Fair Trade Organic Gourmet Coffee - rich in flavor and taste! All of Higher Ground’s coffees are Fair Trade and organic. Fair Trade certification enables the farmers who grow these coffees to keep their family owned farms and benefit from economic and educational programs, while growing a great organic crop. Higher Ground’s coffees are also grown in the shade of the forest canopy—preserving ancient forests and natural habitat for innumerable species of plants and animals.
Women Work to Weave a Lasting Peace
Rwanda, a tiny land-locked country in eastern Africa, tragically is best known for the horrific genocide that occurred in 1994. Nearly a million people, or about 10% of Rwanda's population, were killed.
Rwanda is now a country in which women are rising to the forefront of economic, political and social institutions. In the immediate aftermath of the genocide, females represented 70% of Rwanda's population since so many men had been killed. After some time had passed, the women were faced with a decision of either collapsing of inconsolable pain, or moving on together to rebuild their lives.
Because so many men had perished, it was clear that women must play a significant role in Rwanda's rebuilding and democratic transition. Previously excluded from positions of influence, women now participate as elected officials, community leaders, and entrepreneurs.
Today widows come together to make exquisite traditional baskets and create economic opportunities for their families. As they sit and weave, they heal in body, mind, and soul, and position themselves and their families for a more stable future.
The sale of beautiful, handmade goods plays an important role in Rwanda's transition.
The traditional Rwandese basket with its conical top and "zigzag" stripes is the centerpiece of their rebuilding, and a national symbol that adorns the official Rwandese seal.
