect or some faint residue. For others it might mean stockpiles of soup and bottled water, stored in a corner of the cellar alongside a flashlight and transistor radio, ready for some possible catastrophe. But in the world of coffee producers, food security means quite another thing. It means having access to enough food to adequately feed themselves and their families every day, every month of every year. Unfortunately, due to an almost perfect storm of population growth, climate change and a growing competition for natural resources, many coffee-farming families are facing widespread insecurity when it comes to meeting one of their most basic needs. Although Coffee Kids programs are designed to address a wide variety of issues facing today s coffee producers, there is perhaps none more important than food security. It is the very foundation upon which any discussion of quality of life is built. If there were a Constitution of Coffee, food security would be listed as the first item in its Bill of Rights. That s why Coffee Kids is pleased to announce our Food Security Campaign. This effort will, over the next year, help coffee-farming communities develop and implement a wide variety of sustainable, locally based solutions to address the mounting problem of food security. Our goal is to raise $100,000. In an industry with estimated sales that will exceed $13 billion over the next year, this is small change indeed small change that is desperately needed in order to make big changes in the lives of coffee farmers. The specialty coffee industry has shown steady growth due to its commitment to quality. Please help us ensure that the coffee industry s definition of quality includes a future that ensures a quality of life for its producers. The following article by Rick Peyser provides a valuable perspective on the issue of food security, its effect on farming communities and what it could potentially mean for the coffee industry as a whole. Over the past few years, Rick has passionately addressed this issue as one that will help define the future of the coffee industry. As the longest-serving member of our board of directors, Coffee Kids has benefited from Rick s passion and expertise for many years. We are very pleased to share his views with you in this issue of La Voz. To find out more about the Food Security Campaign or to participate, please contact Development Director Peter Kettler at peter@coffeekids.org. Peter Kettler is the development director at Coffee Kids. You can reach him at peter@coffeekids.org helping coffee farmers improve their lives and livelihoods. 5
FOOD SECURITY IS FUNDAMENTAL TO LIFE AND TO THE SUSTAINABILITY OF SPECIALTY COFFEE by Rick Peyser Almost daily we are bombarded with news from around the world that threatens human life from droughts to flooding and landslides, from hurricanes to tornadoes, from plagues to food insecurity to global warming. The frequency and scope of these challenges are overwhelming, often leaving us feeling helpless to respond. All of these issues have a devastating impact on coffee communities the segment of the global population to which we are closest. Some of these challenges arrive without warning; others are more insidious and may be with us nearly always, even though they don t generate headlines or coverage on CNN. The challenge that I believe poses one of the greatest threats to the long-term sustainability of our industry is chronic food insecurity in smallscale coffee-farming communities. Small-scale coffee farmers generally account for somewhere between 70 80 percent of the world s overall specialty-coffee production. In 2007 the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) conducted a study in Nicaragua, two departments of Guatemala, and two states of Mexico that reported that 67 percent of the smallscale farmers interviewed experienced between three and eight months of extreme scarcity of food every year. While the coffee harvest offers small-scale farmers an exportable cash crop, their income is limited by the amount of land under production (often 6 coffeekids.org
