From Costa counter to coffee growers for local manager
Aviemore's Costa Coffee manager Gul Kaleem was one of 12 lucky Costa team members chosen to visit and experience the work the Costa Foundation do to help support and educate coffee growing communities.
Gul (46) has worked for Costa Coffee for the past seven years and is a passionate fundraiser for the Costa Foundation which has helped raise over £65,000 for the charity in the last five years.
Handpicked out of thousands of Costa Coffee team members, he was recognised for the once in a lifetime opportunity to visit of the Costa Foundation’s nursery schools in the Dak Lak province of central Vietnam, meeting both children, parents of the children and teachers at schools that have been built by the Costa Foundation over the past five years.
The group also attended the opening ceremonies of some of the newest schools to be built by the Costa Foundation across Vietnam. The visits highlighted the difference that the charity is making to improve access to education for children across coffee growing regions.
Speaking about the trip, Gul said: “Visiting Vietnam and seeing the amazing work of the Costa Foundation and to meet the children was an incredible experience, as the Foundation makes a difference to the lives of boys and girls from a grassroots level. I feel truly privileged to have been chosen for this trip.
“Education is one of the greatest gifts you can give to someone, as it gives people hope and the opportunity to achieve great things in life. I am proud to support the Costa Foundation which is making a positive contribution to coffee growing communities globally and this visit has inspired me to fundraise even more!
"The Costa Foundation was established in 2007, with the aim of improving the life chances of children in coffee growing communities by helping them access a safe, quality education. In Vietnam, children need to be able to speak Kinh, Vietnam’s national language, to access primary education. The Costa Foundation funds nursery schools in these remote areas to ensure children can learn Kinh from an early age and benefit from full schooling.
Over the last 16 years The Costa Foundation has supported twenty-four nursery schools in Vietnam to date, with a 100% record of accomplishment of children leaving with the ability to speak Kinh.
In 2022 alone, they completed five new schools and ten schools' expansions, with six new schools under construction across the world’s coffee growing regions. Additionally,
two new programmes of work also started in Zambia and Ethiopia. For 2023, seven new schools are planned to be completed across Ethiopia, Colombia, and Peru, whilst adding extra facilities and expanding six schools across Uganda, Zambia, and Ethiopia.
John English, Community Manager at Costa Coffee, who also took part in the special visit said:
“The Costa Foundation exists to help provide a safe and quality education for children in coffee growing communities. An amazing total of £1.2 million was raised for the charity in 2022, which was made up of a combination of corporate donations, donations from product sales, and in-store fundraising activities.
“We are honoured to have been able to acknowledge the achievements and hard work of our twelve Costa Coffee’s team members by taking them on an unforgettable trip to Vietnam, where they first-hand saw the difference that them, their stores and their communities are making.”
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