Haiti

Meet Esta

On the island nation of Haiti, most people live off the land — growing and selling potatoes, bananas, oranges and other fruits and vegetables. But in the in the lush, mountainous region of Thiotte, Haiti, soil erosion has made it increasingly harder to grow these crops.  A vast majority people depend on growing and selling one thing to make a living: coffee.

"Coffee is my life," says Esta. She spends the better part of each day in the coffee nursery — picking, washing, drying and carefully packing coffee beans. For years, she had no other choice but to sell her coffee to merchants, known as "speculators," who travel into Thiotte to purchase coffee at a low price and sell it abroad for a large profit. As a result, Esta and her neighbors never earned a fair price for their coffee, and most live in poverty.

But now, Esta and 4,000 of her neighbors have joined one of seven local cooperatives established by your gifts to ELCA World Hunger. These cooperatives work on behalf of the farmers to ensure that all coffee farmers receive a fair price for their product.

Little by little, Esta saved extra funds until she was able to purchase a few chickens and honey bees for her family. With fresh eggs to eat and honey to sell on the market, Esta and her family have an added, dependable source of food and income. "My life has changed," says Esta. "Thank you."

Your gifts to ELCA World Hunger support this program and others like it in more than 60 countries around the world.

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