just a few acres), and their coffee yield per hectare. In the best of times, most farmers find that coffee alone does not provide enough income to enable them to meet their most basic needs. Many find off-farm employment that takes them away from their homes and families for months every year to make ends meet and to help put food on the table. Why is food security so important? Food is fundamental to health, the ability to learn, and to all human activities. Food security is especially critical for young children. Without it they are vulnerable to stunting, which may permanently limit their physical and mental capacities. The lack of access to nutritious food makes children and adults more vulnerable to sickness and health issues. In addition to the costs of medical care that can devastate a family s savings, most coffee-farming families live in isolated communities, often hours on foot from the nearest medical clinic. They must walk to this clinic to see a nurse and then walk back home sick all the while. Food also has an impact on a young person s ability to learn. We discovered years ago here in the U.S. that if a young child is sent to school without a good breakfast in the morning, he or she will not learn up to his or her capacity. While many of us have contributed to worthy causes to address health and education challenges in coffee communities, we may not have been aware of the breadth and depth of food insecurity that plagues these very same communities. We may have missed something fundamental. Who would think that farmers, of all people, wouldn t be able to put food on their family tables every day of the year? It just doesn t seem logical. It just isn t right. Many small-scale coffee-farming families have developed coping mechanisms that enable them to survive these months of food insecurity, which in parts of Latin America are known as los meses flacos (the thin months), la vaca flaca (the thin cow), or el tiempo de agua (the time of water, or the rainy season). Some families do not change their diet from their fat months diet. They just consume fewer calories (or eat less) of the same foods. Others eat less expensive foods, while others borrow money from friends, relatives, or the cooperative and repay their loan during the next coffee harvest, entering into a cycle of debt. Some keep their children home from school to save money to buy food money that would have been used to purchase uniforms and books, thereby mortgaging their children s future. So what are the solutions? Most small-scale farmers agree that the way out of these months of food insecurity includes the following steps: 1. Maximize their earnings from coffee by increasing their coffee yield (production) 2. Diversify the family coffee parcel to grow food products for family consumption and to sell in the local market 3. Grow and store basic grains for family consumption and to sell in the local market when prices are most advantageous 4. Develop other non-coffee businesses to supplement the family s income from coffee Fortunately, there are many organizations working in coffee-growing communities, including Save the Children, Pueblo a Pueblo, Heifer International, Food4Farmers, Café Femenino, Catholic Relief Services, Mercy Corps and Coffee Kids, among others. For more than 20 years, Coffee Kids has been supporting microcredit programs that have been helping coffee-farming families diversify their sources of income. Small groups of women have learned to save and to start their own small businesses, often unrelated to coffee, businesses like raising pigs, growing potatoes, selling flowers, medicinal herbs, and more all to supplement their family income. AUGE, a Coffee Kids partner organization based in Teocelo, Veracruz, has sponsored microcredit programs for years. At one point, the 2,000 women participating in AUGE s microcredit program had saved more than $750,000 USD, with many investing these funds in their own small businesses and profiting from them. helping coffee farmers improve their lives and livelihoods. 7
Fortunately, Coffee Kids also continues to support educational opportunities and scholarships for the daughters and sons of coffee farmers. This is the key to the future! How does food insecurity threaten the sustainability of the specialty coffee industry? This year, 2011, marks the first time in history that the majority of people on this planet live in urban areas. This change is due to massive migration that is taking place globally from rural areas to cities, where many perceive greater opportunities for a better life. Even in remote coffee-growing areas it is not rare to see young people with cell phones. Their cell phones and their occasional visits to regional urban centers where they can access the Internet provide them with links to the modern and alluring urban lifestyle. As a young person who has grown up in a poor rural home, perhaps with a dirt floor, no electricity, no access to clean water, with limited access to health care, no access to a secondary school education, and three to eight months of food scarcity every year, why would he or she stay? Would you? Unless steps are taken to stem this migration by providing a better future for families in coffeegrowing communities, we must pause and ask ourselves, Who will grow the next generation of specialty coffee? For our sake and for those in the industry who will follow in our footsteps, we had better have a good answer. Rick Peyser is director of social advocacy and coffee community outreach for Green Mountain Coffee Roasters where he has worked for more than 19 years. He has been a member of the Coffee Kids board of directors for more than 10 years. 8 coffeekids.org
