Portion of Retiro & Talapo sales for El Salvador charity

The Pacas are working with FUNPRES on a programme to combat child abuse that is operating in two schools close to their farms. We sent part of our annual Christmas charity donation to this worthwhile project and are delighted to be able to continue our support.

The programme, named 'The Power to Transform', was launched this February at two primary schools in the Santa Ana area - Buenos Aires, with 140 students and 4 teachers, and Manuel Parada Salgado, with 350 students and 12 teachers. A preventive psychologist has been visiting both schools two to three times a week, holding a range of workshops with students and running sessions with both teachers and parents. FUNPRES is also hosting a range of extra-curricular clubs - with the aim of engaging children and encouraging them to use their free time productively.

A clinical psychiatrist has been visiting both schools once a week, identifying problems and working one on one with students and their parents. A case of abuse of pupils by a teacher has since been uncovered in one of the schools - FUNPRES acted swiftly to report the abuse to the authorities, and is offering support and guidance to the victims, their peers, the school’s staff and the pupils’ parents. The psychiatrist is also offering support to children with behavioural problems, self-esteem issues and other mental health problems.

Marcela Pacas, who is working closely with FUNPRES, wrote to us to say how pleased she is that sales of her family’s coffees will help to support the project: “I am extremely excited about the news you are sharing with us. It is always great to have your support in such a striking program as ‘The Power to Transform’. As Café Pacas, we feel very proud and blessed to be able to contribute to El Salvador’s society in such a meaningful way. And it is even more exciting for us to know that your company is willing to contribute to this wonderful cause again. To be able to sell our coffee to a lot of people around the world makes us very happy and enthusiastic, but to know that this is not just coffee, but instead it is ‘Coffee for a Cause’ makes things even more meaningful to us.”

Thank you to Marcela, the rest of the Pacas family and all at FUNPRES for their good work. We look forward to further updates from the programme soon…

Check out the FUNPRES website here: www.funpres.org.sv

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