IWCA and the 12 months of 2019

By Blanca Castro, IWCA Chapter Relations Manager

What a year! As I exhale to reflect on the past twelve months, I would like to think that all growth and improvement processes, include sacrifices and frustrations…moments of great satisfaction and tears of joy in celebration. We try to keep the balance, in all aspects, because we know that growth is not easy, but we push through because we know that it is certainly possible.

For me, 2019 was the year that marked an important step in the maturation process of the IWCA as a prestigious international organization. Working and learning together across the globe, we solved problems and opened new doors, including new transitions among existing IWCA chapters (IWCA Democratic Republic of Congo), welcoming four new chapters (IWCA Australia, IWCA Jamaica, IWCA Vietnam, and IWCA Yemen), and significant progress among country chapters nearly completing their formation (Germany and Myanmar). Perhaps equally inspiring is the continual progress by the chapter formation committees in Colombia and Venezuela, in spite of political difficulties each country faces.

We also celebrate new initiatives progressing in 2019 - the regional cohesion developing among IWCA Chapters in Central America to work together with strategic allies in the region to address regionally shared problems; as well as IWCA Chapters, such as IWCA Dominican Republic, who are partnering with supporters nearly a world away in Italy, to build the resources and capacity to develop a new business approach that drives local consumption (and retains value) in traditionally coffee exporting countries.

And this is just to name a few forward steps and progressing initiatives. I constantly admire and am inspired by the efforts of every chapter and chapter in formation, and the individuals working together to drive forward.

I am also grateful for the growing army of IWCA Sustaining Partners, IWCA Event Sponsos, and IWCA Supporters - crowned with the great support of Starbucks in September - whose contributions and commitments in 2019 are like never before. Our new Supporters and Partners add their strength and passion to the thousands of women who today, and over the past 16 years, believe in IWCA as the framework that will make them visible in this great coffee industry.

We are all connected in this wonderful network with a name, a face, a family, a community and a particular project. Whether the language we speak at home is Swahili or Spanish, through IWCA we are all connected by the great conviction that, no matter the gender differences nor the low coffee prices, TOGETHER, we can make the difference. I´ve seen it and I have the strong feeling that this is just the beginning. Hold on tight and welcome 2020, we are going for more!

#womenincoffee #teamwork #strongwomenstrongcoffee #strongwomensustaincoffee

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