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Building Homes for Coffee Workers in Honduras and Colombia

In many countries, coffee workers are laboring in difficult conditions for very low wages, with work and pay oftentimes only available in season, leaving them struggling to provide for their families. As we meet these desperate, hard-working families, we learn about their stories and dreams. It is this personal knowledge of each family that motivates us to work hard on their behalf.

The coffee industry in Honduras and Colombia is a very unique culture within itself. While there are other countries that surpass Honduras and Colombia in production, they accomplish this with machines, able to do so because the terrain allows. In the mountainous coffee regions of Honduras and Colombia, the beans continue to be picked by hand. Many coffee workers today come from a family that have worked harvesting and producing coffee for generations. These finca owners and workers form a very tight-knit community resembling a family more often than just a business. When building homes, we take a very local approach by partnering with farm owners and processors who know the needs of their workers. This assures us of a successful outcome. Together, we oversee a personal and caring process of building the home, and making sure the work is done properly and cost effectively. Our experienced Honduran and Colombian staff oversee the entire process.

















DwellingsNow partners with coffee shops, roasters, and others in the coffee industry to build homes for those who produce the coffee we enjoy. If you are an individual, a small business owner, or a large corporation, we are interested in partnering with you to invest in a bright future for coffee by providing a quality home for coffee workers one home or a hundred homes at a time. We would love to connect with you and discover what we can accomplish together! 

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Keys to Success

1. Building relationships with finca and company owners who care about their employees.

2. Connecting compassionate and generous donors.

3. DwellingsNow connecting #1 & #2 and facilitating a great build experience for everyone.

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With low wages, long hours and difficult conditions coffee workers struggle to provide adequate housing for their families.

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A location and culturally appropriate home is built using locally sourced materials and labor coordinated by a Dwellings representative and a finca owner, cooperative representative or other responsible individual.

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Tom Hackett meets with finca owner Montgomery Melghem in Marcala, Honduras to talk through the details of a house build.

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The Melghem family (Finca San Pablo, Marcala Honduras) and Dwellings Director Tom Hackett team up to provide a home for Naty and her family.

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