by Dan Brose
18. August 2009 13:08
19 August 2009 - the first annual "World Humanitarian Day" in honor of all humanitarian workers who have lost their lives or been injured in the course of their work. Among these dedicated professionals is one of the great humanitarians, Sergio Vieira de Mello, who died on this day in 2003 alongside 21 other colleagues in the Canal Hotel bombing in Baghdad. His memory serves as an inspiration to all who carry out humanitarian work today, even as assistance efforts in many places continue to be limited by increasingly frequent violent and targeted attacks on humanitarian staff. Watch the video in a pop-up window.
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by Dan Brose
13. March 2009 15:00
The Cascadia Kiwanis Club has recently become an authorized affiliate of Cauzal Coffee, using OurCauze to raise funds for Kiwanis -- a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world, one child and one community at a time. To purchase Cauzal Coffee and send 33% of the purchase price to the Cascadia Kiwanis Club, click here.
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by Dan Brose
25. February 2009 15:04
At Cauzal Coffee we really enjoy learning about and supporting many cauzes, in addition to the six main Cauzes that we normally feature. Individuals can set up a "MyCauze" to support a one-time service event that they're personally involved in. Nonprofit organizations can set up an "OurCauze" to supplement their fundraising, whether for a one-time project or to establish an ongoing income stream. The Uganda Tree of Life MyCauze is being established by a team going to Uganda this June to work with Tree of Life Ministries -- a grass-roots effort in Uganda. You can read more about their plans by visiting their blog about the trip. Subscribe to receive the Cauzal Connections blog by Email
by Dan Brose
18. February 2009 13:17
Cauzal Coffee partners with World Relief in our Poverty Cauze. World Relief is working to empower entrepreneurs, mostly women, in developing countries with small loans, typically around $100. World Relief first became involved in microfinance in the mid-1970’s as a means to help provide an income for war widows in Bangladesh. Realizing that disaster relief only met the immediate needs of the Bangladeshi women, World Relief worked to hasten the development of the community by helping poor entrepreneurs to develop their own economic activity. World Relief microfinance is concerned with delivering the “Triple Bottom Line”: financial (covering all operating costs with income generated), social (ensuring people’s lives are better through improved health, sanitation, nutrition, education), and spiritual (lives are transformed and God’s Kingdom grows and deepens). Since early on, World Relief has become known for starting and growing microfinance programs in very challenging, conflict or post-conflict environments. Although many microfinance practitioners avoid challenging conflict-prone economies, World Relief has seen the potential to accelerate recovery in such settings and has developed an expertise in doing so.
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by Dan Brose
12. February 2009 12:34
I have been relatively quiet over the past couple of weeks as I was traveling in Europe: London, train to Brussels, drive to Amsterdam, drive to Brussels, drive back to Amsterdam, fly to Zurich, train to Geneva, drive to the Alps for a day of skiing, drive to France near Geneva, fly to London, fly back to Geneva, and finally home to central Oregon! I was visiting several international nonprofits (NGOs) that are working in relief and development projects around the world -- CMS, Tearfund Belgium, TEAR Holland, Word and Deed, Mission East,Terrafina, Tearfund Switzerland, Le Rucher, and Tearfund UK! It was great to make many new friends and learn what they're doing around the world.  I was also able to connect with a friend that I made while living in Burundi. Elliot is a coffee buyer for Schulter SA, who I met when he was working with coffee farmers in Burundi and buying their coffee for export around the world. Schluter SA is a family company founded in 1858 that specializes in African coffees, with a particular focus on specialty coffees. It was great to learn more about the global coffee market and to talk about the future of coffee in Africa. Subscribe to receive the Cauzal Connections blog by Email
by Dan Brose
3. February 2009 15:24
These Numbers Have Faces (TNHF) is an exciting new nonprofit that is confronting generational poverty in South Africa by providing college scholarships for youth in the township of Gugulethu. TNHF has recently partnered with Cauzal Coffee to raise funds through OurCauze -- a turnkey fundraiser for nonprofits -- with the goal of raising $500 by July. Click HERE to support TNHF through Cauzal Coffee. Watch the video in a pop-up window.Subscribe to receive the Cauzal Connections blog by Email
by Dan Brose
1. February 2009 00:22
Don Jacobson, the founder of Cauzal Coffee, was recently interviewed on Moody Radio's Prime Time America program. In this interview, Don describes Cauzal Coffee's recent partnership with World Relief in the Poverty Cauze and the Congo Disaster Cauze. You can listen to this interview by doing one of the following: Subscribe to receive the Cauzal Connections blog by Email
