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Aid to Farmer Co-ops Devastated by Hurricane Stan |
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Written by Phyllis (Felicia) Robinson
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| Coffee farmers and their families were severely affected
when Hurricane Stan swept through southern Mexico,
Guatemala and El Salvador this past October. Torrential rainfall
caused mudslides and flooding that destroyed thousands
of homes and washed away dozens of roads and bridges
across the region. A state of national emergency was declared
throughout the entire country of El Salvador as it experienced
an earthquake and a volcano eruption in the same week. The
cooperatives we work with in southern Mexico and
Guatemala estimate that they have lost approximately 25% of
their coffee production capacity which will cause
serious economic hardship during this harvest and for many
years to come. |  |
The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR),
through its Equal Exchange partnership, recognized the severity
of the situation and sent assistance to the Equal Exchange
farmer cooperatives, supporting the Fair Trade mission of solidarity
in a crisis. (See UMCOR article on p. 2.) The aid was
given directly to the farmer co-ops. UMCOR sent $20,000 to
the Manos Campesinas cooperative in Guatemala and another
$1,000 was contributed by Equal Exchange customers, staff,
and family members. The co-op will use the money to restore
coffee processing equipment and to reconstruct infrastructure
that was damaged on its members’ farms.
UMCOR also donated $20,000 to the CESMACH cooperative
and $10,000 to the FIECH cooperative, both located in
Chiapas, Mexico, to buy emergency food and medicine, as well
as land and construction materials for people whose homes
were destroyed. In addition, the FIECH co-op received another
$4,000 donated by Equal Exchange accounts and staff.
UMCOR gave an additional $20,000 to the APECAFE co-op
in El Salvador, which was used to buy basic grains for 99 families
in Las Colinas who lost their corn and bean crops as a
result of heavy rains and ash damage from the volcano.
These donations unfortunately represent only a tiny portion of
the ongoing assistance needed. Nevertheless, Equal Exchange is
proud that we could stand by our farmer partners in a time of
great need. If you would like to make a donation, please call
Phyllis Robinson at (774)776-7390.
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