Microfinance in the field
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Oikocredit partner Ezoxs in Bulgaria (2): Organic milk and biogas
October 14, 2016 - by Helmut Berg - 0 comments
Last week I visited Oikocredit partner Ezoxs with four journalists. We not only got an impression of what the founders of the agricultural business had achieved (see part 1), but also the key role that Ezoxs plays in the community.
Tags: Agriculture
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Oikocredit partner Ezoxs in Bulgaria (1): “Mission accomplished”
October 14, 2016 - by Helmut Berg - 0 comments
Oikocredit’s support for the Ezoxs organic milk farm in Slavyanovo near Popovo in north-western Bulgaria has helped transform it from an agricultural business rejected by banks into a successful company. Local banks now come knocking at Ezoxs’ door, whereas just a couple of years ago they refused to even extend loans.
Tags: Agriculture
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Celebrating International Coffee Day by reducing price risks for coffee farmers
October 1, 2016 - by Frank Rubio - 2 comments
On 1 October, people across the globe will join together at various events to celebrate the 2nd annual International Coffee Day where they can indulge in delectable roasts from all regions.
Tags: Agriculture, Coffee
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Coffee: Is there an elephant in the room?
July 1, 2016 - by Frank Rubio - 0 comments
My colleagues and I have just returned from the annual World of Coffee event in Dublin organized by the Specialty Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE). The event hosted over 10,000 participants from all across the coffee value chain including traders, wholesalers, coffee machinery vendors, producers, government representatives, and others. Interestingly enough, Oikocredit was the only social lender present at this event.
Tags: Agriculture, climate change, Coffee
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Financial Co-op with Girl Power
May 23, 2016 - by Study Tour 2016 - 0 comments
Travelling in the Ecuadorian Andes. It is seven o’clock in the morning, and a heavy fog still covers the mountains. We are in a minibus on the way from Riobamba to San José de Chimbo, where we will be visiting the Cooperativa San José.
Tags: microfinance, Oikocredit on tour, Ecuador
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Searching for Coffee and Coyotes
May 15, 2016 - by Study Tour 2016 - 0 comments
Looking out the window of Our Princess (the name scrawled across the windscreen of our bus), I have a strange feeling. At these incredible heights, the mountains’ colours are drenched in bright light, and the space between earth and sky begins to dissolve into a sea of clouds. Extremely picturesque, but hardly the right environment for coyotes, one would assume.
Tags: Oikocredit on tour, Fair Trade, Ecuador
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Edgar gives dreams a home
May 14, 2016 - by Study Tour 2016 - 0 comments
After visiting the cocoa farmers, we made our way to our next stop. For six hours, late into the night, we drove into the Andes - climbing more than 3,000 meters and crossing several mountain passes.
Tags: microfinance, Oikocredit on tour, Ecuador
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A sweet aftertaste
May 13, 2016 - by Study Tour 2016 - 0 comments
The sun is directly above us as ‘‘Rain’ shoves an inquisitive nose in our direction. Rain is one of seven dogs that roam on Victor‘s small farm of 10 hectares between a forest of cocoa trees. As a member of a cooperative that sells its cocoa beans to UNOCACE, an organization supported by Oikocredit, Victor helps Germans satisfy their insatiable craving for chocolate.
Tags: Oikocredit on tour, Agriculture, Fair Trade, Ecuador
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Turning old into new: a visit to mechanic Eduardo
May 11, 2016 - by Study Tour 2016 - 0 comments
Our first visit of this year’s study tour took us to Eduardo, a mechanic living on the edge of the city of Guayaquil in the south of Ecuador. It is warm and a whiff of MOT lies in the air as Eduardo extends his oil-covered hand with a laugh.
Tags: microfinance, Oikocredit on tour, Ecuador
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The divestment dilemma
November 30, 2015 - by David Woods - 2 comments
Last year Oikocredit signed the 2014 Global Investor Statement on Climate Change as part of the UN’s climate summit in New York. This was just a small step to show that we’re serious about acting on climate change. Now, one year on, the UN’s climate conference, COP21, begins in Paris today. Since signing the statement, we’ve been doing more as an organization to combat the effects of climate change (although we must acknowledge that on a global scale Oikocredit’s influence is limited) and have been following what others are doing around the world as well.
Tags: Environment, climate change
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