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Gorongosa Coffee

Coffee company funding girls’ education in Mozambique one bag at a time

Brett Kuxhausen
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Gorongosa Coffee

When it comes to education, females are still at a disadvantage compared to their male counterparts. Sixteen million girls around the world will never set foot in a classroom, and women account for two-thirds of the 750 million adults without basic literacy skills, according to UNESCO.

This gender inequality is also a major cause and effect of poverty and hunger, with women and girls making up an estimated 60% of chronically hungry people, statistics from U.N. Women reveal.

Girls' education is a crucial component of decreasing the gender gap; every additional year of primary school a girl attends will increase her eventual wages by 10 to 20% and encourage her to marry later and have fewer children, leaving her less vulnerable to violence and poverty.

While there are many ways in which we can contribute to the efforts of those working to ensure girls get the education they deserve, one company has made it as simple as buying a bag of coffee.

In 2015, the Gorongosa Project partnered with green bean coffee experts and local farmers to plant coffee on Mount Gorongosa in Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique. The shade-grown coffee is planted alongside native tree saplings to restore the depleted rainforest and provide farmers with a sustainable source of income.

Brett Kuxhausen

From this, Gorongosa Coffee was born. The company, founded by Gorongosa National Park, directly supports the activities of the Gorongosa Project, with every purchase of its products aiding human development and conservation activities in the area.

The beans are harvested by small-scale producers in Mozambique and then roasted into three different blends by partners around the world. Each blend serves a specific impact area, including wildlife conservation, rainforest reforestation, and girls' education.

One hundred percent of the profits from the Girls Run the World blend help to build 100 schools, give 20,000 girls access to after-school programs, and provide 500 high school scholarships. Even the purchase of just one bag equals one day in school for a girl.

"Our main aim is to keep girls in school, because for many reasons, as soon as girls are old enough…12 or 13, they normally are sent to get married," Larissa Sousa, the girls education program manager at Gorongosa National Park, said.

One way the park does this is through its Girls' Club, a program that works to prevent premature marriages and keep girls in school so they have access to more resources and can become self-reliant.

"We want to work with the most vulnerable…in the community to give opportunity to these children. So what we want is to try to have this generation of women who have the opportunity to continue education, who can grow and be what they want to be, who have better opportunities than the previous generation had," Sousa said.

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Sousa explains the program works to inform both the girls and their parents of the importance of getting an education and how that will have a big impact on their future.

"What we are doing is for these girls to try to create safe spaces, open doors to the opportunities that they can have, and also create that sense of thinking about the future that what you do today will have an action, a reaction in the future, that everything we do has a consequence," she said.

The results of the work Sousa and Girls' Club are doing is already evident.

"We've known the girls for some time now, so now we can see that they are already more confident. They want to know more about the world," Sousa said.

"In the beginning, you would greet the girls and they would run away. They're open now to opportunities. They want to know more of life…they're curious. It's very interesting how some of the girls already come and say, oh I want to be a doctor, I want to be this, because now they see this is possible so that's what makes us work harder every day," she said.

Anora Manuel, 13, is one such example. Manuel participates in Girls' Club after school and says she wants to be a ranger when she grows up.

"I live with my father and grandfather. I don't have a mother. I'm a child and I want to study. I don't want to get married," Manuel said.

To help Girls' Club continue this important work, all you have to do is swap your current coffee for Gorongosa Coffee's Girls Run the World blend and know that with every sip, you're helping close the gender gap and giving a girl the opportunity to dream bigger for her life.

Put simply, "educating a woman is educating a society," according to Sousa.

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Megan Rapinoe says the best way to support equal pay is by putting your money where your mouth is.

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The U.S. women's soccer team won the Women's World Cup, but the victory is marred by the fact that the team is currently fighting for equal pay. In soccer, the game is won by scoring points, but the fight for equal pay isn't as clearly winnable and the playing field isn't as even.

We live in a world where winning the World Cup is easier than winning equal pay, but co-captain Megan Rapinoe says there's one easy way fans can support the team: Go see games.

Some people argue the men's team deserves to get paid more because they are more successful and earn more money for the United States Soccer Federation. Pay depends on merchandise and ticket sales, and in general, men's sporting events tend to draw a bigger crowd than women's sporting events. It's not about sex, many argue; it's about the fact that people just prefer to see men play.

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But the women's soccer team has proved otherwise. The ratings for this year's Women's World Cup final were higher than the 2018 Men's World Cup final. It was also the highest rated soccer game in the U.S. since the 2015 Women's World Cup final, which the women's team not-so-coincidentally also won. There is a sizable interest in the women's games.

