Please note: material in this article contains sentitive human rights issues.
Hey there beautiful people. First I have to give a big shout out to all the groovy cats who made it to the Bill Chambers gig, what a great night and gig! Ross and Amelia Everdell, the brother sister duo, certainly made their impact felt that night with an absolutely flawless debut gig! We are so damn proud of these guys and after chatting to Bill Chambers, he wants to give his daughter, Kasey, their contact. Bill was left speechless as no doubt we all were…all I can say is “Awesome”.
Having current working and established relationships, and having first hand experience of impoverished communities through my coffee direct trade dealings with countries such as India and Vanuatu, you can’t help but feel a desired need and obligation to want to contribute and help fellow sisters and brothers in less privileged conditions…and these conditions are truly raw! As a father of two beautiful daughters, this cause felt close to home and I just couldn’t imagine my girls in this unimaginable situation which sadly is real. Put simply DfG is a grass roots feminine hygiene program not for profit organisation creating a better future for girls by “providing advocacy, reproductive health education and sustainable feminine hygiene products. These girls use leaves, mattress stuffing, newspaper, husks, rocks and other materials to try to stay in school. These can often lead to infections and worse, girls can be exploited in exchange for hygiene products. This is a problem that leads to under age marriage and as in many third world communities, menstruating girls not in school are considered ‘eligible’ regardless of age.”
Speaking of awesome, as an independent speciality coffee roaster, I am well aware of the privileged position I am in to be able to connect with a many and varied colourful rainbow of cultures and beautiful people around the planet. I do not take this for granted. My work allows me to communicate with some amazing, creative and special human beings. Not all these special souls are spotlight personalities, but in my heart and mind they are true shining stars. From fellow colleagues, close friends, coffee growers from third world countries, customers, work experience students, delivery drivers, fellow mums and dads, teachers, white and blue collars and last but not least, my own beautiful children and wife….the list goes on….they all enrich my life in their own incredible way.
One of these shining stars landed at my feet a few weeks ago. I was out celebrating a dear friend’s birthday and had the pleasure of chatting to her parents. They seemed fascinated with my story and strong connection with third world countries. It was during this conversation that I was introduced and made aware of the “Days For Girls” organisation. Beverley de Meur went on to explain to me in great detail the DfG program and I was instantly moved by the plight these less privileged girls face in just having to deal with basic feminine hygiene or the lack of.
As Beverley pointed out to me, what if not having feminine supplies kept our daughters isolated during menstruation with no study days, no income days, no access to hygiene for days and the added burden of exploitation no reason other than the natural cycle of life which we all take for granted? It happens worldwide to many women and girls in impoverished communities….It is very hard to imagine, but true! Take some time out to visit www.daysforgirls.org for lots more info and details.
Special souls like Beverley and Peter de Meur are partnering with others around the globe and Australia to make and distribute DfG kits. To say I was moved to hear these stories was an understatement, as I deal with a lot of these countries who in a very direct way put food on my table!
Our “Human Beans For Peace” Foundation, the Art of Espresso concept for peace and understanding, non denominational foundation for any given cause, after learning about the plight of these girls, has now committed its support for DfG as we feel it is every woman’s right regardless of their background,creed,colour and race,to have basic feminine hygiene and sanitary solutions they can rely on.
Let’s all unite to protect and help our fellow sisters around this beautiful planet now! Beverley and Peter will be holding a fundraiser and awareness day at Oatley in Sydney on Saturday the 8th March. My brother Joe Capra (2013 Australia’s Favourite Barista Champion) will be there to offer his support making coffee using coffee donated by Art of Espresso. In my mind and heart, it is people like Beverley and Peter who are the shining stars.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Beverly and Peter for making the trip to Young to visit Art of Espresso and connecting with me personally to give me an in depth understanding and appreciation of the plight these girls face on a daily basis. I hope to be able to help them together with you
I thank you all for your continued support and faith in the culture we call Art of Espresso.
Breathe, Smile & Be Thankful,
Om Shanti
Adrian
