The Starbucks Foundation Supports Communities Impacted by Floods in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda

May 25, 2023 • 2 min read

Updated June 16, 2023

In response to the recent floods and landslides in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, The Starbucks Foundation is providing disaster response grants to Eastern Congo Initiative (ECI) and Ripple Effect US.  

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the floods have caused significant loss of life and other devastation, particularly in Bushushu and Nyamukubi villages in South Kivu province. These villages are near many coffee-growing families, including farmers who are participating in Starbucks C.A.F.E. Practices program.  

The Starbucks Foundation’s support will help ECI provide for local communities with immediate needs, such as critical access to food, safe drinking water, power and temporary shelter. The Starbucks Foundation will stay in touch with ECI as well as other relief organizations as the extent of the tragedy and plans for recovery and rebuilding come together.  

In Rwanda, heavy rains led to landslides and flooding across multiple districts. With thousands of houses sustaining damage, many people are being housed in temporary shelters.  

The Starbucks Foundation’s grant will help Ripple Effect support families from coffee-growing communities in Nyamagabe District, Southern Province, with shelter support, food distribution and training to build household and community resilience. The training will help prepare and upskill households to mitigate the effects of climate-related disasters, train in environmental protection, and provide water tanks and energy-efficient cooking stoves.

Starbucks believes in contributing positively to communities, including by building resiliency in coffee growing communities around the world. We source coffee from Africa, the Asia-Pacific as well as Latin America and the Caribbean, and look to support coffee growing communities in the wake of disasters to help their recovery and ensure the future of coffee for all.  

ECI is accepting further donations for its relief support here.  

Learn more about Ripple Effect and how to empower farming families in rural Africa here.  

The Starbucks Foundation strengthens humanity by transforming lives across the world, with a focus on enabling community resiliency and prosperity and uplifting communities affected by disaster. Established in 1997, The Starbucks Foundation is a Section 501(c)(3) charitable organization under U.S. law.  

Eastern Congo Initiative (ECI) is a 501(c)(3) organization registered in the United States that was founded by Ben Affleck and Whitney Williams in 2010. Starbucks and ECI have been working together to support coffee-growing communities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since 2014.  

Ripple Effect (formerly Send a Cow) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that inspires and equips farmers in rural African communities to thrive and protect the planet. The Starbucks Foundation and Ripple Effect have ongoing projects in Rwanda and Ethiopia as part of The Starbucks Foundation’s goal to positively impact 1 million women in coffee, tea and cocoa-growing communities by 2030.  

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