Learning Spaces for Rural Families

Coffee producer families who are members of Cooperativa de Servicios Múltiples Sol & Café LTDA in Cajamarca, Peru, invested their Fair Trade Community Development Funds to expand educational opportunities across the region. In 2025, the cooperative allocated about $100,990 USD directly to education projects. This amount represents 15% of their total Fair Trade Premium. Upgrading local education remains one of the cooperative's most important long term priorities. Working together through the general assembly, members voted to support a wide variety of school projects. These initiatives reached children from member families and many other students living in Jaén. The strategic investments funded school building upgrades, new classroom and library equipment, school gardens, and engaging extracurricular activities like music and dance classes. Interestingly, some school buildings built with Sol & Café's premium funds include sustainable bamboo grown directly by the cooperative members. This creative approach perfectly connects local agricultural production with meaningful community investment. The cooperative's educational projects continue to improve daily access to learning and upgrade the overall school environment. Alongside traditional subjects such as mathematics and English, students receive valuable computer training. This instruction helps them build highly practical digital skills from an early age. The project has also supplied libraries and classrooms with modern materials and technology that rural schools often lack. Sol & Café's Fair Trade fund investments directed to local schools, training programs, and youth activities have built a brighter future for children, their families, and the entire surrounding community.