Announcing the Sumatra Farm Friendly Direct Program
August 07, 2008
Over the next few years Portland Roasting
has agreed to purchase coffee through a division of Ecom Coffee Group
called PT Indo Cafco. With every purchase we will contribute money to
help support a local foundation called Yayasan Bani Adam Permata Hati.
This foundation is set up to support the coffee community of Northern
Sumatra where our coffee grows. Some of the projects the foundation is
working on are a hospice program for elderly women and a few orphanages.
We visited three different projects and are going to start with a small
Orphanage called Pembangunan.
This
Orphanage is just outside the city of Takengon and home to about 25
children between the ages of 8 to 18. In this area alone there are more
than 30 different orphanages with displaced children, most whose parents
were killed in the war that ended in 2005. There are many projects to
fund here – this will be our first. During our visit we took a tour
of the current facility and were overwhelmed with disbelieve over how they
are currently living. There is so much we can do to help.
The current structure as you can see in the photo is old and dirty and a complete fire hazard. This house is about 1000 square feet and houses 25 children. The girls sleep on one side and boys on the other. During the day the children attend school and are here for the evening. The government supports the Orphanage with a stipend of 25 cent per day per child to feed them. They eat mostly rice and rely on donations to help with the operation costs.
What makes
this place most unsafe is their open flame cooking area, which is inside
and up against the wood siding. A different orphanage recently burnt down
to the ground for this same reason.
Normally we try to work directly with farms in the area but in this area it is difficult to work with farm because of the size of the family farms being only about 2 acres. So I have decided to work directly with this foundation to support multiple causes in the community where our coffee is grown.
Initially we agreed to sponsor, along with Reunion Island Roasters, all new school uniforms, shoes, backpacks and supplies. We should receive a progress report from PT Indo Cafco when the orphanage receives the donation, along with some photos. Other monies will be provided to build a new building on the premises. The building is already under way and we will help finish it.
When we
arrived at the orphanage the group I am traveling with brought cookies and
other treats for the kids along with four new soccer balls purchased at the
local market.
If you feel the need to contribute to the foundation please forward your donations directly to them. We hope that with the purchase of Sumatran coffees you will feel some connection over the years to our efforts to support the community and look forward to reporting good things to come.
Donations To:
Yayasan Bani Adam Permata Hati
To Lippo Bank Cab. Tanjun Karang,
Bandar Lampung- Indonesia
Account 790-30-10056-9 (USD)
Swift Code LIPPBIDJAJA
The
hospice is in a new building that the foundation recently built. Before
and after pictures were simply unbelievable. I was shown a slide show of
the before and after shots of building and was once again amazed by the
work the foundation is doing. Many of the ladies who are in hospice are
here because there families can no longer care for them or they do have
any family. This is one of many projects that need funding, and I will be
asking other groups and coffee roasters to help.
The next couple of days are travel days with one day of adventure. We are driving 5 hours to get on a flight back to Medan. The following day we will have an early morning 3-hour drive to see the Orangutans of Sumatra.
-Mark
This
Orphanage is just outside the city of Takengon and home to about 25
children between the ages of 8 to 18. In this area alone there are more
than 30 different orphanages with displaced children, most whose parents
were killed in the war that ended in 2005. There are many projects to
fund here – this will be our first. During our visit we took a tour
of the current facility and were overwhelmed with disbelieve over how they
are currently living. There is so much we can do to help. The current structure as you can see in the photo is old and dirty and a complete fire hazard. This house is about 1000 square feet and houses 25 children. The girls sleep on one side and boys on the other. During the day the children attend school and are here for the evening. The government supports the Orphanage with a stipend of 25 cent per day per child to feed them. They eat mostly rice and rely on donations to help with the operation costs.
What makes
this place most unsafe is their open flame cooking area, which is inside
and up against the wood siding. A different orphanage recently burnt down
to the ground for this same reason.Normally we try to work directly with farms in the area but in this area it is difficult to work with farm because of the size of the family farms being only about 2 acres. So I have decided to work directly with this foundation to support multiple causes in the community where our coffee is grown.
Initially we agreed to sponsor, along with Reunion Island Roasters, all new school uniforms, shoes, backpacks and supplies. We should receive a progress report from PT Indo Cafco when the orphanage receives the donation, along with some photos. Other monies will be provided to build a new building on the premises. The building is already under way and we will help finish it.
When we
arrived at the orphanage the group I am traveling with brought cookies and
other treats for the kids along with four new soccer balls purchased at the
local market.If you feel the need to contribute to the foundation please forward your donations directly to them. We hope that with the purchase of Sumatran coffees you will feel some connection over the years to our efforts to support the community and look forward to reporting good things to come.
Donations To:
Yayasan Bani Adam Permata Hati
To Lippo Bank Cab. Tanjun Karang,
Bandar Lampung- Indonesia
Account 790-30-10056-9 (USD)
Swift Code LIPPBIDJAJA
The
hospice is in a new building that the foundation recently built. Before
and after pictures were simply unbelievable. I was shown a slide show of
the before and after shots of building and was once again amazed by the
work the foundation is doing. Many of the ladies who are in hospice are
here because there families can no longer care for them or they do have
any family. This is one of many projects that need funding, and I will be
asking other groups and coffee roasters to help. The next couple of days are travel days with one day of adventure. We are driving 5 hours to get on a flight back to Medan. The following day we will have an early morning 3-hour drive to see the Orangutans of Sumatra.
-Mark