by Dan Brose
25. January 2009 12:25
Cauzal Coffee partners with Compassion International in our HIV/AIDS Cauze. Since 1952, Compassion has focused on meeting the needs of children in poverty -- all the needs of the "whole" child -- emotional, physical, social, and spiritual. Compassion works in prevention of the HIV infection, treatment for those living with HIV/AIDS, and rehabilitative care for children who have been orphaned and indirectly affected by AIDS. Prevention is the only long-term effective strategy for mitigating the spread of the pandemic itself; therefore, prevention is of first importance. Treatment refers to the medical and psychosocial care given to those who are already infected by HIV. Many children in Compassion's care are not themselves infected, yet their lives and well-being are jeopardized by HIV infection within their families and communities. Therefore, Compassion's response to HIV/AIDS extends beyond prevention of new infection and treatment of the infected, to include care for those whose lives are indirectly affected by the pandemic.  Subscribe to receive the Cauzal Connections blog by Email
by Dan Brose
19. January 2009 12:18
 On this last day of President Bush's eight years in office, I have been reflecting on how his presidency impacted me and my work. For most of those years I was based in central Africa (Rwanda, Burundi, DR Congo) and was pretty distant from American politics. Even the 9/11 terrorism and subsequent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq didn't affect me nearly as much as they did my friends in the US. But I was deeply impacted by President Bush's fight against HIV/AIDS. The leadership and support that the U.S. government put into this fight was evident and much appreciated as we worked in the trenches to reduce the number of infections and bring assistance to those living with HIV and AIDS. President and Mrs. Bush made several trips to Africa to support this and other initiatives, and we were honored on one of those trips to host Mrs. Bush for a few hours in Rwanda -- showing her the work that we were doing through a local church. We presented her with the gift of a wood carving in the shape of the country of Rwanda, depicting scenes of caregivers mobilized throughout the country and working through their churches to help alleviate the suffering of those with this terrible infection.  Here are some samplings of what is being reported about this legacy that President Bush is leaving in Africa. "... when a verdict is rendered on the Bush presidency, I hope that it will somehow incorporate the voices of millions of Africans who have had their hopes and lives restored by this President’s groundbreaking commitment to some of the world’s least fortunate men, women and children. There is no better example today of America’s compassion, commitment and can-do spirit than in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa. I believe that every American and the whole world owes President Bush heartfelt thanks for refusing to write off a generation of Africans, not because it was politically expedient, but because it was the only moral thing to do." Bush did the Moral Thing for Africa (Houston Chronicle) "President George W. Bush’s AIDS relief program aimed at Africa has exceeded its goal for the number of patients reached in its first five years, with more than 2.1 million men, women and children getting treatment." ... "A disease that was once thought to be a death sentence, a disease that was once thought sure to separate parents from their children, is now a disease that America is helping people to live with and to manage," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters in Washington. U.S. AIDS Relief Program Exceeds Goal in Africa (Bloomberg News) Bush's Plan for AIDS Relief Saved Lives (The Reporter) The African People May be Alone: They'll Miss Mr. Bush (The National) Bush's Eight Years in the White House: The Verdict (The Scotsman) Nations that Love Bush (Newsweek) Subscribe to receive the Cauzal Connections blog by Email
by Dan Brose
16. January 2009 09:21
Cauzal Coffee partners with International Justice Mission (IJM) in our Human Trafficking Cauze. For this reason, it was exciting to see this week that IJM has been profiled in an article in The New Yorker. As the article states, IJM is an international legal organization founded by Gary Haugen and based in Washington, D.C. Haugen believes that the biggest problem on earth is an absence of proper law enforcement. Chronically flawed justice systems in the developing world receive relatively little foreign aid from the United States. Despite widespread corruption in the developing world, Haugen concluded early on that his organization would have to collaborate with the police in order to punish criminals. The mission's employees have provided legal assistance to nearly fifteen thousand people since 1997. You can read the full text of the article by clicking here.
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