Over 14,000 Costa team members across the UK as well as customers and suppliers, have come together to help Costa Coffee achieve a 10 million pound fundraising milestone for the Costa Foundation.
The Costa Foundation is an independent charity that aims to relieve poverty in coffee-growing communities.
Its mission is to improve the life chances of children by providing them with the opportunity for a quality education.
Since its launch in 2007 the Costa Foundation has supported 56 much needed school projects across nine countries – building or extending school buildings and providing essential facilities and equipment including connecting water supplies and supplying computers.
The biggest Costa Foundation project is in La Palma, Colombia, which has suffered decades of civil conflict. The ongoing issues have seen as many as 80% of the community displaced, having left their homes and families to seek temporary shelter in part of the jungle.
To assist residents in re-building their lives back in La Palma, the Costa Foundation has built a community school with up to 10 classrooms, which will aim to serve both adults and children and provide local support and stability.
The Costa Foundation also provides funding for extracurricular citizenship lessons in HIV/AIDS awareness, gender equality, environment, sports and public speaking.
These lessons have enabled forced marriage to be completely abolished in two communities in Ethiopia where the Costa Foundation operates, helping to challenge the traditional viewpoint that a girl is considered “ready” for marriage once she reaches puberty.
Dominic Paul, Managing Director at Costa, said: “It is amazing to see our passionate team across the UK come together to reach this target with the support of our customers and suppliers.
At Costa we strive to be an integral part of the community and the Costa Foundation has a tremendous impact on the lives of people living in coffee growing areas, improving social and economic welfare through education.
We are extremely proud that we can contribute £10 million to make a real difference to these communities.”
Fundraising activities include around 140 people hiking Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Mount Snowdon to achieve the iconic Three Peaks Challenge, as well Foundation Fortnight, taking place between 22nd August and 4th September 2016, an annual event where stores across the UK and Ireland participate in fundraising activities showcasing the Costa Foundations work and the importance of the charity.
The Costa Foundation currently funds facilitates and benefits communities in areas including Colombia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, Peru, Nicaragua, Vietnam and Uganda.
For further information about the Costa Foundation or to read more case studies, please visit www.costafoundation.com.
