The Journey that has been

The year comes to an end. I watch the sun set and go back in time...

i go back and reflect on the journey that has been. The journey of my village towards self reliance, a journey that aims to break the cycle of poverty, diseases and hunger.

view of the sunset from Ndurutu Village

 

Its been almost 2 years since me and the gang in Kenya founded Kenya Dorf Volunteers (KEDOVO)- which is a Non Profit Oganisation based both in Germany and Kenya that uses a holistic approach to tackle development issues for the communities of the Aberdares mountains in Nyeri Kenya. We all agreed to use Rural based solutions for sustainable development.

My community has been coffee producers since time immemorial. My father and his father and the fathers before them all relied on coffee production to feed, educate and care for their families.

my father planting new coffee trees in March 2013

Today despite coffee being the most second traded commodity in the world, coffee producers all over the world are still among the most poorest communities in the world.

Their children hardly have access to education, many have no acess or lack means to good health, many of them live in absolute poverty.

I am a daughter of a coffee producer, and i feel the pain of all the coffee producers all over the world.

I sit and reflect, i sit and worry, I sit and ask myself- is it possible for coffee producers to live a decent living from coffee production? How can coffee producers achieve economic development? Can one day my people sleep without a worrry in the world? Can they one day walk / ride with smiles all the way to the bank?

Gathogo, one of our vocal farmers

Chania Coffee is the journey of a far away village at the foot of Mt. Kenya and the Aberdares, its the journey of the village of my birth, its the journey of my people.

The journey hasnt been easy, but we have kept the faith. Along the way we have met and made friends, partners and clients who have and continue believing in us. People who have believed that survival for my community is not enough- people that we will always be thankful to, without them the journey would have been so much harder.

Because of their believe in us the children of my village have now access to education, the women from my village have set up small business enterprises, my community has now access to clean water, the children of my village have now dreams... 

George of Kedovo Kenya distributing new school desksat Karindundu primary

New uniforms for Ndurutu Primary

women group funded by Kedovo to start small businesses

New books for Ndurutu Primary class 4

water tank for one of our coffee farmers

Davie of Kedovo handing over new desks to Ndurutu Primary in Nov 2014

New desks for Ndurutu Primary

Mary of Kedovo handing over text books for Ndurutu primary in Nov 2014

The journey continues.....

In Pictures....The journey that has been.

Nicole & Soni in Bremen to receive the coffee from Karindundu in Feb 2014

Soni & Connie in Wilstedt

Handing over new tanks to this old couple in Nov 2014

Kira & Jan of Loppokaffeexpress on coffee safari in Kenya

Many thanks to all of you who have believed in us, just to mention a few; Jonas, Kira, Daniel,Pingo, Thimo,Connie, Eva,etc. Without you all this would not have been possible.
The work is not yet done, lets continue changing the dark story of poverty in your coffee cup

The journey continues

Signed

Soni