Your 2025 Impact

"Equator has always been excited to work with organizations in the coffee growing communities we purchase from. We especially enjoy providing assistance in the areas of education, indigenous support, environmental improvement and sustainability." - Amber Hall

Here are just some of the organizations/charities that we supported in 2025:

Grow Ahead

"Grow Ahead envisions a world where small-scale farmers and their communities thrive with climate resilience, economic prosperity, and abundant, nutritious food—all while cooling the planet and nourishing the world."

Grow Ahead is working with COMSA, one of the cooperatives in Honduras that we purchase coffee from, in a project called "Enhancing Climate Resilience on Coffee Farms." The aim is to plant 160,000 trees with 1,210 farmer families which would cover nearly 4,000 acres of land. Over 20 varieties of trees have been chosen to help improve biodiversity, increase shade for coffee plants, provide food for wildlife, and more. Working with the farmers, they will learn valuable agroforestry techniques (a system of land management where trees are deliberately planted with agricultural crops and/or animals) to support the successful implementation of the program. Conserving and protecting the environment.

One of the farmers from COMSA.

Cooperative Coffees

Cooperative Coffees actively supports organizations and initiatives that engage with coffee farmers and their communities worldwide. Additionally, Coop Coffees provides emergency relief funds during crises in the countries where we source our coffee. Separately, as a member of Cooperative Coffees, we are a part of an Impact Fund that invests $0.03 per pound of green coffee purchased by the cooperative into projects that address systemic issues across the coffee world that affect our small-scale coffee farmer partners.

This past year, Coop Coffees closed nine projects and started nine more. Here are some of the projects they have been working on:

Approved projects in November/December:

Nicaragua: Las Diosas women’s coop is working on geomapping for EUDR compliance and agroforestry improvements in partnership with the World Food Programme at $10k.
Peru: Sol & Cafe is doing 200+ soil analyses to tailor technical assistance and optimize fertilization with nearly ¼ of their membership at $12,500.
Mexico: Triunfo Verde is providing 85 woman-led households with chicken coups and technical assistance to improve food sovereignty and income diversification in the context of regional violence at $25k.
Indonesia: emergency relief for households affected by flooding at $7k each for both Kokowagayo and Sumatra Permata Gayo.

Completed projects in November/December:

Guatemala: Manos Campesinas food security baseline and validation workshops with Food 4 Farmers yielded important information, highlighting water needs in some base organizations and acute food insecurity among the elderly.

Two of our staff were able to go to Honduras in 2025, and learn more about what Coop Coffees is doing there and elsewhere. Ask Amanda or Regina about their trip anytime!

FUNDEICO, Indigenous Foundation Ambiental

This foundation was established many years ago because they were concerned about the lack of assistance and support for the indigenous population of Costa Rica. Here is some of what they shared with us:

"In 1997, our organization was declared Organization of the Year by the Federation of Voluntary Organizations (F.O.V.) in honor of the great work and programs for the well-being of the Indigenous peoples of Costa Rica that we have been able to carry out thanks to the help of their members and representatives.

The Ford Motor Company Foundation also awarded us the 2004 prize for our program "Recovery and Conservation of the True Ancestral Indigenous Culture." This Foundation awards the best projects every year in cultural and environmental conservation and recovery, "Flora and Fauna."

In 2005, the Canadian International School awarded us the "Golden Lamp 2005" prize for our work in defense of Costa Rican indigenous peoples, and in 2007 we were again awarded the Cultural Heritage prize by the Ford Motor Company.

At the Foundation for the Cultural and Social Development of Costa Rican Indigenous Ethnic Groups (FUNDEICO), we are concerned about the lack of a training center in San José for our young indigenous brothers and sisters and children at social risk. That is why we are working on a project to build a training center and shelter so that they can develop with our full support, especially for Indigenous students."

May be an image of one or more people, crowd and text

FUNDEICO supporting the communities at Christmas.

Wellspring Foundation for Education

In Rwanda, a country with a history of extreme violence and genocide, trauma becomes a part of the people's history and is passed on to subsequent generations. Intergenerational trauma is a big challenge. Wellspring Foundation is changing this, by empowering youth (Youth First Rwanda) with "evidence-based integrated social emotional learning, resilience, wellbeing and adolescent health program, improving mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing and educated-related outcomes for grade 7 students." They do this with weekly sessions where groups of 20 girls and boys learn together and support each other. Teachers guide students with games, experiential learning, case studies, drama, community projects and conversations to foster reflection and growth.

We reached out to Wellspring Foundation for some pictures to use as part of this post, and Michelle Rugema shared this picture with us.

This is Felix with his mom and sister. Felix is a 14 year old boy, who through the work of Wellspring Foundation is thriving at school. Michelle shared his story, and we wanted to share it with you. Felix lives in rural Rwanda, and lives with his single mom and siblings. Single mom's need the help of their children, and will ask them to stay home from school to help. Felix was asked to stay home with his baby sister, and knew that it could lead to him dropping out of school. Determined not to give up on his future, he secured his sister to his back and took her to school. He went straight to his head teacher and told her the situation, and got the support he needed. This is something that wouldn't have been possible without the help and support Wellspring provides to both the teachers and the students, in his school and many other schools in Rwanda.

Water First Training & Education Inc.

Water First is working with Indigenous communities across Canada to address local water challenges through education, training and meaningful collaboration.

Water First partners with Indigenous communities that have identified education and training as part of the solution to the water crisis. Programs support participants in developing technical skills to go on to employment or further education in water science fields. Water First programs also support Indigenous communities in strengthening local capacity to manage and protect water resources for generations to come.