Female empowerment. There is not much I want to add to whatever has already been said in recent years about the topic. I would however like to take some time to give a shout out to all the incredible women I’ve met in Costa Rica who have been such an inspiration during my time here.
Their resilience has truly inspired me. Whatever life throws at them, be it poor health, difficult family conditions or a lack of financial recourses, they seem to roll with the punches, keep smiling and stay kind. I’ve learned that even in paradise really bad things happen to good people. Surprisingly enough the women (and men!) here are the most open and helpful I have ever come across. So it’s definitely not all bad here in Costa Rica.
Bean Voyage
One great example of strength is the women coffee growers I met here. I came in contact with Bean Voyage via a schoolmate of Nick who was doing an internship with the organization. Bean Voyage sells coffee exclusively from female coffee growers . Their aim is to help rural women improve their product and get better prices for their coffee. It’s the women that get even lower prices for their coffee even though they are more likely to invest the profit in their families and community. Hearing this story intrigued me immediately and I ended up tagging along with the founders, SungHee and Abhinav, on one of their visits to a coffee farm (finca). I was lucky enough to meet Ana Lorena and her family who own the farm. After my visit I decided I wanted to share their story and so I did. You can read about it in the latest issue of KoffieTCacao magazine #26.
For now, I leave you with the photos.
Nick’s thoughts on female empowerment: It’s really inspiring to hear about Asha’s experiences on the fincas she visited. It’s great to see women coming to the fore, particularly given that they are often more community focused than their male counterparts.
Ps: For all you Dutchies, you can now order the coffee online and have it sent to your house. It’s pretty good!
For more coffee, check out our blog on Colombia’s Zona Cafetera here.
No Comments