Blog Archives - Women in the world of Coffee

Success in life does not come by talent or opportunity, but thanks to concentration and perseverance - by Rose Karimi Mugaa

8/28/2015

Claire on her farm with a beautiful harvest of coffee cherries

Claire participating in coffee training and development programmes

Alliance of Women in Coffee has played a key role in Claire's journey

In the heart of coffee growing region county of Murang'a (Kenya), there is a big beautiful coffee plantation. This farm is owned by a very strong determined woman who took up the farm after the death of her husband.

Mrs. Claire Dusabe Nsanzimana came to Kenya from Rwanda in 1995 with her father. She finished only a year in the university before dropping out. This is where she met her husband, who worked as a manager in a flower company in the Rift Valley part of Kenya.

In 2001 they migrated to Nairobi with their children. Here, in the capital city of Kenya, he was involved in an insurance business. Having been brought up on a coffee farm, he had a burning desire that led him to go back to what he was passionate about...coffee! Mr. Nsanzimana bought the Whitestone coffee estate which housed a large coffee plantation. He invested much in his coffee farm, but he was a happy farmer since the trees gave him good returns.

Claire’s aspiration was to become an international diplomat. Therefore, she joined the Catholic University of East Africa in 2003 in order to obtain her degree and later, in 2008, she pursued her Master’s degree in International Relations and Peace Studies.

In 2010, her husband became sick. His health deteriorated and he passed on in that same year.

Life for Claire was never the same again. She had no clue in which direction to turn. She had no job, a big farm with no idea where to actually begin.

The first big drop in production was experienced in 2011 by about 80%. This was a big blow for Claire, who was still mourning the death of her husband.

But wait a minute…she was not willing to give in to the situation that was pulling her down, to a moment that was crushing and tearing her apart.

Now, when I met Claire on June 16th 2015 she really inspired me by how patient she had been. She had to endure a tough transition from a pampered wife to a widow. She also had to endure the big financial fluctuations from their coffee farm and above all, coping in a foreign land among other tough moments.

The Coffee Management Services is a body that is involved in offering farm management services to the coffee industry and it has really supported her to transform the coffee trees which had declined in production.

Joining the Alliance of Women in Coffee (AWIC) Kenya Chapter has also played a key role in Claire's journey in the World of coffee through training and development programmes. Believe me, Claire today is a very successful woman, who is determined and very passionate to change things around her.

It has been said that what we were, what we have been, and what we intend to be, is shown more in endurance than any other virtue. She indeed remains a perfect example to the women around her. Her coffee trees have now begun to pick up in production again. This is expected to give even more returns this year compared to 2010....and all thanks to Claire's endurance and her strong personality!

Patience is not just about waiting for something…it’s about learning how to wait - by Raquel Santos Soares Menezes

8/21/2015

Raquel at her grandfather’s farm.

Raquel and her first boss, Dr. Maurício.

Raquel visiting a farm, when she was at the college.

When I was a child, I spent my weekends at my grandfather's farm and one day while we were out to tour the orchard, I looked at the avocados and I said to my aunt, "I want an avocado" and she replied, "But they are green." But I was not satisfied with the answer. I insisted, replying: "But I want them...". Obviously she did not give me green avocados, but she tried to explain to me that there is a time when they would be riper and they would be delicious to eat.

I grew up, I went to college and again my "impatience" could be noticed. My first boss in the company where I worked, Dr. Mauricio, used to ask me if I “was born ahead of time." He used to joke with me like that; such was my desire to make things happen fast, at the moment I wanted them to happen. Most of my life I have been such this girl: forward, quick, full of desire to be the "master of my time." Certainly, I suffered a lot because of that, but the best part was that I learned a lot too! How many things I did I learn from Dr. Mauricio and his white hair, especially to respect the wisdom of more experienced people!

Today I have the maturity to look at things around me and understand whether they are ripe or not, if they are ready or not, and what will be the best time for things to happen, even if this is not “when” I want it to happen.

In projects related to coffee that I've been working on, I have patiently observed my time, but also the time of others. Even as a woman, mother, professional involved in various activities, people sometimes ask me if I like to rush a lot. I learned to say, "No, this is just my rhythm." As I observe, I practice patience and let things happen at the right time, when they have to!

As a teacher, I notice that each student also has their pace. Some will find their way and develop in a few years, others may take a lifetime. What makes me go ahead and want to teach them is the maturity which is coming through the years, and showing me that everything and everyone has their own time!