Chargé d’Affaires Eunice S. Reddick congratulated female coffee farmers on their success as part of the Women’s Coffee Association of Burundi at the Rimiro Coffee Washing Station in Ruhororo, Ngozi Province, Nov. 2. Reddick urged them, in addition to continuing to expand sustainable community-based farming practices, to keep their daughters in school. The Burundi Coffee Alliance, a USAID-funded activity that works with the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Program, has brought together 365 women coffee farmers in Ngozi and Muyinga provinces, educating them on sustainable farming, marketing, lateral-lending, and small business practices designed to increase the agricultural value chain in coffee and other produce. By cultivating soya, beans, and potatoes and raising goats, participants gain valuable alternative sources of income and elevate the role of women in their families and local communities.
Photo by Andrew Partin
