#IamCuso Volunteer of the Week: Sharleen and Gerry Moodie
Story
Name: Sharleen and Gerry Moodie
Placement country: Honduras
“I am Cuso because Cuso understands the value of utilizing the skills and experience of retired business professionals in the developing world.”
Sharleen and Gerry Moodie were among our top fundraisers in 2018-19, having raised over $5,000. This is their third volunteer placement with Cuso International.
Q- What is your mission in Honduras?
A- “When working for the SOCODEVI CAHOVA project in Honduras, our objective has been to strengthen the economic sustainability of various value chains. We are currently working in coffee with the goal of increasing the income of coffee producers by selling their coffees direct to Canadian and American roasters. We organized two coffee competitions, one in El Paraíso and one in Santa Barbara where 142 producers participated. We invited Canadian and American roasters to be judges. The present roasters also provided seminars to the producers and their cooperatives on the trends and needs of the North American coffee market.”
Q- What has been the most rewarding part of your journey?
A- “We have experienced lives being literally transformed through the efforts of Cuso volunteers. We are very proud to see our roasters helping to improve the standard of living of our coffee producers. Our roasters understand that the current market is not sustainable with an average producer spending $1.30 to grow a pound of coffee that they can only sell for $1.00 on the commodities market. Our roasters pay a fair price for the coffee they buy.”
Q- What is your favourite part about being a Cuso International volunteer?
A- “We enjoy the constant challenge of having to learn and adapt to new environments while applying the skills and knowledge we offer.”
Read more about Sharleen and Gerry
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