This is the first of Brothers Coffee’s “Farmer Focus” series. We hope to help educate our fans and subscribers on the issues facing the coffee industry by telling stories from farmers perspectives. Love the idea? Let us know on social media or by shooting us an email at contact@brotherscoffee.co.

Those of you who received coffee from the Democratic Republic of Congo last month helped support On the Ground Global’s efforts in the Congo, specifically their program called GALS.

GALS (Gender Action Learning System) is a community-led empowerment methodology using specific participatory processes and diagram tools which aims to give women as well as men more control over their lives as the basis for individual, household, community and organizational development. GALS is not only a ‘methodology for women,’ but a mainstreaming methodology for women and men to address gender issues important to the effectiveness of any development, including coffee production.

Since 2014, numerous farming communities in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s South Kivu region have worked with On the Ground to create gender equity programs and expand the role of women in regional coffee production. Though their growing ties to conscious companies in the specialty coffee industry, On The Ground has helped fund GALS training in numerous Congolese communities. Though accurate data from the DRC is difficult to collect, it is commonly held that despite being responsible for up to 80% of the country’s coffee farm labor, many women never see a single Congolese franc for their efforts.

A GALS exit interview with coffee farmer Noella Nabushanja.

What was your life like before the GALS? 

I spend the long part of my life before GALS, under the discrimination culture that doesn’t consider a woman as a human but as an object for men. In the Bahavu culture, a woman doesn’t have the right of expressing freely, no right to the decision making, no right to eat some foods as eggs that are for men only. The only right I had was to give birth and take care of my husband as a baby also to take care of the children. The revenue from coffee was for the man especially for beer drinking and for taking other wives and the spouse didn’t have the right of asking a question. For me before GALS life was like the hell. Until now some people are living like that. Most of my children didn’t go to school, and we couldn’t save any money.

What is your life like now? How has it changed? 

The two years of GALS are more benefit for than the 48 before GALS. I am very very happy with my current life now. I am able to save some money even little; I can make a decision or suggest an idea that can be taken into consideration. I have got the human dignity that I lost without knowing for years. I can now eat what I want and what I need if I have the possibility of buying. Life is good now. We are living in peace in our household.

What are your goals? 

Our goals are to build nice house with iron sheets, to buy another farm/piece of land, also to make sure the GALS methodology are in practice in our daily activities and life.

What does it feel like to help educate other families? 

It is a pleasure for me to stand up and talk in front of other people; I didn’t do this the 48 years ago. I will be happy if they change their lives.

What would you make different about the GALS training? 

We want more programs for women empowerment, about family planning, about income generating activities, about our rights, GALS has to get more budget as there are so many people in need of this program.