Francoise’s Story
When Francoise joined our program, she was doing the absolute best she could with what she had – working to become a coffee farmer by planting a few coffee trees around her home because she and her husband couldn’t afford farmland. Throughout the Fellowship, she learned how to best take care of those trees, hopeful that one day she would be able to expand her farm and develop other ways to earn additional income for her family.
Before graduating, she decided to pitch her business plan at the Kula Business Plan Competition, aiming to receive seed capital for a cattle-keeping business, and won! This, she saw as “a new beginning for [her] and [her] family”. Her business delivers two products that she’s able to use for her own farm and family as well as for sale in the local market: milk and manure. With the profits she has earned, she was able to purchase a piece of farmland where she planted 100 coffee trees, and plans to plant 100 more in the coming year. She’s also been able to send all of her kids to school, is in the process of renovating her home, and is also preparing to buy another piece of farmland to continue expanding her coffee business. Her story of success is our mission in action.