LA SEGURIDAD ALIMENTARIA ES FUNDAMENTAL PARA LA VIDA Y LA SOSTENIBILIDAD DE LOS CAFÉS DE ESPECIALIDAD por Rick Peyser Casi a diario estamos siendo bombardeados con noticias de todo el mundo sobre eventos que amenazan la vida humana, desde sequías a inundaciones y deslizamientos de tierra, desde huracanes hasta tornados, de plagas a la inseguridad alimentaria hasta el calentamiento global. La frecuencia y el alcance de estos retos son abrumadores, haciéndonos sentir a menudo impotentes. Todas estas situaciones tienen un impacto devastador en las comunidades cafetaleras el segmento de la población mundial con la cual estamos más cercanos. Algunos de estos desafíos llegan sin previo aviso, mientras que otros son más insidiosos y pueden estar con nosotros casi siempre, a pesar de que no generen encabezados en las noticias o tengan cobertura en CNN. El reto que plantea una de las mayores amenazas para la sostenibilidad a largo plazo de nuestra industria, es la inseguridad alimentaria crónica en comunidades de productores de café. Estos productores de café a pequeña escala representan por lo general entre 70 y el 80 por ciento del total de la producción mundial de cafés de especialidad. El estudio reportó que el 67 por ciento de los pequeños productores entrevistados han experimentado cada año entre tres y ocho meses de escasez extrema de alimentos. Aunque la cosecha de café ofrece a los productores de café en pequeña escala un cultivo comercial exportable, sus ingresos se ven limitados por la cantidad de tierra dedicada a la producción (que a menudo es de sólo unas pocas hectáreas) y por el rendimiento por hectárea. En el mejor de los casos, la mayoría de los productores descubre que incluso el café que producen no proporciona los ingresos suficientes que les permita satisfacer sus necesidades más básicas. Por lo que muchos deben encontrar empleo en sectores no agrícolas que los aleja de sus hogares y de sus familias durante meses cada año a fin de tener recursos suficientes y ayudar a poner alimentos sobre la mesa. En 2007, el Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT) realizó un estudio en Nicaragua, en dos departamentos de Guatemala y en dos estados de México. helping coffee farmers improve their lives and livelihoods. 9
Por qué es la seguridad alimentaria tan importante? La comida es fundamental para la salud, para mantener la capacidad de aprender y para realizar todas las actividades humanas. La seguridad alimentaria es especialmente importante para los niños pequeños. Sin ella, son susceptibles de sufrir desnutrición crónica, lo que puede limitar de manera permanente su capacidad física y mental. La falta de acceso a alimentos nutritivos hace que niños y adultos por igual sean más vulnerables a problemas de salud y blanco de enfermedades. Además de los costos de la atención médica que pueden literalmente arrasar con los ahorros de la familia, la mayoría de las familias productoras de café viven en comunidades aisladas, que a menudo se encuentran a horas a pie de distancia de la clínica más cercana. Cuando se enferman, tienen que caminar hasta la clínica para ser atendidos por una enfermera y luego caminar de regreso a casa esto mientras se encuentran aún enfermos. Los alimentos tienen también un impacto en la capacidad de aprendizaje de una persona joven. Hemos descubierto hace años que si a un joven se le envía a la escuela sin un buen desayuno por la mañana, él o ella no va a tener la capacidad suficiente para aprender. Mientras que muchos de nosotros hemos contribuido a buenas causas para hacer frente a problemas de salud y educación en las comunidades cafetaleras, es posible que no hayamos sido conscientes de la amplitud y profundidad de la inseguridad alimentaria que afecta a estas mismas comunidades. Es posible que hayamos perdido de vista algo fundamental. Quién podría pensar que los agricultores, de entre todas las personas, no serían capaces de poner comida en la mesa de sus familias durante todos los días del año? No parece lógico. Y simplemente no está bien. Muchas familias de pequeños productores han desarrollado mecanismos de adaptación que les permiten sobrevivir durante estos meses de inseguridad alimentaria, que en algunas partes de América Latina se conocen como los meses flacos, la vaca flaca, o el tiempo de agua. Algunas familias no cambian su dieta de los meses gordos. Simplemente consumen menos calorías (o comen menos) de los mismos alimentos. Otros comen alimentos menos caros. Mientras que otros piden dinero prestado a amigos, familiares, o la cooperativa y pagan su préstamo durante la próxima cosecha de café, entrando en un ciclo permanente de endeudamiento. Algunos otros deciden no mandar a sus niños a la escuela para ahorrar dinero dinero que habría sido utilizado para comprar uniformes y libros para poder poner comida en la mesa. Cuáles son las soluciones? La mayoría de los pequeños productores están de acuerdo en que la manera de salir de estos meses de inseguridad alimentaria incluye los siguientes pasos: 1. Maximizar los ingresos del café mediante el aumento de su rendimiento (producción). 10 coffeekids.org
