International Women’s Coffee Alliance.

The International Women's Coffee Alliance - IWCA - connects women across the global coffee value chain, from farm to cup.

They are not a single program or a headquarters handing out instructions. They're a network of 36 chapters across six continents, each one led locally, each one built by the women already doing the work in their own communities. IWCA Global's job is to build the bridges between them: grant funding, training, connections to markets and partners. The needs are as diverse as the chapters themselves. And the need for assistance in Venezuela following two catastrophic earthquakes is critial right now.

When the ground shook in La Guaira on June 24, the IWCA Venezuela Chapter was already moving. The women of IWCA Venezuela looked at their community in crisis and did what they have always done: they showed up. Within days, chapter members were on the ground preparing meals, supporting rescue operations, and walking alongside families navigating the most disorienting days of their lives. Families in La Guaira are still rebuilding. Homes are damaged. Basic necessities are scarce. Chapter members are still on the ground preparing meals, supporting rescue operations, and standing with the people who need them most.

"We are a community of women, men, and young people working together for a common goal: developing professional skills, recognizing the value and strengths of each gender, and achieving greater equality in local communities and the Venezuelan coffee value chain,"

says IWCA Venezuela President Jannina Poján Ruiz.

"I feel profound relief and deep emotion being able to extend a helping hand to the families affected by the earthquake, knowing that every small action and shared resource restores their hope and shows them they are not alone in this difficult moment. Thanks to the partnerships we've built with people of good heart, today our affected families are receiving the help they urgently need, and we are managing to transform tragedy into hope."

The funds from the Community Give Back program will go directly to urgent relief efforts in Venezuela. And we will continue to learn about and support the incredible work of the IWCA going forward. In the words of Helen Russel, Co-Founder and Executive Chair of Equator Coffees: "Empowerment isn't about giving women strength. It's about acknowledging the strength that has been holding the world together all along."

You can learn more about IWCA here: https://www.womenincoffee.org/