November 25, 2024 – Today, we’re marking UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the start of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence – an annual movement to raise awareness of and mobilize efforts to end violence against women and girls.
Gender-based violence (GBV) remains a pervasive issue worldwide, and its harmful effects are further exacerbated by conflict, crises, and systemic inequality. In coffee-growing regions – where women carry out as much as 70% of physical labor on farms yet often face marginalization – the need for action to address the root causes of gender inequality and GBV is critical.
At Sucafina, we’re committed to promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment through our Caring for People sustainability pillar and our IMPACT Program. Championing women’s participation in the coffee value chain on equal terms with men and boosting men’s participation in gender equality efforts are both key to these efforts.
In 2023, we developed a comprehensive gender strategy with the aim of advancing gender equality and empowering women to foster equitable, thriving supply chains. The strategy focuses on:
- Gender mainstreaming: ensuring all of our programs and projects are gender inclusive and gender responsive.
- Gender transformation: addressing social norms and promoting positive attitudes towards gender equality.
- Women’s economic empowerment: supporting women’s development to boost income and improve livelihoods, including by facilitating income-generating activities, Village Savings and Loan Associations and women’s groups.
We partnered with Equal Origins, whose Gender Equity Index (GEI) helped our teams in East Africa to assess their performance on gender and identify strengths and gaps. The GEI assessments in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda revealed both progress and areas for improvement. Based on the findings, we developed an action plan for each origin to identify capacity and resource needs, prioritize actions and measure progress.
The action plans include initiatives to empower women by increasing female representation, including in leadership positions in producer organizations. They also focus on improving access to training, resources and finance, equipping women with the skills and knowledge to improve coffee quality.
Addressing social norms is key to promoting meaningful change and we’re working on initiatives to provide sensitization and training on gender equality, safety and GBV. So far, more than 8,700 farmers (46% women) in East Africa have taken part in trainings on gender equality and the need to engage of women and youth in coffee farming.
Working with coffee communities to establish positive role models – including by engaging men as a pivotal lever for change – is another focus. We’ve facilitated gender equality training for 660 couples, covering sharing of household responsibilities, financial management, and decision-making.
“To achieve true gender equality, it’s about more than just supporting women economically. It’s about empowering them and helping them develop the skills and confidence to thrive. To do this, we need to foster safe, inclusive environments where women are supported in their roles and protected from violence,” said Robinah Najjingo, Gender Lead for Sucafina East Africa and Kahawatu Foundation.
By empowering women and addressing the root causes of gender-based violence, Sucafina is taking active steps towards creating equitable, sustainable coffee communities. Together, we can help to prevent violence and discrimination, uplift women, and build a stronger, more inclusive coffee industry for all.