Kids and Families in Coffee
Contact name: Cindy Elliott
Email: cindyelliott@gmail.com
Phone: 520.869.1232
Organization Name: Alive Church and Cindy Elliott
Project URL: www.alivechurch.com
Project: Kids and Families in Coffee
Location: Costa Rica
Additional information on location of project: Santa Elena Coffee Farm
Projected Impact: 500
Project Description
Kids and Families in Coffee is about trying to do something medically beneficial for all of those children and families who are involved in the picking of coffee in Costa Rica, specifically at the Santa Elena coffee farm.
In January of 2014, we took a group of 13 volunteers to the Santa Elena Coffee Farm. I was the only medical provider on this first trip. The others helped coordinate plans, set up and break down the outdoor clinic equipment in the coffee fields, run for supplies when it was needed, play with and entertain the children, and much more.
The inspiration for this trip came from a National Automatic Merchandising (NAMA) event. In January of 2012, 40 people of NAMA went to the farm to learn more about coffee. As we saw the farm and learned about the people picking the coffee, it became apparent there was a need for medical care and attention on these coffee farms. Since most of the pickers are migrant workers, they are not under the Costa Rican medical system that is currently in place, and therefore, they cannot receive medical care unless it is an emergency.
I spoke to Luz Marina Trujillo, the owner of Santa Elena, and Kerri Goodman, the owner and publisher of CoffeeTalk Magazine, about putting a trip together to care for these people and their basic needs. The trip occurred in January of 2013, and it was a great success! With the help of my crew, I was able to see and care for 240 people in just four days, doing my best to meet their immediate medical needs.
There is another trip planned for January of 2015 to go back to the Santa Elena coffee farm and care for the people, both the children and their families. This year, having a better idea of what is needed, I plan to take another medical provider and two students to help with the implementation of medical care.
We are so excited to make this an annual event, working to improve the health of the people at the farm, hopefully improving their overall health and making a difference in their lives!
Who Will Benefit from this Project?
The families and children of the Santa Elena coffee farm directly benefit because of this medical mission trip. They are given a basic health assessment and are then treated for immediate medical problems that may be apparent.
What You Can Do to Help
We need your financial support to make this trip possible. We would like to ask the coffee, tea, and water community, and those who are a part of the NAMA community, to assist us by donating for medications, transportation, and modest hotel accommodations for those who are volunteering their time and skills.
Thank you for all of your support!
Blessings!
Cindy Elliott, FNPC
