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CECOCAFEN Wins Prize for Social Development
In an article published in October, Francisco Mendoza of "El Nuevo Diario" (newspaper of Managua, Nicaragua) reports on CECOCAFEN's prize-winning efforts in the Women's Solidarity Project! In a contest in which coops from over 20 different countries participated and 50 different social development projects were presented, CoopCoffee's cooperative partner captured second place!
Certificate from National Coffee Congress (click to enlarge)
17 October 2008
Coffee Cooperative CECOCAFEN (an umbrella group encompassing a number of smaller coops located in northern Nicaragua) was recognized by Coffee Kids and other NGOs, with a noteworthy prize for their social development projects – specifically, for GMAS, their Women’s Solidarity Group. Coops from over 20 countries participated and over 50 projects were entered in the context.
Cecocafén made it to second place (the four finalists were all awarded prizes) for their planning and implementation of one of their social project that offered the most benefits to the coop’s members. This project ranges from providing scholarships to technical and managerial training to creating savings programs, etc – they are all principally directed towards empowering the women of the cooperative.
Lawyer Martha Villarreigna, General Manager of this cooperative organization, whose radius of action stretches to the northern departments of Nicaragua, indicated that the women involved with the program presented the project to the organizers of the event by explaining their life experiences and how they’ve developed not only in coffee production but in activities that have helped them improve their economic situations.
Ten years working with small-scale producers
This central cooperative has been working with small-scale coffee farmers for ten years and has promoted female participation as an important element in achieving the coop’s objectives. Currently, over 600 women work as associates at Cecocafén.
The prize, which included a monetary award of $2,000 dollars, was delivered to the city of Estelí where delegations from the northern departments associated with the central cooperative met to discuss how it would be spent. They see it as a gratifying compensation for the efforts of everyone as the cooperative works collectively.
The manager of the cooperative assured the members that this prize should encourage them to continue working and developing their social projects for the benefit of their female associates as this is one of the principle objective of the cooperatives: to work for the benefit of their members.
Twenty women has become 600
Carla Cano, one of the promoters and founders of the GMAS group explained to the judges of the contest how the group was started and how it has grown tremendously as it was started by twenty women and now accounts for over 600. These women all benefit from the variety of programs and projects that the group has developed.
Ms. Cano is greatly satisfied with the work that they have been developing – work that at first, nobody believed would ever turn into anything substantial and that has now been recognized at an international level.
The other countries that were awarded for their current work in social projects were Tanzania, Kenya and Peru.
