Women's Reality in Congo's Coffeelands Is Dire

Since 2014, numerous farming communities in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s South Kivu region have partnered with OtG to create gender equity programs and expand the role of women in regional coffee production.

Women, despite being responsible for up to 80% of Congolese coffee farms labor, are undervalued, under-compensated and generally oppressed. Literacy and basic education opportunities are markedly lower for Congolese women. Few have an equal voice in basic household finances, and even fewer own property or comprise leadership roles in local governments or coffee cooperatives.

Gender-based violence, including sexual assault, is extremely prevalent; in many cases, it has been systematically employed as a weapon of war to destabilize communities. According to a 2011 study in The American Journal of Public Health, nearly 2 million women in the DRC had been raped, with women victimized at a rate of nearly one every minute.

This is why OtG has been working for years to change cultural norms through gender equity training, gender-based violence workshops and international coffee events. These educational and collaborative opportunities are reshaping the Congolese coffee sector into an inclusive industry which values the input, views, and accomplishments of all members equitably. OTG and our partners believe that sustainable coffee only starts where inequity ends.

More women need our help, please consider donating to our next round of gender equity training.