And no, the title is not a spelling error. A caffiend, a term coined by yours truly, is a caffeine addict. I know there are some of you out there. We can start a support group when (if) I get (come) back.
Anyways...
Today I met Jason, an American working for SnakeBomb Coffee. While anti-fair trade, Jason has been working to build a supply chain with Lao coffee roasters and market his product in the US. Profits from the sale of coffee go to benefit UXO survivors, many of whom roast the coffee, and to purchase anti-venom for snake bites.
Little did I know that snake bites were that common in Laos. In fact, Snake bites are one of the most commonly neglected public health issues in rural communities in Southeast Asia according to the SnakeBomb website. Due to the lack of adequate medical facilities, it is estimated that 16,000 people, many farmers, die each year from snake bites that could have been prevented. Well, so much for doing that rural trek I had planned!
SnakeBomb seems like a very interesting organization with reasonable goals and a great tasting product. It's slowly making its way onto shelves in the US and can be purchased online. I hope you can take a couple minutes to click around their site and learn what how other organizations are trying to "disarm the facts" and "rise from the ashes" of UXO legacy in Laos.
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