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Deidra Wager and Jackie Liao of Starbucks explore opportunities for involvement
| (All photos courtesy of Deidra Wager) |
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CARE Hosts Starbucks Executives in Guatemala
In December 2003, Starbucks Executive Vice President Deidra Wager and Starbucks Manager of Corporate Giving Jackie Liao joined CARE executives and staff on a five-day tour of CARE projects in Guatemala and of Starbucks' premier coffee supplier, Cafcom, S.A.
Starbucks has purchased coffee in Guatemala for more than 25 years, and the country is the company's second largest supplier of green coffee behind Costa Rica. With a goal of better understanding the needs of coffee communities in Guatemala, the group visited a cross-section of projects ranging from banking and micro-credit programs to democracy and empowerment education for young women. The team also discussed coffee community needs with management of Las Nubes coffee farm.
Building Awareness and Involvement in Girls' Education
One project the team visited focused on strategies to support girls’ education. "A primary focus of this program," says Wager, "is to guarantee loans to mothers wishing to start or improve a small business. These women must commit to enrolling their school-aged daughters in classes in order to be considered for a loan." Usually, the women are looking to start businesses focused on livestock, agriculture or crafts. A portion of the 2 percent monthly interest rate requested of each woman is accumulated in an education fund. The lender, EDUBANCOMUN, gives credits that range from $150-200 per mother.
A powerful long-term impact of these programs is the increased confidence and broadened perspective of the entire community. More than 60 women and children turned out to tell of their experiences in the program. And, as the husband of one of one participant says, "Before this bank, my wife did not know anything about money, or even what a check was. Now she knows more then we men do.”
One little girl in particular caught Deidra and Jackie's eye. "She twisted her hands nervously and spoke haltingly in Spanish before lapsing into the local Quiche dialect," Liao recalls. "She told us she wants to be a doctor."
To date, primary school completion among girls in the provinces of Quiche and Solola has increased by 60 percent.
Ensuring a Brighter Future for Women in Remote Areas
CARE's operates a mobile school program that provides education and social interaction for young women in remote areas of the country. The CARE team coordinates with Guatemala's Ministry of Education and other Mayan organizations in developing a curriculum that covers everything from basic literacy to advocay. Each "classroom" is conducted informally in a group meeting atmosphere lead by a local peer.
As Wager and Liao recall, "We attended one meeting in a peer leader's living room, where the students ranged in age from 14-20. One young woman shyly told us that without the ‘group,’ she would have no friends since she had no other opportunities to interact with people outside of her family."
As the CARE project coordinator puts it, "The greatest challenge to this program was gaining the confidence of the parents to allow their girls to attend the meetings." After a few months that included written notes and personal safety guarantees, parents relented. They were further convinced when they saw their daughters returning to the work in their home happier and more confident.
Such programs support the educational and leadership development of Mayan women throughout Guatemala in an effort to break the cycle of poverty.
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