Even though the women's team won the World Cup, the fight for equal pay isn't over, and it doesn't fall completely on the shoulders of the women's soccer team. Rachel Maddow told Rapinoe in a recent interview, "I think fans want to know what they can do to support that fight."


Rapinoe's response was simple: "Fans can come to games. Obviously, the national team games will be a hot ticket, but we have nine teams in the NWSL. You can go to your league games, you can support that way. You can buy players' jerseys, you can lend support in that way, you can tell your friends about it, you can become season ticket-holders. I think in terms of that, that's the easiest way for fans to get involved," Rapinoe said.

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It's exciting to hear people chant "equal pay" when the team is lauded for their win with a ticker tape parade. But what about the games that aren't as high stakes as the World Cup? What happens when they play a game that doesn't draw international viewers? It's one thing to say you support the idea of women getting paid the same as men. It's another thing to actually support equal pay. And clearly, these women have earned that support.

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23 facts to pull out the next time someone says, 'Actually, the wage gap is a myth.'

The wage gap is real, but we can put an end to it.

You've probably heard the stat about how for every dollar men make, women make just 80 cents — but there's a lot about the pay gap that might still surprise you.

April 4 marks Equal Pay Day, which represents the number of days this year women have essentially worked "for free" as the result of the wage gap. While the day is an excellent moment to raise awareness about society's inequalities, fighting for fair pay and equal rights is something you can do 365 days a year.

Students at Barnard College attend the school's 2016 commencement ceremony. Photo by Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images.

If you're in the mood to be surprised, angered, encouraged, or just plain informed, check out these 23 interesting facts about equal pay.

1. Even Batgirl had to fight for equal pay.

2. On average, it takes women 459 days to make as much as men do in a single year. (This is kind of the whole point of Equal Pay Day.)

The British-based National Women's Liberation Movement protests in London in 1971. Photo by Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images.

3. Even when women "lean in" and negotiate harder, they're less likely to get raises than men.

4. Women lose out on an estimated $419,000 over the course of a lifetime as the result of the pay gap. What?!

A Miami woman protests on International Women's Day. Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images.

5. What does a year’s worth of lost wages (an average of $10,470) add up to? For starters: 15 months of child care, 78 weeks of food for a family, 11 months of rent, nearly nine years of birth control, or 1.2 years’ tuition at a four-year public university.

6. Millennial women across the political spectrum say they’re more likely to support politicians who fight for equal pay, including 70% of Republicans, 83% of Independents, and 88% of Democrats.

7. There's some good news: The pay gap is closing. There’s also a bit of bad news: None of us will be alive to see it. One estimate suggests that we’ll be waiting until 2152 for paycheck equality. Ooof!

A cheeky lemonade stand highlights the pay gap. Photo by Molly Riley/AFP/Getty Images.

8. Yes, it’s illegal to pay women less than men for the same work (thanks, Equal Pay Act of 1963!) Unfortunately, it still happens. There's not exactly a whole lot of transparency when it comes to wages, and enforcing the law means an employee has to learn they're being discriminated against and then take their employer to court. Without additional steps to encourage transparency and reduce the possibility of retribution, the law doesn't quite cut it.

9. The first bill President Obama signed into law was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which got rid of the 180-day statute of limitations on wage discrimination claims. In other words, it made it so that if you found out your employer had been discriminating against you for years, you’d be due damages on the whole time, not just the last six months.

Lilly Ledbetter watches as President Obama signs the law bearing her name. Photo by AP Photo/Susan Walsh.

10. Fun fact: If we eliminated the pay gap, poverty among working women would decline by more than half in 28 states!

11. From a “What can I get on my member of Congress’ case about?” point of view, the Paycheck Fairness Act is a good place to start. The bill would help make wages more transparent, would require your bosses to prove that any differences in pay are actually related to qualifications, and would block companies from retaliating against employees who raise concerns about discrimination. There's a whole list of things you can chat with your Congressperson about when it comes to pay equality.

President Obama signs an executive order banning federal contractors from retaliating against employees who raise concerns about pay discrimination in 2014. In March 2017, President Trump rescinded the order. Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images.

12. The pay gap isn’t a myth. It’s math. Even when you control for things like age, experience, race, location, and education, it’s still just as real as ever.

13. Not all states are equally unequal! For example, the pay gap in North Carolina (where women make 86% of what men do) is much smaller than in Wyoming (where women make just 64% of what men do).

