2008-2009 Grants &
Programs Guide

Click here to find out about the grants funded in 2008 and for a summary of grant requests for this year in our new online guide!

Message from the President

Dear Friends,

As the Cafe Femenino Foundation enters its 5th year, we honor our founder and the women coffee producers in Peru who were the inspiration for the Foundation. The experience these women gained by their revolutionary idea of creating a product of their own, Cafe Femenino coffee, propelled them to begin to think beyond their current conditions and how they themselves had the power to change their own lives, given the opportunity. The Cafe Femenino Foundation’s mission is to provide a way for women in coffee communities to fulfill those dreams. Whether it is a way to improve economic conditions, health issues, or the need for education, the Foundation works to assist all these areas including providing assistance in times of crisis.

Cafe Femenino has grown to where it is today due to the vision and leadership of our Cafe Femenino Foundation founder, Gay Smith. She continues to be an inspiration, not only to the women in the coffee producing communities, but to all who work with her and have the opportunity to hear her share her amazing Cafe Femenino journey.

Cafe Femenino Foundation volunteers are humbled as we work with the poor women coffee producers and our donors to fund grant requests. The Cafe Femenino Foundation funds grant requests received “directly” from the women producers themselves. They are letting us know what training, medical, education and financial assistance they need to improve the quality of their lives.

Funding the grant requests that come directly from groups of women producers is what sets the Cafe Femenino Foundation apart from other organizations. And, it is why we are getting support from, not only the coffee industry, but from churches, scouts, businesses and service groups such as Soroptimists and AAUW. In the past few years, many new donors and supporters have joined with us to improve the lives of women and children in coffee producing communities throughout the world. We thank each one of you for your support, and we look forward with anticipation and excitement to the future.

MARILYN DRYKE
President of the Cafe Femenino Foundation

Planting Seeds of HOPE

The Cafe Femenino Foundation needs your help to fund grant requests for seed programs that were submitted to us from the women coffee farmers in the Dominican Republic! Help us plant seeds of HOPE by making a donation online, or call us about becoming a sponsor at 1-800-791-1181.

VEGETABLE SEED PROGRAM

Dominican Republic - Bani

This is a seed project for the women of Cafe Femenino to be able to expand their farms so they include vegetables. This will also supplement their family income. 50 members of this women's group will begin the project and it will then affect 100 women. In this region of the Dominican Republic the women's group is working to battle malnutrition with the help of this vegetable seed project. Preventing malnutrition is important for not only the health of these women and their children, but also with out proper nutrition the children have a very difficult time learning and their education and their futures are threatened.

PASSION FRUIT "CHINOLAS" PROJECT

Dominican Republic - Los Cacaos, San Cristobal

In the area of Los Cacaos, the women of the community are beginning to diversity the produce on their small farms by adding passion fruit crops. Relying solely on a mono crop such as coffee has intensified the cycle of poverty. Family income becomes non-existent after the cash coffee crop is sold. These women are working to create crop diversification for their families which will help them to build more a sustainable future for themselves and their families.

PRODUCTION OF AROMATIC, MEDICINAL PLANTS & SPICES

Dominican Republic - The Nucleus Group Deep Valley (borders Haiti)

This grant application is to provide seeds and training to produce medicinal and aromatic plants and spices in the coffee orchards of the women producers of this poorer region of the Dominican Republic. These plants will enable the women to generate additional income and resources. Creating diversity of plant life and diversity of income will greatly enhance the environment as well as the supplying a more stable income year around for these women and their families.

	Sept 25-27	CFF @ Coffee Fest, Seattle

Tell Us About Your CFF Fundraising Event!

Do you have an event benefiting the Cafe Femenino Foundation that you would like to share? Tell us about it so that we can add it to our website!