We were the first European Coffee Company to support Coffee Kids. As part of our Corporate Social Investment Programme under our Coffee with a Conscience umbrella.
The organisation works to create education, health care, micro-credit and community-based programmes for coffee farmers and their families, allowing them to reduce their dependence on coffee and to confront the most pressing community needs. What is fascinating is, as every coffee-growing community is unique, every project is unique - and each project is chosen, managed and evaluated by coffee-growing families themselves.
Some staff members and friends of ours travelled to the Augusto Cesar Sandino coffee co-operative in Nicaragua, where they went to show their support for an on-going Coffee Kids project. The following piece was written by José Luis Zárate of Coffee Kids "COFFEE KIDS PROGRAMME YIELDS IMPORTANT LESSONS"
"A fundamental part of our work at Coffee Kids involves education. We occasionally coordinate point-of-origin trips with Coffee Kids donors and members to expose them to life in the communities where we work and how 
our partners are making a difference in the lives of coffee-farming families.
Most importantly, these special visitors learn about the projects that are developed by the community, who is responsible for them, how they are evaluated and the way our partners work with each other to share information and knowledge.
Left: David McKernan of Java Republic with a group of scholarship students in the community of Cua, Nicaragua
This past January, Coffee Kids hosted one of the most emotion-packed trips we have ever conducted. A group of 17 from Java Republic, a coffee roaster in Ireland, and a film crew, visited our partner CECOCAFEN in Matagalpa, Nicaragua.
One of the most surprising details of the trip was the way this group from Ireland identified with the 
Nicaraguans. The visitors saw many similarities to Ireland as it was just 50 years ago: a youthful nation of people who love their country and understand that hard work and constant preparation are the sources of effective development.
Our friends from Java Republic saw this as they met with young men and women in the CECOCAFEN scholarship program. The visitors were able to learn directly from their words, to witness their strong leadership abilities, self-confidence and teamwork. The trip was a unique experience for Java Republic and for us at Coffee Kids it was another affirmation of the difference our partners make in the lives of coffee-farming families"
Right: The Java Republic team presented members of the community of Cua with a signed Irish flag to show their appreciation, friendship and recognition of their hard work.
Left - Members of Cecocafen's saving programme explain their efforts to Kimerly
Easson, who translates for the visitors.
Right - The camera crew that accompanied Java Republic, interviews CECOCAFEN scholarship recipients.
For further information on Coffee Kids, visit www.coffeekids.org
To download the Coffee Kids Magazine, click on http://www.coffeekids.org/news/newsletters/