2. Diversificar la parcela familiar de café y cultivar alimentos para el consumo familiar y para vender en el mercado local. 3. Cultivar y almacenar granos básicos para el consumo familiar y para vender en el mercado local cuando los precios sean convenientes. 4. Desarrollar otros negocios no relacionados al café para complementar los ingresos que la familia obtiene del café. Afortunadamente, hay muchas organizaciones que trabajan en las comunidades cafetaleras, entre ellas Save the Children, Pueblo a Pueblo, Heifer International, Food4Farmers, Café Femenino, Catholic Relief Services, Mercy Corps y Coffee Kids. Por más de 20 años, Coffee Kids ha apoyado programas de microcrédito que han ayudado a familias cafetaleras a diversificar sus fuentes de ingresos. Pequeños grupos de mujeres han aprendido a ahorrar y establecer sus propios negocios, a menudo no relacionados con el café, negocios como las de la cría de cerdos, el cultivo de papas, venta de flores, hierbas medicinales y mucho más todo para complementar sus ingresos familiares. AUGE, una organización contraparte de Coffee Kids con base en Teocelo, Veracruz, ha patrocinado programas de microcrédito por años. En algún momento, las 2,000 mujeres que participaban en el programa de microcrédito de AUGE habían ahorrado más de $750,000 dólares, muchas de ellas invirtiendo estos fondos en sus propios pequeños negocios y beneficiándose de ellos. en este planeta vive en zonas urbanas. Este cambio se debe a la migración masiva que está teniendo lugar a nivel mundial de las zonas rurales a las ciudades, donde muchos perciben mayores oportunidades para tener una vida mejor. Incluso en las zonas cafetaleras más remotas no es raro ver a los jóvenes con teléfonos celulares. Sus teléfonos celulares y las visitas ocasionales que hacen a los centros urbanos regionales, donde pueden acceder a Internet, les proporcionan enlaces al moderno y atractivo estilo de vida urbano. Siendo una persona joven que ha crecido en una casa rural pobre, tal vez con un piso de tierra, sin electricidad, sin acceso a agua limpia, con acceso limitado a servicios de salud, que no tiene acceso a una educación de escuela secundaria, y enfrenta de tres a ocho meses de escasez de alimentos cada año, por qué quisiera quedarse? Tú te quedarías? A menos que se tomen medidas para frenar esta migración y proveer un mejor futuro para las familias en las comunidades cafetaleras, debemos detenernos y preguntarnos: Quién va a cultivar la próxima generación de café de especialidad? Por nuestro bien y por aquellos en la industria que seguirán nuestros pasos, más vale tener una buena respuesta. Afortunadamente, Coffee Kids sigue prestando apoyo en temas de educación y contribuyendo con becas para los hijos e hijas de los productores de café. Esta es la clave para el futuro. Cómo amenaza la inseguridad alimentaria a la sostenibilidad de la industria de cafés de especialidad? Este año, 2011, por primera vez en la historia, la mayoría de la gente Rick Peyser es el director de apoyo social para Green Mountain Coffee Roasters donde ha trabajado por más de 19 años. Has sido un miembro de la mesa directiva de Coffee Kids por más de 10 años. helping coffee farmers improve their lives and livelihoods. 11
Travel log: Data collection by pedro perez Each time I think about our program trips and all that I learn through them, I get that feeling again: the need to travel for several hours by car through dirt roads, to witness amazing landscapes and talk with project participants. It s truly energizing. Every year, the Coffee Kids program department visits each of our partners to see the progress of the projects, meet the participants firsthand and gather data and testimonials that will help us tell the participants stories to our donors and the general public. I have to admit that, although I am familiar with the concept and use of data, I have just begun to discover the complexity of data collection and interpretation. Being this the first time in my professional career that I have the opportunity to gather data in the field, I m very surprised by how time consuming and complex this task can be. The subtle differences among all the partners and communities with whom Coffee Kids collaborates (this year we are collaborating with 