“Today I stood on the balcony of our building watching a room full of children learning English and Maths for the first time in over 17 months. What made this even better was at the same time, on the storey below us, many of their mothers were learning English and Bangla.
It was pure gold.
Multiple generations learning together and battling for a better tomorrow. Mums modelling the value of education and learning to their children. Children doing more advanced problems than their mums (their futures will be better). It was inspiring and I could taste the hope in the room!”
Hearing stories like this from Freeset’s acting CEO, Ants, is the reason that we feel privileged to support their work. For over 20 years, Freeset* has stood alongside vulnerable communities in West Bengal.
Having choice and opportunity is the greatest hope for sparking community renewal and building community resilience. Freeset has been part of this by offering meaningful employment as well as support services like education, counselling, healthcare and advocacy. These services, along with the business, are looking to expand as Freeset makes the change to Joyya in the coming months.
The beauty of these neighbourhoods isn’t always obvious to everyone at first sight. Beneath the surface there is a vibrant, friendly and welcoming community. People look after each other, share houses and food, and celebrate whenever they can.
Like any place, the communities Freeset serves have their share of issues. Poverty has taken its toll and some of the issues facing these communities are pretty tough and the resources required are hard to come by. Even though people are committed to working towards a future they want, a bit of a helping hand every now and then is appreciated.
Typically these communities are marked by poverty, with poor education and healthcare outcomes. These factors also make these communities most vulnerable to modern day slavery, child marriage, and other abuses.
One of the reasons that we love Freeset’s work is that it takes a holistic approach, caring about the wellbeing of each individual and their whānau so that they are less likely to be taken advantage of by others.
When a group of us started Common Good Coffee, each of us already worked on a profit-for-purpose model, but we saw an opportunity to take that nek level. We all shared a common connection with Freeset.
Over the years, we had separately connected with the team at Freeset and seen first-hand the epic work that they do. Many of our team had met the women and men who work there and the welcoming and vibrant neighbourhoods where they live. And each of us was deeply impacted from seeing the mahi that Freeset has been committed to long-term, on the ground, with their community.
Common Good Coffee partners in the work that Freeset is doing on the ground by contributing financially. We don’t tell Freeset where the money should go because we aren’t in a position to know where it’s needed most. We also choose to source our reusable bags and where possible, our apparel from them.
We do this, because we can see the tangible difference that our contribution can make in the lives of others through the work of Freeset. We are stoked to play our part in this and are looking forward to the future with Joyya when it launches on September 17th! We’ll keep you updated!
**On Sept 17th, Freeset, Liminal (NZ/AUS Freeset distributors), and Freeset USA are finishing and coming together to form Joyya. We’ll be talking more about Joyya soon!
// all images used with permission
