LOUDWATER, Buckinghamshire, USA – A handful of lucky Costa Coffee team members were recently chosen to visit and experience the work the Costa Foundation do in Vietnam to help support and educate coffee growing communities. This month the team embarked on a five-day visit to Vietnam. As part of the trip, the group visited nursey schools in the Dak Lak provenience of central Vietnam, meeting both children, parents of the children and teachers at schools that have been built by the Costa Foundation over the past five years.
The group also attended the opening ceremonies of some of the newest schools to be built by the Costa Foundation highlighting the impact that the charity is making to improve access to education for children across coffee growing regions.
Six Costa Coffee Store Managers were chosen to join the group as recognition for the amazing fundraising efforts both them and their store teams had achieved in raising thousands of pounds for the Costa Foundation.
One of those managers that attend the trip was, Sarah Kershaw, who is the Store Manager at a Costa Coffee store in Kingsway Retail Park, in Rochdale. Over the last five years she has worked for Costa, she and her store have raised over £5,000 for the Foundation.
Speaking about the trip, Sarah comments: “Visiting Vietnam and seeing the amazing work completed by the Costa Foundation and to meet the children in the schools was an incredible experience. I feel truly privileged to have been chosen for this trip and to be able to see how our hard work over the years is helping children in Vietnam.”
Dawn Cave, who was also was lucky enough to be selected to join the trip, and works as a Store Manager at a Costa Coffee Drive-Thru store in Plymouth, commented on the importance of the Costa Foundation: “Education is one of the greatest gifts you can give to someone, as it gives people hope and empowerment to achieve great things in life. I’m proud to support the Costa Foundation which is making a positive contribution to coffee growing communities globally.”
Dawn, who has been working with Costa Coffee for the past six years, has been passionate about raising funds for the work of the Costa Foundation. Her store was the highest fundraising Costa Coffee store in 2022, raising over £18,000 for the foundation, through numerous fundraising activities including dress-up days, games and arts and crafts.
The Costa Foundation was established in 2007, with the aim of improving the life chances of children in coffee growing communities by helping them access a safe, quality education. In Vietnam, children need to be able to speak Kinh, Vietnam’s national language, to access primary education. The Costa Foundation funds nursery schools in these remote areas to ensure children can learn Kinh from an early age and benefit from full schooling.
Over the last 16 years The Costa Foundation has supported twenty-four nursery schools in Vietnam to date, with a 100% record of accomplishment of children leaving with the ability to speak Kinh.
In 2022 alone, the Foundation completed five new schools and ten schools’ expansions, with six new schools under construction across the world’s coffee growing regions. Additionally, two new programmes of work also started in Zambia and Ethiopia. For 2023, seven new schools are planned to be completed across Ethiopia, Colombia, and Peru, whilst adding extra facilities and expanding six schools across Uganda, Zambia, and Ethiopia.
John English, Community Manager at Costa Coffee, who also took part in the special visit said: “The Costa Foundation exists to help provide a safe and quality education for children in coffee growing communities. An amazing total of £1.2 million was raised for the charity in 2022, which was made up of a combination of corporate donations, donations from product sales, and in-store fundraising activities.”
“We are honoured to have been able to acknowledge the achievements and hard work of our twelve Costa Coffee’s team members by taking them on an unforgettable trip to Vietnam, where they first-hand saw the difference that them, their stores and their communities are making.”
For more information on The Costa Foundation, or to donate, visit here: https://www.costafoundation.com/
