Honduras Fairtrade coffee farmers have been facing hardships, not only from the COVID-19 pandemic, but also as a result of two Category 4 hurricanes which hit Honduras, Central America, at the end of 2020.
After donating $13,000 (US$10064) to rebuild the program, Australian speciality roaster Jasper Coffee has created a GoFundMe campaign to support these coffee producers.
The hurricanes hit Honduras within the space of two weeks, causing floods and mudslides, destroying roads, homes, and infrastructure crucial to Honduras’ coffee farmers.
The rain saturated and killed the roots of many coffee trees, with many of these coffee farmers facing respiratory problems due to the cold and rain with limited government assistance.
Jasper Coffee’s donation is being used for medical services and to provide small solar drying stations, allowing the coffee farmers to dry the harvest while processing it, allowing for easier transporting of the coffee beans off the mountains, down to the Fairtrade Cooperative.
By drying the cherry, or fruit containing the coffee bean, transport to the cooperative is easier. The Fairtrade Cooperative is made of up of approximately 47 producers, located to the west of Honduras in Copan, at the site of the Maya ruins.
The GoFundMe campaign has set a target to raise $100,000 which will go directly to aiding Honduras’ coffee farmers and their families.
The funds will go towards basic human necessities such as clean drinking water, health and medical needs as well as repairing roads and rebuilding houses. More solar dryers will be installed to aid with harvesting their coffee to help support their livelihoods.
For more information, visit gofund.me/9c4d3f4a