Families benefit from Save the Children's food security programs in Latin America.

Green Mountain Coffee cares about the people growing their product. This is why they have partnered with Save the Children to help coffee-producing communities in Nicaragua.

Together we are funding nutritional and economic development programs in the Peñas Blancas region of North Central Nicaragua, an area that relies on coffee production.

The area surrounding Peñas Blancas is among the poorest in Nicaragua. In a region where many households live on less than a dollar per day and do not own livestock, families face severe seasonal food shortages, known as "los Meses Flacos" (the thin months).

Save the Children has worked in this region since 2006, and our new partnership with Green Mountain Coffee only adds to this effort bringing life-changing aid to villages and families who need our help the most. Our shared goal is to improve nutrition, strengthen food security and build economic opportunities for the region's farmers and their children.

Over a three-year period, we seek to reach 750 families within the villages of Tuma-La Dalia, Rancho Grande, Waslala and El Cua in the Matagalpa and Jinotega Departments (states). We will help communities increase food supplies by improving food storage systems and diversifying crops to include foods with higher nutritional values. Farmers also need assistance, which we will provide, to develop business plans for their harvest ultimately allowing them to sell more crops in the market. Similarly, we hope to advance women's involvement in the economic development of their communities, and to increase community participation in groups and business associations.

With these vital programs, Save the Children and Green Mountain Coffee are helping communities build a healthier, more sustainable future. Our food security efforts teach families ways to avoid food shortages and increase nutrition, while our development projects also create greater economic opportunities.

We are proud to partner with Green Mountain Coffee. Together, our commitment will create positive and lasting change for coffee farmers and their children.

Last updated September 2009