< PreviousAsháninka coffee is building a loyal following with repeat orders accounting for most of the beans produced. COFFEEBrother’s support means that six new varieties of coffee were planted last year. This should significantly increase the yield when they mature in 2019, and guard against some of the destruction caused by El Niño. In 2016, a new Peruvian buyer was appointed to maximise the price. COINCA, the buyer, is interested in purchasing the coffee again this year, presenting an opportunity for the growers to engage in face-to-face meetings with the company, developing their business and finance networks. Plans for the future include training a new coffee promoter for the village of Parijaro. This area is perfect for growing coffee due to its high altitude, but it’s quite a way for the current promoters to travel. The new promoter will be trained by current staff to help improve the crop’s quality.10Brother has funded an exciting new development in the Asháninka partnership with the formation of the Jeto artisans cooperative. ARTISANSJeto means “spider” in Asháninka and the women chose the name because spiders are such good weavers. The cooperative of eight women is set to double in size with further training and awareness raising.The group is currently exploring the possibility of making woven articles and traditional crafts to suit the tourist market. Aware that many similar groups already exist in the jewellery market, they are looking to differentiate themselves. During an exchange trip earlier this year the Jeto group met artisans from Cool Earth’s Awajún partnership who passed on the knowledge and skills that they have learned from setting up their own successful cooperative, AMARNO. The group have requested training on new and traditional methods of production. One member can spin thread from locally harvested cotton, and will be supported to teach the others. They will also learn how to plant and harvest cotton as a sustainable crop. Diversifying the income streams available to our Asháninka partners creates robust livelihoods.12Diarrhoea and malnutrition are the two biggest killers of young children in Cool Earth’s partnerships. TRAINING HEALTH PROMOTERSMothers have worked with Cool Earth to set up a programme focussing on maternal and neonatal health. Brother is funding this with an initial set of workshops for 75 women. Fifteen women were elected to be health promoters, and are now training mothers and families on maternal health best practice. With the help of specialist NGO “One Heart Worldwide”, the health promoters completed training in nearby Satipo to tackle basic sanitation, nutrition and infant health issues such as handwashing and food safety. Being away from the community enabled the group to focus on getting the most out of the workshop, without having to tend to their daily activities. Using role play and humour broke through taboos about discussing uncomfortable subjects. One Heart Worldwide gave advice about keeping areas of the community free from standing water to avoid malaria and other water-borne diseases. The women learnt how to treat a baby suffering from diarrhoea, how to form a balanced, nutritious meal and how to construct a “Tippy-tap” for hands-free handwashing. Of all the topics discussed, the “Tippy-taps” were the most well-received, and many of the community members have since constructed their own. The health promoters have reported a decrease in incidences of diarrhoea as a direct result, which is fantastic news. In December 2016, three maternal health promoters from Cool Earth’s Asháninka partnership travelled to the Awajún partnership in northern Peru as part of a knowledge exchange trip. The promoters ran workshops on hygiene and sanitation with the Awajún women, and have proposed a similar project to address the public health concerns of our Awajún partners. Communities sharing knowledge in this way is key to how Cool Earth’s partnerships will grow in the future. It’s with Brother that we’ve been able to develop this smart model.16“The happiest moment of my life was when I was elected as a partner of the safe birthing programme because this is how I can help other women and children within my community. Cool Earth has helped us with health, cacao and education, and I hope that the health of pregnant women will continue to be supported.” Gladis Delgadillo Flores, Tinkareni, Asháninka, PeruBoosting the levels of protein available is a priority for children. NUTRITIONA nutrition programme was designed in early 2016 and rolled out in the communities by the health promoters that Brother helped to train. Food diaries were used to assess the current nutrition levels and a nutrition technician was hired to develop the programme further. Looking ahead to this year, the nutrition programme will see developments in fish farming and other animal husbandry within the community. There’s also potential to use Inga to improve diets. This remarkable tree helps to improve soil fertility and means the community members can grow food in old gardens, improving the quantity of food available while minimising the need to clear more forest.18Next >