Grounds for Health to Receive $18K Grant from JavaJog 2015

Earlier this year on a brisk morning in April, over 200 women and men laced up their shoes to run the third annual JavaJog for a Cause, which combines fun, fitness and philanthropy to raise money and awareness for women in the coffee industry. The cause this year was women in Ethiopia and Grounds for Health was one of the non-profits hoping for JavaJog proceeds to help fund important program work in coffee communities. Just last week we received the good news that Grounds for Health had been awarded $18K to save women’s lives in the Sidama Zone!

The funds from JavaJog will specifically reach women from the Telamo Coffee Cooperative in the Shebedino District. In the short term, the activities associated with this award will result in 1,200 women (nearly 58% of the target population) receiving cervical cancer screening services. It’s expected that at least 120 of the women screened will require same-day pre-cancer treatment which will be provided by the Grounds for Health team. Cervical cancer is a leading cause of death among women of reproductive age in Ethiopia.

[Grounds for Health] is definitely a project that the hundreds of people who came out for JavaJog 2015 can feel proud to support. We really look forward to the funds getting on the ground and making a difference in so many women’s lives. Your work is very inspiring to us and the wider coffee community!
— Aimee Russillo, JavaJog co-founder

The generous award from JavaJog signals the growing momentum behind Grounds for Health’s Ethiopia program. Earlier this year the team successfully raised $203K through a fundraising campaign matched by the U.S. Government’s PEPFAR program. Since Grounds for Health’s Ethiopia program began in November 2014, key performance indicators include 1,937 women screened, 318 treated for cervical pre-cancer and 92 community health providers trained.

This level of impact is the result of a driven group of staff—stateside and in Ethiopia—and motivated partners on the ground in the Southern Nation, Nationalities and People’s Region (SNNPR) of Ethiopia.

Grounds for Health would like to thank JavaJog, SCAA and the generosity of the coffee industry for making this important work possible. With this ongoing support and commitment, we are on the road to great things in Ethiopia.