Sustainable revolution in the coffee and cocoa sector
In 2017, YOUCA supported a Trias project in El Salvador and in 2015 YOUCA worked with Rikolto to create sustainable future opportunities for and with young people in Nicaragua. In 2013, YOUCA (then called Zuiddag) teamed up with Rikolto to offer future prospects to Peruvian coffee farmers with the "Taste your Passion" project.
Coffee in El Salvador
Trias unites young people and provides training, stimulates their entrepreneurial spirit and works with them to build their self-confidence. With the support of YOUCA, Trias trained young people in El Salvador to become leaders and entrepreneurs in the coffee sector. Wo Salvadoran youth were given the opportunity to make their own choices, to take their destiny into their own hands, building on their dreams and future.
Watch our project film to delve further into the social context and goals of the project!
Cocoa in Nicaragua
Together with Rikolto's Nicaraguan partners La Campesina, a cooperative in the town of Matiguás, and Rikolto Centroamérica, we are committed to creating pathways for young people to build a sustainable and viable income within the cocoa sector. Such a path can take many different forms: for example, you can grow cocoa yourself, set up a project where tourists visit sustainable cocoa farms, open a shop selling chocolate, or go to work in administration, communication or the board of a cocoa farm or cooperative.
Impact
To help Nicaraguan youth build a sustainable society, we set up a youth work within La Campesina with this project. In doing so, we formulated a number of objectives:
- To strengthen young people's technical and economic skills to facilitate their entry into the cocoa sector.
- Encourage sustainable initiatives for and by young people within the cocoa sector.
- Increase youth participation in La Campesina's decision-making process so that young people can really exercise their leadership skills and innovative ideas.
In the years that followed, a lot was achieved. La Campesina created a thriving youth operation with 250 - 300 members. At least 50 of them took initiative to build their future within the cocoa sector. 25% of La Campesina's members are under 30, and a youth committee was set up. The inclusion of young people within La Campesina inspired other cooperatives to do the same: at least one other cooperative followed their example.
Young people also attended several workshops on developing entrepreneurial skills, and received assistance and tools to better manage their cocoa plantations. With success: meanwhile, the young people launched 5 start-ups. Walter Calero, one of the Nicaraguan Youth Ambassadors, even took over his father's cocoa centre. In addition, about 50 young people were able to apply for a loan from La Campesina's fund to further develop their cocoa activities.
Watch the project film of Rikolto!
Coffee in Peru
In 2013, with the 'taste your passion' initiative, we supported young people in Peru who wanted to follow their passion for coffee and develop their profession in an innovative, environmentally conscious and profitable way.
The project focused on creating opportunities for young people in the coffee sector, where Peruvian coffee is popular both nationally and internationally. This popularity opened the door to additional growth opportunities for the sector, and the aim was to inspire and support young people in building a sustainable and profitable future in the coffee industry.
