Juliet, a 30-year old single mother, used to be a trader with the local council but got into coffee farming 6 years ago when she thought she could turn a profit from working her land.

With 4 children to educate she needed the money. Besides coffee, she farms bananas, cassava and potatoes and keeps goats. Juliet gets up before the sun and prepares breakfast for the family and casual labourers before working in the fields where she works all day until well after dark.

The coffee she doesn’t sell is kept and she roasts it and grinds it herself for drinking on cold nights. Juliet learned early that with proper management she gets a quick yield from her crop.

Her homestead shows the signs of her work – it is impeccably clean and organised. Her dedication and hard work are paying off – she is now able to pay school fees for the children and is in the process of building a new house for her family.