We are a student activist group looking to explore the realities of the coffee trade, and change the way we consume by keeping human rights in the forefront of our efforts. We started thinking: what if Providence College students were able to establish personal relationships directly with coffee farmers in a reasonably nearby country? What if we were able to partner with them directly to grow PC’
s coffee? What if we could use that $88,000 in a way that can change lives? Yes, we are thinking big, but coffee is a big issue – and not just at PC. After oil, coffee is the United States’ second largest import, and yet, coffee growing regions around the world are filled with poverty and human rights issues. Coffee farmers are generally unable to receive livable wages for their labor and crop, despite the fact that we in the consumer societies are consuming more expensive coffee every year. We have launched a project with a bold mission: to make trade equal on our campus to bringing alternatively traded coffee our college, and use our leverage as university students to challenge unfair global trade relationships.
