Our clean water project in Uganda has given rise to a whole new perspective, one that needs to be shared. The project was inspired from our work with the Namanyoni Cooperative. It is a study in what moves Thanksgiving Coffee Company to be better at what we do, and it is about an evolving theory of change.

The original Interfaith co-operative of Ugandan coffee farmers gathered together with a mission to build harmonious relationships and economic development in a complicated country. When Thanksgiving Coffee became involved, our premise was to improve the standard of living. We began by paying the farmers a higher price for their coffee. We empowered the farmers to improve the quality of their coffees, their farming practices, and supported them to certify their green coffee and this commanded higher prices for their product.

As the relationship grew we went through many twists and turns and in 2020 it became clear that paying a higher price for the green coffee was not enough. What we learned is that the farmers spend up to 60% of their income on healthcare costs. It became clear that the real need is to improve the health of the farmers, and for Uganda this meant clean, safe water.

Not having access to safe water is the number 2 killer of children under five worldwide and over 20 Million people in Uganda are without safe water. This takes a huge toll on families and especially the water bearers – the women who need to hunt and source out available water.

Uganda has 20 Million people without safe water.

We set a new goal to provide clean water for every family of the Namanyoni Coop. To accomplish this we partnered with Spouts of Water who creates sustainable clean water filters out of local materials and hires local employees.

These simple filters allow the farmers and their families to drink and cook water safely without boiling it first.

The Benefits of the Clean Water Filters

• 99.9% Reduction of water-born illnesses, such as typhoid, cholera, dysentery, and diarrhea
• Increase in life expectancy
• Decrease in infant mortality
• Lower energy costs due to eliminating the need to boil water for sanitation
• Reduction of medical, pharmacy, and burial costs
• Increase disposable income by up to 60%
• Women and girls spend less time hunting for, gathering, carrying, and transporting wood back to their homes (which is also a financial benefit)
• Raised family and community Happiness quotient

In 2021 we were able to meet our goal through the rebates generated by the sale of each Delicious Peace coffee package.

Our work with the Namanyoni Cooperative in Uganda is helping us develop a replicable model that we can share. When the health of our farmers and impoverished peoples of the world improves, we see a ripple effect and the benefits reach far and wide.

Learn More About the Project:

2024 Listen to the Farmers of Namanyonyi: Farmers Thriving Index

2023 Clean Water Project: Video

2021 Impact Report: Giving Back

2020 Clean Water For All : Helping Uganda

2016 Delicious Peace Coffee : A New Story

2014 A Trip to Africa: Intro - I'm going to Africa

2009 Delicious Peace Moves Forward: Development Origins