ICWA (International Coffee Woman Alliance ).
Of the world's estimated 1 billion poor, 70% are women. Women own less than 1% of the world's titled land. The World Bank estimates that more than 500 MILLION PEOPLE throughout the world are dependent on coffee FOR THEIR LIVELIHOODS, and of that number, 25 million are coffee farmers. Unfortunately, coffee farmers typically live and work in substandard conditions, which are compounded by the fact that they receive only a small percentage of the actual price for which the coffee is sold to the consumer. Women, who represent a good majority of coffee farmers, face additional challenges.
Aside from the day-to-day struggles women coffee farmers face in order to maintain a respectable standard of living, they also struggle with THE GENDER INEQUALITY prevalent throughout the world's coffee growing regions.
Frequently suffering from abuse, neglect and poverty, women are unable to gain economic, social or political power in their family's coffee business, or in their communities.
The International Women's Coffee Alliance (IWCA) is been established in Ethiopia and strives to create a difference in the world of coffee regarding woman . to encourage and recognize the participation of women in all aspects of the coffee industry.