16 partners from 5 countries) make it altogether a more interesting process. A cultural and linguistic sensitivity is needed. For example, even though participants speak Spanish in both Mexico and Nicaragua, differences in vocabulary, if not taken into account, can lead to misunderstandings and uncomfortable situations. Even within Mexico, there can be great variations in language use depending on the region. Many participants in certain regions of Guatemala do not speak Spanish and, because of repeated abuses and human rights violations, do not trust people from outside of their community. Sometimes, certain development terms and concepts simply cannot be translated. This poses a significant challenge to data collection. Back when I was studying in college, I would often rely on data that I obtained from national census organisms or other well-established NGOs and international organizations to support my arguments. I would use different sets of data without paying too much attention to how it was gathered or how it was interpreted. I just trusted the source and assumed it was correct. Now, working for Coffee Kids, I realize that the data that we gather during our program trips has to be accurate. This data is used to measure the progress of a project or, for example, create a picture of how much a coffee grower earns per cultivated hectare. Our program trips give us the opportunity to interview the participants 12 coffeekids.org
directly to better understand how the project is progressing. We also formulate a number of questionnaires that are handed to each of our partners according to the project they are implementing (food security, economic diversification, health awareness, capacity building or education). These questionnaires are another way to measure the progress and impact of a project. Coffee Kids methodology for collecting data is very straightforward and somewhat intuitive. We try to help the participants feel comfortable opening up to us. Some do, because that s their nature, and for others it s more of a challenge. Often, our partner organizations help distribute the questionnaires and conduct some of the interviews because a rapport with project participants has already been established. Without a doubt, there is still much to learn, but I am able to recognize, along with the project participants, how important and useful it is not only to collect high-quality data, but also to interpret it accurately. This is what allows us to objectively measure the progress and impact of our work. Pedro Pérez is the program coordinator at Coffee Kids. You can email him at pedro@ coffeekids.org helping coffee farmers improve their lives and livelihoods. 13
Diario de viaje: La recoleccion de datos por pedro perez Desde la última vez que estuve en un viaje de programas he pensado en lo mucho que aprendo al visitar a los participantes y a las comunidades con las cuales colabora Coffee Kids. Cada vez que pienso en estos viajes, empiezo a tener de nuevo ese deseo de viajar por horas a través de caminos de terracería, en medio de paisajes espectaculares e inimaginables, y de hablar con los participantes de los proyectos, además de sentirme lleno de energía. Al menos una vez al año, el departamento de programas de Coffee Kids visita a cada una de nuestras organizaciones contrapartes. Estas visitas tienen como objetivo, entre otras cosas, ver como progresan los proyectos, conocer en persona a los participantes del proyecto y recabar información y testimonios de los participantes que nos ayudarán a contar su historia a nuestros donantes y al público en general. Tengo que admitir que a pesar de que estoy familiarizado con el manejo de datos, he empezado a descubrir lo complejo que puede ser obtenerlos e interpretarlos. Siendo esta la primera vez en mi carrera profesional que tengo la oportunidad de recopilar datos directamente en el campo, estoy muy sorprendido por lo tardado y complejo que puede ser esta tarea. Las sutiles diferencias entre las organizaciones contrapartes o las comunidades con las que colabora Coffee Kids (este año estamos colaborando con 16 contrapartes en 5 países) hacen el proceso de 14 coffeekids.org
