Thank you for your prayers, encouragement and attention during these past days as we have been reeling from the devastating landslides in Bukalasi, Bududa district (Uganda) which have caused tremendous destruction and claimed many lives.  As we have already reported, the Endiro family lost 12 souls in the disaster as all of the Ugandan coffee you enjoy at Endiro is grown in the district.  We continue to grieve the deaths of our friends even as we plan a way forward.

As of today, 18 October 2018, we have received complete reports from our lead farmers and our Head of Coffee and are launching immediate relief efforts to support those affected.  We are grateful for the work of the Ugandan government and various NGOs who have quickly mobilized to support the people of Bududa.  We seek to compliment these great efforts with our own response.  For our part, we have called upon our friends at the Ugandan Cricket Association and Ultimate Cycling Uganda and have joined forces with the leaders of the #WeAreBududa social media movement to collect much needed goods such as blankets, food, and tools at our various Ugandan cafes.  That effort is well underway and will be a tremendous help to those in need (See below to contribute).

As for those of you who are our friends and customers in the United States or elsewhere outside of Uganda, we are focusing on responding to the needs which are foremost in the minds of our coffee farming families.  This crisis has resulted in a significant delay in coffee harvesting and the concern now is that crops may be lost (and with them much needed income for our farmers) if we are not able to move quickly and efficiently.  We are listening to our farmers who are asking that any fundraising we do on their behalf be focused on helping them to bring in their best coffee harvest ever.  There is great wisdom in this because ultimately it is the harvest which has helped so many in Bukalasi begin to escape the shackles of extreme poverty and it will be the harvest which most helps them to recover and rebuild in the wake of this tragedy.  

With that in mind, we have set a fundraising goal of $10,000 (U.S. Dollars) which we wish to raise as quickly as possible.  Half of this amount will be used to purchase equipment for the farmers such as coffee pulpers, coffee drying beds, coffee flotation buckets, solar panels and more. The other half will be used to offset the cost of hiring casual laborers who will help to bring in the harvest quickly. Even before finishing this statement, I am grateful to say that $525.00 has come in which leaves us with only $9,475 to raise.

How can you give?

1. If you are in Uganda, bring items listed in the graphic below to our Ugandan cafe locations in Kololo (Kisimenti near Acacia Mall), Muyenga (in Tank Hill Park), and Mbale (on Republic Street). 

2.      Come by Endiro Coffee in downtown Aurora, Illinois (29 W New York Street) during our regular hours to make a donation of any amount in cash or by check. Donations will be received by our US-based 501c3 partner, Borderless, and will be fully tax-deductible.   

3.      Donate any amount with a credit card online athttp://giving.weareborderless.com/bukalasi-landslide-relief.html.  This too will be fully tax-deductible.  

Again, we are trying to move as quickly as possible on this, so I encourage you to give today.  We will be continuing to release reports on the deployment of goods and funds as we go, so please stay tuned to our social media channels on Twitter (@endirocoffee), Facebook (@endirocoffee and @endiroaurora) and Instagram (@endirocoffee) for the latest updates as well as here on our website/blog.  Thank you for standing with us and for brewing all the good you can.