Nonprofit Helps Women Worldwide

Posted on: 2016-03-17 5:06 PM

Miriam Monteiro de Aguilar may seem like any coffee farmer especially since 80 percent of the 25 million coffee farmers in the world are women.
 
But, Aguilar who lives in a small town just south of Minas, Brazil, doesn’t just make coffee. She produces organic beans, a rarity in Brazil.
 
Aguilar is also one of many women to have received support from International Women’s Coffee Alliance, a 13-year-old nonprofit with the goal of empowering female coffee farmers. The organization is hosting a luncheon meeting in Coronado on Friday
 
Three years after Aguilar came in contact with the nonprofit, she is selling her coffee internationally.
 
“This would’ve never happened if she never came over here, but she’s flourished,” Mery Santos, president of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance, said. “She can talk about her coffee with confidence now. Mirriam isn’t the only story. All of these women have the same story. If you open that door for them and give them the resources, they are so hungry to learn.”
 
Resources offered by the young nonprofit are plenty. International Women’s Coffee Alliance offers farm training, leadership programs, micro-loans and business to business contacts. The group is also working on developing a digital platform so coffee buyers can see where their coffee comes from.
 
“We have seen the transformation of these women through the years,” Santos said. “Our real vision is to empower women.”
 
But, it isn’t just about empowering women. Santos said everyone benefits when women find success.
 
Santos said when women have control over their family’s income, they will spend 90 percent of the money on their family. Whereas men, will only spend 30 to 40 percent on family. There’s also evidence that an economy grows when more women work.
 
“We know that if women are included in agricultural development, farms are more productive and communities thrives,” Santos said. “Coffee beans is the second largest commodity next to oil. It matters. This needs to be a part of every conversation.”
 
Santos and her nonprofit is now looking to bring that conversation to San Diego.
 
The National Coffee Association and International Women’s Coffee Alliance is hosting its annual luncheon at Hotel del Coronado on Friday. The event features keynote speaker Henriette Kolb, the head of gender secretariat at the International Finance Corporation.