colectar información aún más interesante. Por ejemplo, tenemos que ser cuidadosos con nuestro lenguaje cuando hacemos una entrevista en México o en Nicaragua porque, a pesar de que el español es el idioma oficial en ambos países, algunas palabras que se utilizan en México no significan lo mismo en Nicaragua, o no se utilizan de la misma manera. Incluso si solo hiciéramos entrevistas en México tenemos que reconocer que hay diferencias lingüísticas dependiendo de la región en la que estamos. Muchos participantes en ciertos proyectos en Guatemala no hablan español y, por la historia que han sufrido, no confían en personas de fuera de la comunidad. A veces, ciertos términos o conceptos de desarrollo simplemente no se pueden traducir, lo cual presenta un desafío significativo al proceso de recolectar datos. Durante mis estudios universitarios, tuve que escribir varios artículos de investigación, basando algunos de mis argumentos en datos que obtenía de organismos nacionales de estadística o de organizaciones internacionales. Los datos que elegía, los usaba sin prestar demasiada atención a la forma en que fueron obtenidos o cómo fueron interpretados, confiaba en que la fuente fuera correcta y confiable. Ahora, trabajando para Coffee Kids, me doy cuenta de que los datos que producimos en Coffee Kids durante nuestros viajes de programa tienen que ser correctos y confiables. Estos datos pueden utilizarse para medir los avances de un proyecto o, por ejemplo, dar una idea de cuánto gana un productor de café por hectárea cultivada. Durante nuestros viajes de programas entrevistamos directamente a los participantes para tener una idea más clara de cómo está avanzando el proyecto. También formulamos una serie de cuestionarios que se entregan a cada uno de nuestras organizaciones contrapartes de acuerdo al proyecto que están ejecutando (seguridad alimentaria, diversificación económica, salud, educación y fortalecimiento organizacional). Estos cuestionarios son otra manera de obtener información para medir el progreso y el impacto que un proyecto pueda tener en una comunidad o comunidades. La metodología de Coffee Kids para recolectar datos es muy sencilla e intuitiva. Nos esforzamos en hacer sentir cómodos a los participantes pues algunos hablan de manera abierta porque es su naturaleza pero para otras personas es más difícil abrirse a desconocidos. Sin duda hay mucho aún que aprender, pero puedo ver, igual que los participantes de los proyectos, lo importante y útil que es recolectar información de calidad y procesarla adecuadamente, para poder así ver objetivamente el progreso e impacto de nuestro trabajo. Pedro Pérez es el coordinador de programas en Coffee Kids. Le puedes contactar por correo electrónico a pedro@coffeekids.org helping coffee farmers improve their lives and livelihoods. 15
Coffee Kids partner AUGE wins international prize AUGE wins the Foundation Vidanta Prize for their contribution to the reduction of poverty and inequality. By José Luis Zárate On August 29, Foundation VIDANTA awarded Self-Manged Development (AUGE), one of our longtime project partners in Veracruz, Mexico, highest recognition for their contribution to the reduction of poverty and inequality in Latin America and the Caribbean. The criteria used to evaluate applicants include the following: innovation, measurable results and impact, ability to continue work, ability to offer knowledge and experience that can be replicated in other places, and environmental sustainability. For more than 15 years, AUGE has built and systematized a successful microfinance model based on the power of internal savings, a concept that they compare to a needle and thread. Manuel Rodríguez, one of the founders of AUGE, explains that a needle without thread can move through two pieces of fabric, but it won t unite them, which is what happens when credit is taken on without creating any lasting change within the community. However, when we combine the work of the needle with that of the thread, the fabric is joined and strengthened, just as a family is strengthened by the savings they generate through hard work. While using credit is a tool necessary to growth, it also must be transitory. It is of utmost importance that the savings groups adopt this perspective before even beginning their savings work. It s not just about facilitating participants access to credit. It s about strengthening their ability to save, generate and increase their own funds, all the while learning to manage their money and improve its impact through the practice of savings and microcredit. All of us at Coffee Kids would like to extend our most sincere congratulations to our friends at AUGE, who we ve known since the beginning of their inspiring trajectory. We d like again to recognize Foundation Vidanta for supporting the work of organizations that, like AUGE, contribute to improving the quality of life of so many. The awards ceremony will take place this November 10 in the city of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. The first-place prize is $100,000 USD, which they will receive in recognition of their 15 years of hard work. The funds will no doubt allow them to continue their mission, benefitting hundreds of families in Veracruz, Mexico. To learn more: Premio VIDANTA 2011 José Luis Zárate is the international program director at Coffee Kids. You can email him at jose@coffeekids.org 16 coffeekids.org
