IWCA Celebrates 10 Years in Africa
Recording of the celebration webinar is available here.
Ten years ago, IWCA Global Leaders embarked on an exploratory tour of five countries in East Africa to engage with women in this diverse coffee growing region of the continent. Fast forward to present day, there are now locally-driven IWCA chapters across seven countries in East Africa including Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda, and Tanzania, with an eighth country, Kenya, in the process of forming an IWCA Chapter.
To mark this momentous occasion, the IWCA Global Organization is hosting a virtual celebration on Oct 30th, 6 PM East Africa time, moderated by Mbula Musau, the IWCA Regional Facilitator for Africa and Blanca Castro, IWCA Chapter Relations Manager. The event will feature leaders from all eight countries who will offer reflections and insights from the past ten years.
Photo Credit: Phyllis Johnson
Meet the Speakers:
Joselyne Nineza, IWCA Burundi: Joselyne is an agronomist, currently taking care of the statistics service of the the development department of ODECA, Office de Développement du Café. She has been in the coffee sector since 2008, and serving as IWCA Burundi Chapter president since 2017.
Patricia Tomaino Ndam Njoya, IWCA Cameroon: Patricia is the Executive Director COOPAGRO Cooperative, the Gender Committee President of the African and Malagasy Robusta Coffee Agency (ACRAM), Board President of AFECC, and the Mayor of Foumban.
Julie Kavira Kamungele, IWCA Democratic Republic of Congo: Julie is the Deputy Export Director of Ets. TSONGO KASEREKA, a family owned and run Green Coffee and Cocoa Beans, in the North Kivu Province. She is the National Representative of IFCCA (Initiative des Femmes dans le Café Cacao). Mrs. Kamungele holds a degree in accounting from the “Ecole Professionnelle des Hautes Etudes Commerciales (EPHEC)” in Brussels, Belgium.
Meseret Desta, IWCA Ethiopia (Ethiopian Women in Coffee, EWiC): Meseret has a bachelor of degree in law and an MBA in international business. She knows coffee from farm to cup, including as shareholder and CEO of Green bean agro-processing PLC, Godere Coffee, and as owner and general manager of Afro-Flavor Café.
Claudine Kalila Kantengwa, IWCA Rwanda: Claudine is the Managing Director of Teuscher Invest Ltd a Coffee Company with the brand name Kivubelt Coffee where she coordinates all activities of the company from farming and processing to export. She began working in the coffee sector in 2014 as accountant, and finance manager in 2015, before taking on the role of Managing Director.
Bahati Mlwilo, IWCA Tanzania (Tanzania Women in Coffee, TAWOCA): Bahati has a Master Degree in Coffee Economics and Science in the city of Trieste Italy, and an MBA master majoring in Agribusiness. She has previously held roles with ECOM Trading and Volcafe, and is proud to be one of the founding members of TAWOCA.
Dorreen Rweihangwe, IWCA Uganda: Doreen holds a Master of Business degree from Uganda Martyrs University, Nkozi and a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences. She is licensed Q- Robusta and Arabica grader and assistant Q-Arabica Instructor. She is a Taste of Harvest Ambassador for Uganda. She has over 25 years of experience in coffee quality analysis and training in post-harvest handling.
IWCA Chapter in Formation, Kenya:
Dr. Cecilia Kathurima is a research scientist and a certified Q Grader. She has worked for Coffee Research Institute for over 20 years building stakeholders capacity in coffee quality management.
Eva Muthuuri is a child of coffee, born into a family of coffee growers running to 3 generations. She is the first to go into value addition and trading.
Njoki Ndikwe is a coffee producer and exporter. She holds several positions including chairing the Nairobi Coffee Exchange and as representative to the AFCA Kenya Chapter.
Interested in IWCA Chapter Accomplishments?
Visit the IWCA Case Study library for examples of community impact and economic empowerment.
Check out the IWCA You Tube channel for mini- documentaries & interviews.
Connect directly with IWCA Chapters leaders representing any of the 26 countries in our network on the IWCA Chapter List page.
New to IWCA? Learn about our locally-driven, globally-connected approach here.
“Ten years ago, we were certain of the value in empowering women, the return on investment wasn’t a hope or dream. We all knew that providing an opportunity to women would mean better economies, better lives for children and families, better coffees. Our challenge was gaining support in this movement so that actions would move us forward. I’m so happy to see all the action after 10 years. It’s not easy. Real change is never easy. We have progressed, and we will continue. Congratulations on 10 years of pressing forward, IWCA Africa Chapters.”
“When I first heard of the IWCA 10 years ago, I had travelled to Orosi, Costa Rica to attend the first ever IWCA conference, to get to know what other women in coffee around the world were doing. Together with IWCA global founders and ITC , we were able to make a case for the establishment of Women in Coffee chapters in Africa. African women were no longer going to be “left behind” in a sector as global reaching as coffee. The resulting empowerment from recognizing, acknowledging, rewarding, celebrating and belonging- was what IWCA inspired and promised. It was and still is, up to us to make and sustain something good out of these foundations. 10 years, 8 chapters, and countless ups and downs later, we stay true. Congratulations to all of us. To many more decades!”