Lecture Description
Rebuild Women’s Hope is a cooperative led by women coffee farmers located on the large, remote island of Idjwi in Lake Kivu in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Our mission is to produce specialty quality coffee whilst empowering women and raising the standard of living of our members.
For generations, farmers on Idjwi have largely depended on the coffee they grow. But before Rebuild Women’s Hope (RWH) was founded they had no way of processing their coffee to a high standard and nowhere to sell it apart from to smugglers, who took it across the lake to nearby Rwanda.
While women in Congo do much of the labor involved in growing and harvesting coffee on their family farms, traditionally it is their husbands who are in charge when it comes to selling the produce and making business decisions. The contribution of women is largely not recognized in society and women are widely seen as being incapable of dignified work that contributes to the needs of their families and communities.
At RWH, women are at the center of decision-making. We work to create a spirit of entrepreneurship and self-management among our women members in order to raise the standard of living in our communities. We believe that a community where women are empowered is a thriving community.
Learning Objective:
The first objective is to raise awareness of the role and contribution of women in the development of the coffee industry worldwide.
Second objective is how leaders in the coffee industry should contribute to fight against gender in the coffee industry for a sustainable development.
Date: Friday, June 27, 2025
Time: 2:00- 3:00 PM
Location: Lecture Room W
This lecture is free to attend with a World of Coffee entry badge. Register to attend World of Coffee Geneva here.
Lecturers / Presenters
KEIKINA BUDZA MARCELLINE (she/her)
PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF THE COOPERATIVE, REBUILD WOMEN'S HOPE
Marcelline Budza grew up in Bukavu on the south shore of Lake Kivu during one of the most violent periods in the history of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The youngest of four daughters, her father abandoned the family when she was three. Inspired by her mother’s bravery in raising her and her sisters and sending them to school using the money she earned from selling coffee and pineapples, Marcelline was motivated from a young age to do something to change the situation for women and girls in eastern DRC. After studying agronomy at the Evangelical University in Africa, Marcelline founded Rebuild Women’s Hope in 2013. Today, Marcelline is the president of the cooperative. Marceline Budza,
the founder of Rebuild Women’s Hope Cooperative, a Congolese agricultural cooperative set up in 2013 which uses the production and export of coffee as vehicle for women’s socio-economic development and empowerment. It is located on the island of Idjwi in South Kivu province, Eastern Congo. Marcelline's tireless pursuit of human rights for the women of Idjwi Island through Rebuild Women's Hope has been recognised by numerous prestigious international awards.