GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, March 8, 2021 – At Sucafina, we #choosetochallenge gender inequality to create a better future for our partners, the coffee industry, and beyond. Increased gender equity leads to improved livelihoods and quality of life for millions of families and increased access to education and improved health for the next generation of coffee producers. More direct and active female involvement in coffee production can also lead to higher quality coffee and more global coffee production overall.
In honor of International Women’s Day, we’re highlighting the ways our many partnerships and offerings are helping build a more equal world by positively impacting female producers and entrepreneurs.
Supporting Women’s Financial Empowerment in Burundi
Sucafina Burundi is proud to support Rama Dufatanemunda, a women’s empowerment association in Ngozi, Burundi, whose work helping women achieve economic empowerment through access to land is improving family livelihoods and strengthening the future of coffee production.
Sucafina Burundi and our sustainability partner, the Kahawatu Foundation, have supported the women of Rama with training in Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) and agronomic advice. Thanks to this partnership, Rama’s farmers have seen an average increase in yield from 0.7kg per tree to 2kg per tree.
Rama has been so successful at economically empowering their members that they have already created a second women’s economic empowerment group inspired by Rama’s structure and successes.
As implementing partners, Sucafina and the Kahawatu Foundation will help Rama allocate the 547,000 USD they’re receiving from USAID. Over the next two years, Rama, Sucafina, and the Kahawatu Foundation will use the money to support women’s coffee farming groups in Burundi.
This collaboration, called the Tuyage project, will focus on economic empowerment, addressing social norms that limit female property ownership, and will provide entrepreneurial training, access to market, financing, and mentorship for women.
Increasing Access to Inputs, Financing & Training for Female-led Farms in Kenya
According to the World Bank, about 80% of Kenya’s farmers are women. Despite composing the majority, they have traditionally been given little attention. Female producers tend to have more limited access to credit, inputs, support, and machinery than their male counterparts. Sucafina Kenya, along with support from partners and supporters like the International Trade Centre (ITC) and German Investment Corporation (DEG), is working to change that.
In the past 2 years, Sucafina Kenya has provided training in GAPs and agribusiness techniques to 120 female small estate farmers. At the cooperative level, we support training that benefits female cooperative members and work with coop management, boards & committees to create a more inclusive environment for everyone.
One program we support is run by Kabngetuny Farmer Cooperative Society. Female coop members separate their lots through a women’s empowerment program run by the cooperative. Through this program, women can access an impressive variety of training opportunities, including financial literacy, entrepreneurship skills, and money-saving strategies for their homes.
Promoting Success and Wellbeing for Women in Ethiopia
Our focus on gender equity doesn’t stop in the field. Sucafina supports the Girls Gotta Run Foundation (GGRF), an organization that provides school scholarships and a host of supporting programs that focus on life skills and physical wellbeing for young women in Ethiopia. In 2020, Sucafina Specialty helped generate over 20,000 USD contributions for GGRF through premiums on Ethiopian microlots and fundraising 5k Fun Runs with employees and clients.
Gender Equality, Sustainability & the Future of Coffee
This year on International Women’s Day, join us in the fight for gender equality by supporting the producers, projects, and cooperatives who are building a more equitable world.
While we’re proud to continue working alongside partners to create a more just and equal future, we know there’s still so much left to do. In 2021 and beyond, we’ll continue to seek new ways to contribute to the fight for gender equality. By supporting programs that empower women in their communities and beyond, we’re contributing to a brighter future with safer, healthier, and happier people.