contraparte auge gana premio internacional AUGE es el recipiente del premio 2011 de la fundación Vidanta por sus contribuciones a la reducción de la pobreza y la desigualdad. Por José Luis Zárate El pasado 29 de Agosto, Desarrollo Autogestionario A.C. (AUGE), una de nuestras contrapartes en Veracruz, México, recibió la grata notificación de haber ganado el primer lugar del premio otorgado por la Fundación VI- DANTA en su emisión 2011. El premio reconoce organismos de la sociedad civil por sus contribuciones a la reducción de la pobreza y la desigualdad en América Latina y el Caribe. Cabe destacar que los criterios de evaluación para lograr este premio evalúan los siguientes aspectos: a) innovación, b) resultados mensurables e impacto, c) capacidad de continuarse en el tiempo y ofrecer conocimientos y experiencias que puedan replicarse en otros sitios, y finalmente d) sustentabilidad ambiental. A lo largo de más de 15 años AUGE ha construido y sistematizado un exitoso modelo de microfinanzas basadas en el poder del ahorro interno. Concepto que como ellos mismos gustan de explicar se puede comparar con el uso del hilo y la aguja. Manuel Rodríguez, uno de los fundadores de AUGE, explica que una aguja sin hilo puede entrar y salir en la tela muchas veces sin unir las piezas. Tal y como un simple crédito puede hacerlo cuando no logra ningún cambio positivo en la vida de las personas. Sin embargo, cuando a la aguja sumamos el trabajo del hilo, entonces la tela se une y fortalece, algo que en la vida cotidiana de una familia se consigue gracias al ahorro que logran generar como resultado de su trabajo. Para las microfinanzas familiares, el uso del crédito es un instrumento necesario, pero debe ser obligadamente transitorio. Esta perspectiva es sumamente importante que los grupos de AUGE adopten, antes de iniciar su trabajo como grupos de ahorro. No se trata propiamente de facilitar el acceso al crédito. Se trata de fortalecer la capacidad de ahorro, de generar, incrementar y aprender a usar fondos propios, a partir del uso del crédito interno como instrumento para potencializar el impacto del dinero que los grupos poseen. Todos en Coffee Kids, extendemos nuestras más sinceras felicitaciones a nuestros amigos en AUGE, a quienes conocemos desde los inicios de su brillante trayectoria. Sin olvidar un reconocimiento más para la Fundación VIDANTA, por apoyar el trabajo de organizaciones que como AUGE contribuyen intensa y sinceramente por mejorar la calidad de vida de tantas personas que lo necesitan. La ceremonia de premiación tendrá lugar el próximo 10 de Noviembre en la ciudad de Santo Domingo, República Dominicana. El primer lugar de este premio consiste en $100,000 USD que recibirán en reconocimiento a su trayectoria de más de 15 años de arduo trabajo, fondos que sin duda les permitirán continuar con su misión en beneficio de cientos de familias en Veracruz, México. Para saber más Premio VIDANTA 2011 José Luis Zárate es el director de programas internacionales en Coffee Kids. Se puede contactar por correo electrónico a joseluis@coffeekids.org. helping coffee farmers improve their lives and livelihoods. 17
By Kristina Morris Becki Arturs Steve Dayle Kick-off On August 29, two English cyclists set out on what would be a journey that would not only raise awareness of poverty in coffee-growing regions, but would also test their strength, endurance, resolve and their ideas about American culture. They were welcomed to North Carolina by Café Helios and Counter Culture Coffee before starting their 3,000-mile trek across the country for Coffee Kids. Their departure from Surf City was a quiet one, to be sure. After posing for a few photos with locals, they quietly hopped on their bikes and set out toward South Carolina. The tempest Just a few days in, the boys came head-to-head with a monstrous beast of a thunderstorm that would follow them throughout their trajectory. Apparently, as Dayle says, America has bigger trucks, milk containers, bugs and thunderstorms. 18 coffeekids.org
It all started in Canton, Georgia, at around 3:30 pm. The boys were coasting along in pretty intense heat. Steve remembers thinking that he wished he had some rain to cool them down. You should always be careful what you wish for, he says now. It suddenly went dark and the thunderheads rolled in. The boys grabbed their bikes and ran to nearby trees to take shelter. After 20 minutes or so, they slunk out of their hiding place looking, as Dayle says, as though they d taken a shortcut through a car wash. As they pedaled on, they saw the extent of the storm s damage: uprooted trees, knockeddown traffic lights, roofs torn off buildings. The boys carried on, only to run into yet another storm. This one descended upon them when the support car was far ahead of the riders. In no