Monday, August 24, 2009

Climate Change and Coffee

We talked a bit about the effects of climate change on coffee lands briefly in a blog entry in May, but the issue was given more attention in a recent article on Reuters.

“Climate change threatens Central American coffee” highlights changing weather patterns and how it affects lowland coffee growers in Guatemala who are dealing with unpredictable weather and diminished harvests.

The article discusses efforts to help families cope with the changing weather patterns and how they might adjust. A lot of it comes back to what Coffee Kids is all about. Early on, Bill Fishbein, Coffee Kids founder, realized that income from coffee is insufficient for most families. The key is to help create more vibrant communities by supporting programs in economic diversification, health awareness, education and food security.

If climate change continues unabated, millions of coffee-farming families around the world stand to lose out. The influx of people in extreme poverty could be staggering, but by supporting efforts like Coffee Kids, we can help encourage positive change.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Health in Mexico

Recently saw this brief in the New York Times, “Mexico: Free Health Insurance for Tourists.” The economy of Mexico has been hard hit by a double punch of the global recession and swine flu scare and free health insurance for tourists is the latest in efforts to revive the country.

But as our program staff in Oaxaca pointed out, what about the citizens of Mexico? Offering free health insurance to tourists is a nice way to attract visitors, but in states like Oaxaca, Veracruz and Chiapas, adequate health care is beyond the reach of most families who struggle to survive. It would be nice if we could forgo the money put aside for tourist insurance and dedicate it to helping families.

Fortunately, many are working to increase access to health care in Mexico. Our partners are helping families address common ailments using safe, affordable herbal remedies. On our latest visit to Veracruz, program staff met with Casilda Ramirez Caballero, a trained traditional doctor, who is working with our partner AUGE to create a variety of remedies that families can afford (read more here…). She also teaches families about common ailments so they can distinguish between an easily treatable illness and something requiring a visit with the doctor.