March 1, 2010
Waiting in Houston!
I am very excited about our visit to Oaxaca. I am currently waiting in Houston to board my final flight to Oaxaca. Tomorrow morning we will head out into the hills of Oaxaca for the next few days. Last year we started several projects in Oaxaca and this will be our first visit since they began. Just to recap, the projects are a land renovation project in the community of Miramar, a community greenhouse also in Miramar, and a coffee roasting project in Buena Vista. We will also be meeting with a small organization called Circle of Women. We are partnering with Circle of Women to bring continued health education to the women of Miramar. I look forward to updating you on the progress of these projects.
A few facts about Oaxaca:
- Oaxaca is one of the 31 states of Mexico and is the 5th largest
- Located in the Southern part of the country
- Home of the Zapotec and Mixtec peoples
- Average altitude is 1,500 meters
- Coffee represents 30% of the state’s exports
I hope to post again tomorrow.
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Ciao,
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Sam Snyder
February 10, 2010
Everything is set. We will be traveling to Oaxaca, Mexico the first week of March to visit our friends and growers in Miramar and Buena Vista.
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On the agenda:
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Monday – Travel day
Tuesday – Drive to Miramar (5hrs or so). We will visit our greenhouse and land renovation projects and start a new project with Circle of Women to bring health education to the women of Miramar.
Wednesday – Drive to Buena Vista which is pretty close to Miramar. We will visit the beginning stages of a coffee roasting project that we are funding. The farmers of Buena Vista will be actively selling roasted coffee in several markets throughout Oaxaca.
Thursday – We will visit a few other communities on our drive back to Oaxaca City to understand some new project opportunities.
Friday – Debrief in the morning and fly home in the afternoon.
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I am very excited to see the progress of our projects and see where else we can have positive sustainable impact. I will attempt to update the blog throughout the trip if technology allows it.
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Thanks for you support of Pura Vida!
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Ciao,
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Sam Snyder
Director of Marketing & Philanthropy
September 2, 2009
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In Masapia, a rural community of Nicaragua, clean water can be hard to find. The people of Masapia
were consuming contaminated drinking water and thus at-risk of serious waterborne illnesses until now.
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With your help, Pura Vida rehabilitated the community’s well and now over 100 people are receiving
the benefit of clean water.
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Thank you for supporting Pura Vida Coffee and our efforts to help those in need!
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Sincerely,
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Sam
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Create Good.
Every Cup. Every Day.
March 11, 2009
#3 Field Research – Conclusion
This is the third entry on our process for how we work with communities in the field. I am taking you through this process beginning with field research and ending with evaluations and measurement of projects. If you haven’t read the first entry please do so now at http://www.puravidacoffee.com/blog/?p=139.
Conclusion – Based on the research findings and the literature review, the development strategy which will be created for each community we work, must be consistent with the hypothesis, the well-being of the farmers and their families will increase if the community is empowered to direct development projects, have micro-loans and credit available, and the health and educational needs of their children are met. The primary focus of a development strategy will be on economic development for it is the most efficient and effective way to build a lasting and sustainable community. However, as stated above, the basic health and education needs must be addressed simultaneously to insure health and stability of the community. A personalized development strategy will be created by discussing with each community their economic, health and education needs and priorities.
The next posting will begin the discussion around implementation.
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Thanks for your support and please let me know your thoughts by commenting.
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Sam Snyder – Program Director
March 4, 2009
How did you help to Create Good today?
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Pura Vida is constantly humbled and honored by all that our customers do to Create Good in their everyday lives. We would like to give you the opportunity to share how you, a friend, or loved one Create Good and we will give you a free bag of coffee for the effort.
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Daily we will select one person at random to be our Create Good Featured Poster of the Day. If you are selected we will send you a free bag of your choice of our small batch roasted coffee. Plus, we will feature your post on our Facebook group and through our Twitter page.
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So go ahead and tell us how you helped to Create Good today…Just leave a comment below. Don’t forget to give us your name! We will announce the winner at 10am for the previous day via Twitter and Facebook and will contact you directly about your coffee PRIZE.
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You will need to register and login to leave a comment (see links on left)
November 6, 2008
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Imagine being a little girl raised in a garbage dump, in a one-room cardboard shack. Marta Lopez might have remained there in Guatemala City had it not been for Fotokids which teaches disadvantaged children how to take inspiring photos-and see a world of new possibilities.
With encouragement from Fotokids, Marta became the top student in her class and was chosen valedictorian by her graduating high school classmates.
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Now 22, she is an accomplished photographer whose work has exhibited in over 32 exhibits in Russia, Spain, UK, Australia, Columbia, Grand Cayman Islands, and Japan.
This year she graduated with a university degree to teach high school history. Clearly, Marta’s love for teaching never would have borne fruit in the one-room shack at the dump. Her inspiring life is why Pura Vida continues to partner with proven, quality organizations like Fotokids-working face-to-face in coffee-growing communities and changing lives.
You are a part of this great work.
Your generous contribution and purchase of Pura Vida coffee, helps change the life of a child like Marta who is giving back and transforming a new generation of young people.
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Buy coffee or donate now to further our effort to Create Good.
For Marta, and the hundreds of deserving children and families in Pura Vida’s world, thank you.
Kindly,
Sam Snyder – Program Director
Pura Vida provides life-changing solutions to further the health, hope and future of children & families in coffee growing communities. Thank you for your support, which is crucial for the continued transformation of these communities.