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Success Story
USAID mentoring program
helps displaced
Colombians succeed
Roasting Her Way to Success
Photo: FUPAD Colombia
A beneficiary of the USAID program that
provides training in agricultural production
and business development.
“Thanks to the USAID mentoring
program, I found
myself. Now I am helping
many families in difficult
situations,” said Maria, a
displaced Colombian.
Maria, (not her real name) a 48-year-old single mother of three
and a grandmother, has lived the same tragedy as many displaced
families in Colombia. With tears in her eyes she recalls
the story of her village, El Rosario in Cauca, where she was a
teacher. “I still shiver when I think about the group of armed men
who killed several people in front of a bus, just to show that they
could,” she said.
Together with 36 other families, Maria managed to escape, fleeing
her home without anything but memories. She moved from
place to place, relocating 23 times in five years. She sought protection
from the cold but often had no money for rent. In spite of
the adversity she faced, Maria never stopped hoping, and one
day an opportunity opened to her.
Maria found out about a USAID mentoring program that was
serving about 13,000 displaced and vulnerable families in the
region. The program provided training in agricultural production
and business development, as well as the necessary equipment
to start a business.
Through the program, Maria received machinery for roasting,
grinding and packing coffee, and started a business with several
other women. They processed the coffee grown by other farmers
who belonged to their association. Later, they started a second
project: diversifying their production to produce an organic
drink with coffee and guandules - a bean native to Colombia.
They called the product Cafedul.
Thanks to this creative initiative, Agroinnova, a private business
incubator in the department of Cauca, is planning to commercialize
Cafedul produced by Maria and her partners.
Since becoming a part of the mentorship program, Maria’s life
has changed dramatically, and she is still eager to learn, share,
and develop new paths to success. Together with other women
from the association Maria is travelling to Bogotá to display her
products and attend trade fairs. She traveled to Costa Rica in
2008, and shared experiences with the women who work with
coffee there, telling them her story of hope, strength and success.
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