The Coffee Lifeline project is a?radio com?mu?ni?ca?tions ini?tia?tive that pro?vides cof?fee farm?ers with access to vital infor?ma?tion that can have a?sig?nif?i?cant and pos?i?tive impact in the lives of their fam?i?lies as well as within the com?mu?ni?ties in which they?live.
Coffee Lifeline pro?vides access to news and infor?ma?tional pro?gram?ming through the use of unique, patented crank and solar-panel radios, pro?vid?ing a?reli?able, sus?tain?able link to the world at large. Through a?unique dis?tri?b?u?tion process, these radios come to be seen as com?mu?nity prop?erty, a?tool to be used for the com?mon good as opposed to pri?vate gain or com?pet?i?tive advantage.
Since 2005 Coffee Lifeline, in part?ner?ship with the USAID-funded SPREAD project and Radio Salus, a?community-based radio sta?tion affil?i?ated with the National University of Rwanda, have pro?duced a?series of 30 minute weekly broad?casts called Imbere Heza, or ?Bright Future?. Funding for these broad?casts has been gen?er?ously pro?vided by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. Each pro?gram cov?ers a?vari?ety of top?ics, includ?ing agron?omy prac?tices, co?per?a?tive devel?op?ment and sus?tain?abil?ity, envi?ron?men?tal stew?ard?ship, early child?hood and mater?nal health, nutri?tion, HIV/AIDS edu?ca?tion, fam?ily plan?ning and com?mod?ity mar?ket information.
The Coffee Lifeline project was founded upon the belief that access to infor?ma?tion can be one of the most pow?er?ful aspects of any devel?op?ment ini?tia?tive. This is espe?cially true in coffee-producing areas that often rely on iso?lated groups of peo?ple work?ing together toward a?com?mon goal, whether it be qual?ity improve?ment, health ini?tia?tives, edu?ca?tion, food secu?rity, envi?ron?men?tal pro?tec?tion or co?per?a?tive devel?op?ment. Access to accu?rate, reli?able and con?sis?tent sources of infor?ma?tion is key to the suc?cess of any project. In recog?ni?tion of our efforts, the Specialty Coffee Association of America awarded Coffee Lifeline its annual Sustainability Award in?2010.
With an expected expan?sion of its activ?i?ties into Kenya and Tanzania later this year, the Coffee Lifeline project will cre?ate an oppor?tu?nity for farm?ers, exporters, coffee-centered NGO?s as well as the com?mu?nity radio sec?tor itself to share infor?ma?tion and col?lab?o?rate on a?wide range of issues fac?ing the region today.
Currently, every stake?holder in the Rwandan cof?fee sec?tor ben?e?fits from the Coffee Lifeline project. Our focus on cof?fee qual?ity, co?per?a?tive devel?op?ment as well as a?wide vari?ety of issues that affect qual?ity of life has resulted in the Coffee Lifeline broad?casts becom?ing viewed as the respected voice of Rwanda?s cof?fee farm?ing community.
With a?pro?jected expan?sion into neigh?bor?ing Tanzania and Kenya, Coffee Lifeline will effec?tively cre?ate the world?s first cof?fee radio net?work, offer?ing unique oppor?tu?ni?ties for infor?ma?tion shar?ing and capac?ity build?ing among the var?i?ous farm?ing com?mu?ni?ties, devel?op?ment orga?ni?za?tions, gov?ern?ment agen?cies and com?mu?nity radio sta?tions par?tic?i?pat?ing in the project.
The cof?fee com?mu?nity of East Africa faces many of the same chal?lenges as most of the world?s cof?fee pro?duc?ing regions ? increased pop?u?la?tion, com?pe?ti?tion for nat?ural resources, cli?mate change, food secu?rity, health care and edu?ca?tion. Access to reli?able, con?sis?tent infor?ma?tion can help local com?mu?ni?ties decide on which strate?gies might best suit their indi?vid?ual needs. Radio is everywhere.
The Coffee Lifeline project can uti?lize your dona?tions to help increase the range of our broad?casts and pro?vide coop?er?a?tives with addi?tional radios to make sure that the infor?ma?tion is shared with even their most remote members.
Please help us send a?strong sig?nal to today?s cof?fee farmers!
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