"I picked coffee beans as a young boy to pay for my food and school fees. I’ve seen first-hand how coffee can impact the lives of its communities. And I’ve faced first-hand the harsh reality of going to school on an empty stomach, a burden I carried for years.
This experience has fuelled my passion and commitment to fight childhood hunger in the village schools where our coffee is grown.
Let me take you back…to my primary school days.
Every morning, I would walk 8 kilometres to school and 8 kilometres back home - that’s a total 16 kilometres each day (and rather a lot more than the 10,000 steps our doctors prescribe these days).
The distance was challenging, but the real hardship was hunger. After the long walk, I would spend the entire school day without lunch because my family couldn't afford it.
Even worse, I often wasn't sure if there would be any food waiting for me at home.
The hunger and uncertainty over when the next meal would come, were my constant companions for at least three years of lower primary school.
I made a vow to myself: if I ever had the means, I would work tirelessly to eliminate childhood hunger in village schools like the one I attended.
This vow has been my driving force, and it's a commitment embedded in the very fabric of Blue Turaco Coffee."
