IWCA Promotes Gender Equity in Coffee

by

Gender Equity Series

By Kim Westerman

The International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA) began in 2003, when a group of women from Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and the US started a conversation about how to empower women in the coffee industry and to connect them to each other. Now, 17 years later, IWCA has chapters in 25 countries worldwide. But why is the emphasis on gender so important? Many non-profit organizations, NGOs, and for-profit companies are striving to improve working conditions, economic viability, healthcare, and daily life in general, on the ground for farmers and others in the global supply chain, in the hopes of changing the broader complex infrastructure by means of grassroots activism. Despite this good work, women remain marginalized in many important ways.

In 2015, the Sustainability Council of the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA; then the SCAA) released a white paper on gender equality, the premise of which is that the gender gap in coffee is quantifiable, demonstrated by data on distribution of labor; income; ownership; and leadership and decision-making. IWCA approaches these fundamental discrepancies through the lens of its core values:

1. Respect: Every woman has a unique and valid voice; therefore, IWCA respects every person and their ideas.

2. Sustainability: IWCA supports programs that foster harmony of environmental, social and economic impact.

3. Equity: IWCA supports programs that encourage the equitable allocation of resources in the world.

4. Integrity: Serving women in coffee is the ultimate goal of IWCA and to further this goal, all decisions are made with honesty and integrity.

5. Collaboration: Communities hold the solutions to their own problems, therefore the best way to impact these communities is through collaboration and partnership.

6. Empowerment: IWCA supports actions that strengthen women to realize their full potential.

7. Inclusion: IWCA supports the inclusion of all — men, women, and youth — working together to achieve positive impact through empowered communities.

From this vantage point, women and men decide to come together and, of their own drive and accord, complete the eight-step IWCA chapter formation protocol to become local change leaders, connected globally to similarly driven organizations in countries across IWCA.

Barista boot camp in Uganda

In 2018, Ugandan national barista champion Annet Nyakaisiki identified an important disconnect between baristas and farmers — the former had little understanding of coffee growing and processing, and the latter had virtually no grasp on what became of their green coffee after it left their hands — so Nyakaisiki and IWCA Uganda developed a “boot camp” for cross-training women in these two important parts of the supply chain. Baristas were able to learn about growing, harvesting, and processing green coffee and farmers got a chance to participate in the roasting and cupping of their own crop — some for the very first time.

From armed conflict to selling coffee in the Philippines

In Kandayok, in the Philippines’ Sulu Province, women had to walk 5km to gather water while men were fighting in rebel groups as part of an armed conflict that has been ongoing since 1969. The fighting exacerbated poverty in the region; many homes had no water or electricity. Princess Kumala Sug-Elardo returned to her hometown of Kandayok in 2008 to address the issue of water. After a water line was built to bring water directly into town, she formed a women-led cooperative — the People’s Alliance for Progress Multipurpose Cooperative (PAP-MPC) — to improve coffee quality and support development of research into coffee selection, processing, and roasting. As improvements became more tangible and coffee was seen as a viable source of income, many women were able to convince their husbands to sell their guns and invest the profits in their coffee businesses.

Affordable credit allows entrepreneurship in El Salvador

Earth’s Choice Women of Coffee Microfinance Program partnered with IWCA in 2014 to offer access to affordable credit to women coffee producers in El Salvador. This seemingly small gesture had a domino effect for many women struggling to make a living in the coffee industry. Maria Rosa Elena Romero de Castro is one such beneficiary. After holding various jobs in coffee in her hometown of Jucuapa, Castro was able, with the help of a micro-loan, to fulfill her dream of starting her own coffee farm. Since then, she has repaid the original loan and borrowed additional funds for other projects, including packaging supplies, a coffee roaster, and a truck with which to deliver her coffee to local retail outlets.

Cancer screenings strengthen and empower women in Peru

Though cervical cancer is almost always curable with proper treatment, it’s the second-leading cause of cancer death in Peru because of a lack of screening. In 2015, IWCA Peru gathered together a team of partner organizations for a multi-day workshop for rural women in coffee. In addition to providing education and training, the workshop also included segments on medical care and nutrition. Participants also received cervical cancer screenings and dental exams. This holistic approach to empowerment has resulted in both individual and collective successes for women working in the coffee supply chain.

These are just a handful of examples of the many ways in which IWCA has creatively partnered with helping organizations to achieve goals in various coffee-producing countries. Learn more at www.womenincoffee.org.