Jensen Walcott (right) speaks at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Walcott was fired from her job for asking for equal pay. Photo by Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images.

14. The most surefire way to score a box office hit in 2016 was to cast Scarlett Johansson, that year’s top-grossing actor (that is, her movies made more money than any other actor's). Even so, a quick look at the five highest-paid actors of the year is just a bunch of dudes. Really?

Scarlett Johansson. Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images.

15. In 2016, the women of Iceland protested the wage gap by going on strike. In response, lawmakers recently unveiled a five-year plan to get the country to paycheck equality.

16. Women in Australia are trying a similar tactic: walking off the job at 3:20 p.m., the time that women in the country basically start working for free because of the wage gap.

Child care workers march for higher wages on March 8, 2017, in Melbourne, Australia. Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images.

17. Despite now being America’s most educated group, black women are hit especially hard by the wage gap, making on average nearly $20,000 a year less than white men. What even?

18. Actress Emmy Rossum took a bold stand for pay equality, pushing to get paid the same as William H. Macy, her male counterpart on the set of Showtime’s “Shameless.” And guess what? It worked. She even got paid back wages for earlier seasons.

Emmy Rossum. Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Variety.

19. So did “Star Wars” actress Felicity Jones.

20. As did “X-Files” actress Gillian Anderson.

"X-Files" stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images.

21. One way companies can show they're taking the fight for wage equality seriously is by getting EDGE (Economic Dividends for Gender Equality) certified. If you're in a position to push the company you work for to get involved, give it a shot!

Image via iStock.

22. Another thing you can do is support companies that met President Obama's 2016 Equal Pay Pledge and encourage other companies to make similar public statements.

23. And if you're looking to hone your own negotiating skills, there's even a Facebook chat bot that'll help you navigate your way to a fair wage.

No matter your gender, equal pay is something worth fighting for — and yes, there are things you can do to help out.

The above list has a few suggestions, but you can learn about other ways to help out over at the American Association of University Women's website. Every week, they post a new action you can take to help build a better, more fair world for us, our children, grandchildren, and beyond.

A Fort Lauderdale, Florida, woman joins a March 14, 2017, protest calling for equal pay. Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images.

We all have an important role to play in fighting discrimination. Whether you're a man, a woman, a business owner, a legislator, or just someone who believes in equality, there are concrete steps people can take.

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Iceland just announced a no-nonsense plan to eliminate its wage gap in 5 years.

On Oct. 24, 2016, thousands of Iceland's women stopped working at 2:38 p.m.

At the time, the country's men were earning an average of 18% more for doing the same jobs.

So women decided they were going to work 18% fewer hours (hence walking off the job at 2:38 p.m.) for a day to prove a powerful point.

Thousands took off early and poured into the streets to voice their displeasure with the wage gap (which, hey, is actually a lot better than in most of the world but still needs to be fixed).

In early March 2017, not even five months later, things may finally be changing, in no small part thanks to the work of these protestors.

Government officials in Iceland just announced new legislation that would require companies to open their books and prove they're providing equal pay for equal work.

According to USA Today, the measure is expected to be approved by parliament because lawmakers across the political spectrum all agree that the wage gap needs to be fixed ASAP.

(That must be nice.)

"Equal rights are human rights," said Social Affairs and Equality Minister Thorsteinn Viglundsson. "We need to make sure that men and women enjoy equal opportunity in the workplace. It is our responsibility to take every measure to achieve that."

Iceland won't be the first nation to enforce equal pay, but its policy is considered to be one of the most aggressive yet as it targets any company, public or private, with at least 25 employees.

The government is hoping measures like this one will help to completely eradicate the pay gap in the next five years.

This is a massive victory, not just for women, but for the power of engaged citizens who refuse to accept inequality.

The news out of Iceland comes hot off the heels of A Day Without a Woman, which called for women all over the world to strike — from work, from home duties, from the multitude of tasks they juggle day in and day out — to make their value known to the world in no uncertain terms.

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A post shared by Áslaug Lárusdóttir (@aslauglar_) on

Critics of the strike questioned its ability to make a difference since turnout would be smaller and more scattered than the massive Women's March that took place shortly after Inauguration Day.

But the citizens of Iceland are proof-positive that public demonstrations can and do work. It sounds trite, but when enough people come together to make their voices heard, people in power have no choice but to listen. Even if it seems like they're not.

Change may not happen overnight, or even in five months as it did in Iceland, but as the saying goes, "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."

Sometimes, the arc just needs a couple thousand badass women forcing it to bend a little more quickly.

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