time, their clothes were soaked through, and night was beginning to fall. They had two options: stay put and hope that the support car would find them in the dark, or bike through the storm to the nearest town. After a few miles, they came across a building with the lights on. They turned in and began knocking on the door, asking for shelter and a phone. The building turned out to be a Hospice. According to the Hospice site, the Hospice concept is one of caring derived from medieval times, symbolizing a place where travelers, pilgrims and the sick, wounded or dying could find rest and comfort. And that they did. Wrapped in towels and given dry socks, the boys enjoyed ravioli and donuts while the volunteers called the support car to give them directions. Thunderstorms weren t the only force that the boys were up against. They began to realize what it means to cycle in temperatures above 100 degrees. Sunburned, sore, and a bit dehydrated, it became difficult to stay alert. As they drove through Georgia toward Alabama, the driving seemed to get increasingly more aggressive. Drivers, unaccustomed to sharing the road, began to honk at Dayle and Steve and sped by them without leaving any room for them along the shoulder. They were forced, more than once, to leap off their bikes and fly into the nearest ditch to avoid joining the ranks of the opossums and armadillos mashed along the road. From Hospice to Hospital As if battling a tempest of American proportions weren t enough, Dayle later had a mishap with the clipping mechanism in his pedals, falling smack on the one rock beneath his bike. Barely able to walk, much less continue cycling, Dayle waited as Steve flagged down a truck. Preacher Billy Inman took the boys to the nearest hospital in Oxford, Mississippi. Dayle was immediately sat down in a wheelchair and marked with a fall risk tag, just in case he, you know, fell out of his chair. After about a dozen different people poking my arse and asking if it hurts, says Dayle, I went for an x-ray and the news was bad. Dayle was told he had a dime-size break in his hip and wouldn t be able to continue the trip. helping coffee farmers improve their lives and livelihoods. 19
Only after seeing Dayle s devastation did the doctor decide to get a second opinion via satellite. Good thing, too, because the second doctor said that the break had been from a previous injury and that Dayle would be biking again in just a few days. Steve went at it solo for a while, with occasional help from Becki and Arturs. He enjoyed nice weather and didn t run into any technical difficulties. Dayle finally was able to get back on and ease into riding with an introductory 25 miles. Like clockwork, once Dayle began riding again, the raindrops began to fall. The boys continued on as the rain fell harder. When they weren t able to bike anymore, they were forced to find shelter in a place where there really wasn t any. They took cover under a tree just as the winds picked up. Steve wrapped one arm around the trunk and the other around his bike. Dayle wrapped his arms around the two bikes and hunkered down as the wind lifted his bike into the air. The boys knew they were in trouble when the wind started pulling trees up out of the ground. Luckily, Dayle says, a truck had to stop as part of a tree was blocking the road. So we came out of our hideout like little drowned Gollums and flagged it down in a plea to get us to safety. About 10 minutes later, the boys got word that a terrible hailstorm with incredibly high winds was unleashed over the area, causing extensive damage and taking out power lines. Despite losing a pair of cycling glasses, an ipod and a cycling computer to the storm, the boys were incredibly optimistic. I have gone through a lot to get here, says Dayle, but it s all good fun, and I have the stories to tell. So if you come across a storm, don t do what I did and cycle into it. It s really not a good idea. Route 66 The rodeo kings Crossing over into Mangum, Texas, the boys arrived just in time to experience the thrills of rodeo. The British wouldn t allow anything like this, Dayle says, unless the cowboys wore helmets instead of cowboy hats, and the floor were made out of sponge. The boys became the guests of honor and were given free t-shirts to commemorate their most American of experiences. While we at Coffee Kids were all very concerned about the boys biking on the interstate, it turned out to be the highlight of the trip up to that point, anyway. They swooshed into Albuquerque and took it easy before heading up to Santa Fe to see the Coffee Kids HQ. We had a little welcome jam for them at the local Whole Foods, complete with sandwiches, beer and live music. We can at least say that they left here well fed and at least somewhat rested. 20 coffeekids.org