Katerine Orozco’s story is about returning to coffee farms. Returning to her roots.
Katerine was born and raised in Popayán, Colombia by coffee farmers. Early on Katerine’s mother decided that she wanted Katerine to have a chance of a better life. School was the only way to make this possible. Through their hard work this dream became a reality not only for Katerine but also for her two brothers. All three attended university with one brother becoming an accountant and another becoming an engineer. Katerine initially studied to become a nurse, but when the opportunity to enroll in agricultural engineering occurred, she grabbed it. As a result Katerine has become an example of the second generation returning to the coffee farms to make their communities better.
Today, Katerine is the Food Security Program Coordinator for Nuevo Futuro in Colombia. She’s excited about the work. “Being able to give a small push so people can make changes on their own and with their families has been so gratifying,” Katerine said.
“You can see this with Doña Leida – a widowed mother of three girls who through the program has been able to sell cilantro she grows in her home garden. She is using this for her girls, so they can move forward. Before the Food 4 Farmers food security program, we were struggling. One cannot live only on coffee, so for Nuevo Futuro families this has been so important.”
Katerine Orozco
Katerine continues, “I’m interested in the social aspect of my work, to be able to contribute through my role as a community promoter.”
Every day, I see coffee farmers participating in the food security project teaching others something new. We all believe that we are going to be successful in growing and diversifying our farms. Thanks to Coffee Lovers like you we are able to invest in stories like Katerine’s. Thank you for making a difference with your daily cup of coffee.