The Coffees of our lives

I sit outside the porch at my mother's house and watch the heavy December rains. I watch the muddy waters running down to the coffee fileds.... I think about my childhood and the coffees of our lives. The coffees in the slopes of Africa's mountains of Kenya and The Aberdares, where some of the most unique coffees in the world are found, where the birds chirp happilly at the break of dawn.

 I think of my coffee producers who are toiling outside in the rain picking the last coffees for this season. I think of their children and the hopes and dreams all based on the coffee from  my village. I think of what tomorrow brings....will we continue struggling?
Last month the schools closed for the December holidays, and the kids from my village are now looking forward for the opening day in a couple of weeks. Looking forward to new beginnings with the coming year, looking forward to better days. Can i guarantee them better days through the sale of this seasons coffee? can i give them chances to dream again? Everyday that passes i worry for my coffee producers and their families, i worry for what lies ahead....may the force be with us.

Our vision being the economic stability of our coffee producers, we make sure that we keep their children in school, we support the education requirements of their children so that they can have access to universal education, guarantee the future of my village so they can later on lead dignified lives.
With this in mind, we visited Ndurutu Primary School during the closing day for the year 2014.
Ndurutu Primary School lies approximately 150 kms northwest of Nairobi the capital of Kenya. Its also situated 200 metres from Ndurutu Wet Mill, whose coffee is currently available on sale in Germany.
The school has currently 166 pupils all from Ndurutu Village.
Ndurutu Primary is a government owned public school. Unfortunately, like most rural schools in Kenya, its currently underfunded and in dire need of various resources from renovated classrooms, books, desks to writing materials.
We visited the school and supported them with new desks.We braced the muddy rainy weather with a group of journalists from Journalist network from Germany.The look on the faces of the pupils of my old school told it all.
 

They could now again sit on desks comfortably without being squeezed. They could now concentrate on learning without worrying where to sit and write on....This would not have been possible without the support of our partners Heinz and Nicole of Sandtorkai Handel Papenhagen.Without them, my dream was just that; A dream. For all your continued support my sincere gratitude.

Davie of Kedovo counterchecking that all is inorder

Kedovo Kenya team handing over part of the new  desks to the School Chairman

On closing day we distributed story books and text books for a new functional school library that we are setting up.

A library that will ensure that the kids from my village will have access of the required school curriculum. A library that will give them a chance to dare again to dream and see the world, a chance to broaden their horizons and give them chances beyond primary school.
We also issued presents to the pupils who had performed well in the exams, to motivate them to work harder and build chances for sustainable dignfied livelihoods.

 

The KEDOVO gang told stories of our childhoods, stories filled of struggle, despair but amidst all hope.We told the story of us growing up and vowing to 'get out' of the village where our parents struggled from dawn to dusk.We told the story of us coming back together 15 years later to rebuild the lives of the coffee producers and their families, because we believed.We told the story of the journey of my village towards self reliance and their part in it; where survival was not enough.... the story of Chania Coffee and our belief that the economic stability of the coffee producers and their families begins when they are supported with the necessary tools, resources, networks and knowledge to rebuild their lives. We told the story of a village that now had hope.....

In our work we encourage young people to do their best, and for this the children of our coffee producers are in the forefront. They deserve chances and acess to good education opportunities, chances to a good future, chances to dream of being Firefighters, Pilots, Doctors, Teachers, Engineers....chances to see Disney World :D 

Davie telling the story of our childhood

The Kedovo- Kenya team encouraging the kids of Ndurutu that everything is possible

Would the coffees in our lives guarantee my people this? Would the coffee roasters in Germany and the EU give chances of economic development to my people? would they agree to work with my farmers and expose them to modern farming techniques and practises that were within the economic, social and environmental limits? Are they willing to tell the story and plight of our coffee producers as it is? i worry....

Our work is based on the direct and transparent relationships with the farmers who produce our coffee.Where we make sure that our clients can trace every package of coffee back to the village it was harvested, where we believe that its economic opportunities and not Aid that transforms communities.

To continue supporting these communities we are currently offering Green coffee (Rohkaffee) from Ndurutu Wet Mill late crop 2013-2014 F.O.T Bremen, transport within Germany & the EU arrangable at a cost. Please contact Soni Schneidewind or Nicole Boedgter for information on samples, prices and contract.

For clients interested in already roasted coffees kindly purchase from our Online Shop.
To Nicole and Heinz; thanks for giving my people the chance to rebuild their lives, for letting their children go to school without a worry of where to sit on, or on what to write on or read, for putting smiles back on their faces.
To the Roasters and other clients who have been with us on this journey, thankyou for being part of the KEDOVO/ Chania Coffee family- for being in the forefront of supporting my coffee producers to rebuild their lives.We still have a lot of work infront of us, our journey hasnt still come to an end, survival for my people is not enough, lets us make it happen.

So long

Soni