GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, October 3, 2019 – During September 2019, the Macquarie Group Foundation generously hosted an online matching fund drive for the Kahawatu Foundation, culminating in a cocktail reception at the Macquarie Group NYC offices on September 26.
The Macquarie Group Foundation provides support to community organizations globally each year through financial support, volunteering, and skills sharing, predominantly in the locations in which Macquarie operates. The fundraiser raised a total of US$212,000 for three different projects in East Africa. The donations will be used to invest in school classrooms, empower women through access to land, and provide valuable agronomy services to farmers in the regions where the Kahawatu Foundation works.
Kahawatu - "the people's coffee" in Swahili - is a sustainable development initiative that is improving rural incomes and livelihoods through better cultivation of coffee. The Foundation was established in October 2012 by Sucafina and some of its commercial partners to respond to the decreasing productivity and quality of coffee in East Africa and to address subsequent socio-economic consequences.
The Kahawatu Foundation works at improving coffee supply chains sustainably in East Africa. It ensures that farmers obtain the resources and training they need to improve the production and quality of their crops. The Foundation also invests in projects that will have a positive effect on the pride of coffee communities. Strengthening the role of women in household decision-making, improving access to education for children, and increasing the availability of primary services like water and sanitation are perfect examples. Its activities focus on Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda.
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