Colombian News, June 4th 2008

Recently the CIT, “Corporacion Indigena Tayrona”, organization member of the arahuacan community was linked to the program MIDAS, which is a plan for developing financed by the America agency USAID, the main idea is to promote the economic growing of this community by the donation of about 50% of the cost on activities, consultancy and managerial accompaniment.

Thanks to the contribution of USAID/MIDAS, the CIT has now 53% of the cost on its technical assistance, which can be used for the production of Tiwun coffee, and in the same way for projects related to consultancy, innovation, finances, marketing, production, technological processes, human resources, access to markets, managerial accompaniment; this way the coffee production of the arahuacan community will get stronger while generate economic benefits for the future of this community.

With the cooperation of USAID/MIDAS “Mas Inversión para el Desarrollo Alternativo Sostenible”, the arahuacs are part of the project: Technical offer for the establishment of a planning system and certification of the coffee production in the “Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta”, by this “825 coffee farmers will take direct advantage of this economic activity”, Wilber Mestre said, representant of the CIT. Throw the alliance between CIT and MIDAS, this community will implement their planning system also technical assistant and training that will strengthen their accounting, administrative, juridical aspects, while offering training in organic agriculture and photography, giving them the chance to plunge their management and control on all the topics that their community live implies. In the same way a website and a software are been developed for the final consumer that will allow them to follow the production cycle of the Tiwun coffee.