Visiting the Coffee Processing Plant and Cooperative Members

6/11/15

I am thrilled to say that today I bought a modem stick and should be able to get online daily (I think…)

This morning we travelled from Kabale to Kebisoni for a visit to our Coffee Farmer Cooperative (named KECOFA, Kebisoni Coffee Farmers), consisting of 700 members, both men and women. We met our partners, Father Ignatius and his team, Edison, Emma and Susan at the office, along with a few farmer representatives. Father Ignatius is a wonderful, colorful character who I am always so happy to spend time with, above and beyond his commitment to this group.

First stop was at the processing plant that we funded, which was very exciting to see in action, since last year when we were there, it was the day the machines were being installed. It was very busy with men feeding beans through a shoot from a balcony above the machine where they were hulled and separated and bagged by men below. The husks and dust is blown into a shed in the back and sold as fertilizer. I felt so proud and happy to see what is the result of our donors, our partners and our beneficiaries working together for this achievement.

After the plant, we toured a few cooperative members farms, three women, Jenerosa, Cleophas and Agnes. All three are setting an example for other women in their communities and have been very successful in growing their coffee business.

Jenerosa is a widow with 3 kids who was working at the local parish in the garden before she became part of the cooperative. She was one of the first members and has brought in several other members. She has used her profits from the coffee business to buy two additional plots of land and told us that acquiring land is her first priority. She said she will use her profits for other needs once she has the security of enough land.

Cleophas is a young woman, full of personality and has 4 kids. She has used her profits from the coffee business to pay school fees and to turn her small store that used sell only local millet porridge into a profitable small general store. Her income from coffee has tripled.

Agnes is an extremely hard working, strong widow with 3 kids. Her farm is incredibly picturesque. Before her husband’s death they had a few goats and some land where she was growing some coffee and pineapples, but she has added 2 cows, more goats, chickens and beehives, in addition to more coffee plants. Her kids all are in or have finished school. She particularly feels she has benefitted from the technical training giving by Emma, the cooperative field manager. As a matter of fact, each farmer we spoke to sang his praises. Agnes fed us delicious, sweet pineapple and sent us off with many gifts of food from her gardens.

Tonight, Arthur and Solomon, our partners on the Rice Farmer Cooperative joined us for dinner at the hotel where caught up and shared a lot of laughs. We will spend tomorrow with the rice farmers.

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