Café para La Lucha, or “coffee for the struggle,” is an emerging project to connect our coffee growing partners in southern Colombia with friends and colleagues in Gaza. And while it is easy to assume that little connects the mountains of Cauca with the beaches in Gaza, both communities share an intimate familiarity with ongoing adversity. So when renewed hostilities tightened the siege in Gaza, once again preventing most basic essentials, our team in Colombia understood the pain and wanted to help in what little ways we could. Coffee admittedly will not solve all of the problems facing Gaza, but our initial hope is that it might “warm hearts and sharpen wits” as our friends confront their many challenges.
Since December 2023 we’ve managed to deliver — with the help of many anonymous friends in multiple countries — our coffee into Gaza. This first included Shifa Hospital in Gaza City and Mawasi in the south, and later expanded to any locations we could access. And while supporting those in Gaza remains our priority, we have also shipped coffee to 32 other countries hosting displaced Gazans (who are also hurting these days). It is our hope that we can continue to provide both coffee and solidarity to those in need until this conflict is resolved.
Beyond the limited benefit of connecting those who grow coffee with those who need it, our larger secondary aspiration will be to catalyze dialogue and share experiences between communities that, while very different, similarly appreciate the challenges of living amidst conflict. Further updates will be provided here.
For more information, please contact Patrick:
patrick@voicesfromthevoid.org
WhatsApp: +44 777 832 0972
