CECOCAFEN - Community Microcredit and Savings
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“I believe there will always be coffee in Nicaragua because it is part of our economy and culture. Yet prices are currently falling like they have in other years. It’s no longer possible to make a living on coffee alone. I have taught my children that they have to diversify their income, and now they have their own businesses. For example, my daughters have their own chicken farm. They produce 400 pounds of chicken in six weeks and sell it for $1 USD per pound, or $400 USD total. This may not seem like much, but it is income that allows them to pay their own expenses, and they don’t have to rely on their husbands. I always tell my children to work hard at what they do and plan their projects well, so that their families can eventually reach a level of sustainability.”
“For other people in my community of El Roblar, if there is no work, they have to leave and go somewhere else to find work. Thankfully, this is not the case in my family. Fortunately, I can help my children stay on our land, and in return they help me with the coffee farm.” Name: María Eugenia Rizo Age: 50 Community: El Roblar “My life has changed significantly with this project and I have faith that it will continue to change for the better. Before I was involved in the coffee-processing project, I didn’t have a plan for roasting, packaging and selling my coffee. We didn’t have the knowledge and hope that we have now. Now we know that we have a market for our coffee. We have somewhere to sell it once we roast and package it. This has helped my family’s income a lot. “Before I became a member of CECOCAFEN, I worked on plantations harvesting coffee and preparing food for the field workers. I had no access to any sort of credit. But once I joined the cooperative, I was able to get credit through GMAS, and I was able to work for myself. “For other people in my community of El Roblar, if there is no work, they have to leave and go somewhere else to find work. Thankfully, this is not the case in my family. Fortunately, I can help my children stay on our land, and in return they help me with the coffee farm.”