Martin Postma, President of the Westminster 7:10 Rotary Club, has developed a program to encourage and enhance literacy among coffee farmers in rural northeastern Brazil.

To accomplish this program Martin established Socially Conscious Coffee, Inc. (SCC, Inc.)

The program has been so successful that it has come to the attention of the United Nations. Martin has been invited to speak to the UN during Rotary Day at the United Nations. He will represent Socially Conscious Coffee and the many clubs in Rotary District 5450 that have supported SCC and its efforts. Martin will describe the project and the relationship between the two organizations, SCC and Rotary.

“Rotary Day at the United Nations” will take place this year on November 4, 2006. A portion of the agenda focuses on Rotary’s impact on literacy in developing nations and how Rotary’s efforts are contributing to progress toward the UN’s Millennium Development Goals. One literacy project on each continent will be highlighted, and Socially Conscious Coffee was selected to represent the efforts in South America. Martin will have 15 minutes to present to the delegates, and then serve on a discussion panel.

Few dispute the link between education and economic development. Surveys of NGOs serving Northeast Brazil have concluded that lack of education is the biggest contributing factor to the region’s poverty.

Elementary Education
The Socially Conscious Coffee School, known in Portuguese as the Centro Rural Educafe, officially began classes on March 14th, 2005. Children from the Sinay Neves coffee farms and several neighboring coffee farms are now receiving a quality education and regular meals for the first time in their lives.

Adult Elementary Education
Local coffee pickers and their wives have asked Socially Conscious Coffee to provide them with the opportunity for the education they never had as children. Adults from the Sinay Neves farms as well as several neighbouring coffee farms have commenced First Grade, and Second Grade classes adapted for adults. Many have established the goal of writing their own names within the year.

Education and Health
So many infections, birth complications, and stomach disorders that afflict this and other rural Brazilian communities can be prevented with education about hygiene and proper nutrition. Socially Conscious Coffee has already begun hygiene education for children, and will soon offer education about nutrition and preventative health care for adults.

Hands-On Sustainable Agriculture Training
Generations of manual labor on coffee farms have erased local farming knowledge. Most members of this Brazilian community have never tasted fruits or vegetables and don’t realize their importance in a healthy diet. SCC will soon offer sustainable agriculture training volunteered by a local agronomist, encouraging family food security and helping prevent malnutrition.

Reintroduction of Native Plants
An unfortunate legacy of past agricultural practises in Northeast Brazil was the destruction of native plants, threatening the species that depend on them. In 2007, Socially Conscious Coffee will build a greenhouse where local SCC staff and the local population will grow and learn about native plants.

Members of the local community will reintroduce these native plants, encouraging the regeneration of native biodiversity.

Local women help Lead the Way
Local Brazilian women have stepped forward to be part of the local Socially Conscious Coffee Advisory Association. Their initial goals are to ensure that SCC provides education on parenting and hygiene. The local Advisory Association will ensure that SCC truly understands the priorities of the people they serve, now and in the future.

Socially Conscious Coffee relies on individuals as well as organizations for support for its education and health projects in Brazil.

For more information about Socially Conscious Coffee, Inc. please go to: www.sociallyconsciouscoffee.org

Editor’s footnote: There are several positive parallels between the goals of Socially Conscious Coffee in Brazil, South America, and the Alola Foundation in East Timor, Asia. Needy people in coffee-growing communities in both countries are benefiting from the vision of volunteers and the support of Rotarians from Rotary District 5450.