3A Blog — love

Change! That’s what I dreamt of when I first visited Uganda. On my second trip to Uganda, in the small village of Mbulamuti, I spotted this mud hut. It’s the standard mud-hut-with-grass-roof that litters the landscape of Africa. But I instantly fell in love with the word ‘Change’ that someone had spray painted on the side. What a beautiful reminder! Together, we can change the world! -Joe

In a world so wrought with injustice and sin, there is little more beautiful than love. Perhaps that’s why I find this photo so touching and heartbreaking at the same time. We see a young girl caring for her infant sibling while mom tries to barely scratch out a living. She lovingly snuggles her sibling, yet, with love, our hearts break, wanting to find a way to help. -Joe

In July of 2012 we fell in love with Nicaragua while visiting the areas surrounding Matagalpa. The women you see in this photo run the Las Nubes coffee cooperative. They work hard harvesting coffee, transporting coffee, and planning for the future. Their main desire is to be able to educate their children. It’s what they work for. And with our Nicaraguan coffee, it’s what we work for. -Joe

What would our world be without water? What would your life be like without it? The reality is, you life simply wouldn’t be without water. Yet every day, hundreds of millions of people struggle to find water, or settle for unsafe water. The boys in the picture above are actually going to drink that water. This reality is simply unacceptable. We must work to change the world. To change their reality. To give everyone an opportunity for a healthy life and an education. -Joe

While I do love coffee for the same reasons many others do, for me, it goes a bit deeper. After falling in love with Uganda and her people, I found that coffee could be a catalyst to change in Uganda. And quickly realized it didn’t need to end there. Coffee could be used to bring change throughout the world – in Uganda, Nicaragua, and many more countries throughout Africa, Central America, South America, and Asia. So, join me, and love your coffee. -Joe