CISA Exportadora – Corporate Social Responsibility

Education and Health Programs

The Beginnings - A Focus on Infrastructure:

In 1999, CISA Exportadora, with the support of roasters, inaugurated its Adopt a School Program. Central to the program was the decision to invest in the educational improvement within the coffee regions of . The first sponsored school, Modesto Armijo was an educational center located in the northern part of the country. Serving more than 600 students at the time, the school suffered from extreme infrastructural deficiencies, thus compelling CISA and its partners, namely Starbucks, to focus their attention on improving the school’s conditions for students and teachers alike.

Between 1999 and 2003, four more schools from coffee communities in and around were added to the Adopt a School program, all focusing on infrastructure projects. In particular, the Las Marias School project sponsored the construction of an entirely new school in a community where one had not existed prior to CISA’s involvement. Apart from Las Marias, the other three schools received support through the rebuilding of school centers and general maintenance projects.

It is important to note that each project was locally coordinated by CISA’s regional managers, thus guaranteeing direct contact with the communities served.

Expanding the Program, New Components:

Up to and including 2004 the program continued to grow in the number of schools and partners that supported this initiative. In the same year, five schools were integrated into the program and CISA Exportadora forged an important alliance with the local NGO American Nicaraguan Foundation (ANF). Also in 2004, the Adopt a School Program expanded to include more components in addition to infrastructure. The more comprehensive program included In kind donations such as food, school supplies and furniture, workshops for teachers and parents, and pedagogical support and counseling for teachers. By this time, Starbucks was joined by roasters such as F. Gaviña & Sons, Millstone and Prosol as partners in the program.

During the same year, CISA Exportadora opened its CSR division, including a supervising coordinator to oversee the program and the three facilitators implementing the program in the field. By this year, the program had also developed a very important alliance with the Ministry of Education, signing an agreement for the development of the Adopt a School Program throughout the coffee growing region of the country.

Partnerships continued to grow with the inclusion of Société Génerále in 2006, and the French bank quickly became one of the most active and committed partners of the program.

By 2007, fifteen schools were part of the program, benefiting more than 6000 students in coffee growing communities of Nicaragua. In many areas, more than 50% of children attending schools were covered through the Adopt a School Program.

From Philanthropy to Sustainability:

In 2009 the program experimented with several changes focused on developing local capacities in the sponsored educational centers. The Adopt a School Program continued to offer in kind donations; however, these donations were solely focused on school supplies and furniture for the schools.

At the same time, a new initiative emerged that sought to integrate technology in schools and serve as a catalyst for comprehensive educational innovation. With this initiative in 2009, the Digital Seeds Pilot was born in one of the Adopt a School Program’s fifteen schools in the coffee regions of , Jinotega, Nueva Segovia and Madriz. The Buenos Aires School, located outside of the city of Jinotega with an enrollment of 80 children from the surrounding communities, was selected as the first school to develop the Digital Seeds model. Working alongside educational facilitators within the Corporate Social Responsibility division of CISA Exportadora, the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education co-designed the methodology and implemented the pilot program between July 2009 and July 2010.

While the Digital Seeds program was growing, the Adopt a School program faced a challenging time when partners stopped their support due to the world economic crisis. Even so, CISA Exportadora persevered through these difficulties and continued their commitment to communities by supporting the Adopt a School program.

An innovative model for education in rural Nicaragua:

From 2009 through 2013, the Adopt School program has evolved into a more integral model focused on improving the quality of education through intensive teacher professional development, technology integration and strengthening community-school partnerships. Promoting innovations in teaching through the use of technology is one of the cornerstones of the multi-layered, holistic Digital Seeds model. The approach focuses on a diversity of interrelated areas to improve the overall quality of education for students, teachers and communities. Improving school infrastructure, promoting innovative teaching methodologies, improving reading and math skills, incorporating technology into schools and the lives of educators and learners and strengthening involvement from the community and parents all come together with stakeholder

participation to create conditions and opportunities for comprehensive educational improvement and innovation.

Building from these initial experiences, the methodology and philosophy of the Digital Seeds program was synthesized in a Methodology Manual written by the CSR Department at CISA Exportadora and the University of Pennsylvania. Currently, it is used as a guide and reference for the expansion of Digital Seeds in the other schools supported by CISA Exportadora.

From Seed to Sapling: The Growth of Digital Seeds

Today, Digital Seeds is fully implemented in six of the total 16 schools supported by the Adopt a School program. The goal is to integrate all of the Adopt a School program schools into the program in the years to follow. Concurrently, Digital Seeds has targeted coffee farm schools for implementation, with two coffee producers already involved in the program and there are plans to include three to four more coffee producers in the next few years.

The marriage of the Adopt a School and Digital Seeds programs has lead to a refinement of activities, a more focused attention on education, and a clear theory of impact. Consequently, the CSR Department has grown to eleven people to effectively manage the increasing size and scope of the program. Experienced educational practitioners and specialists from Nicaragua as well as educators and scholars from the University of Pennsylvania (PennGSE) work together to assure quality and effectiveness in the execution and expansion of the program

Nowadays the program receives support from partners such as Société Généralé, coffee producers, CISA Exportadora associates and other private companies such as Rekerdres. Alliances are extremely important for the success of the program and to make educational improvement possible for the people and communities of Nicaragua.

Impact of the Program:

For years CISA Exportadora has tracked information about school enrollment, retention and passing rates. Many of the schools have doubled the number of students enrolled in the centers and have maintained steady retention and passing rates above the national level for rural areas.

By the end of 2012, the schools reached 92% retention rate compared to the national average of 87% for rural areas and an 86% passing rate compared to 81%. At the same time, students of these schools have received national recognition and have won prestigious academic awards. Specifically, students have been awarded “Best Student of the country” and won first places in the national Olympics in reading and math.

The CISA Exportadora CSR department is now working on developing a more robust and concise Monitoring and Evaluation system to both monitor the implementation of the program, but also

to measure and evaluate the results and impacts of the program. The result is an agile, systematic structure that utilizes specific indicators to determine the level and quality to which teachers are implementing innovative technologies and how these strategies are impacting math and reading skills in students.

Schools supported in coffee regions of Nicaragua:

Location/Department Name of the School

Anexo Modesto Armijo L. San Juan Río Coco, Madríz

Ena Sánchez Quilalí, Nueva Segovia

Instituto Nacional de Quilalí Quilalí, Nueva Segovia

San José de la Luz Quilalí, Nueva Segovia

Las Colinas Yalí, Jinotega

Las Marías Mancotal, Jinotega

Santa Rita Jinotega

Buenos Aires Jinotega

Instituto Rubén Darío Yalí, Jinotega

José Dolores Estrada Dipilto, Nueva Segovia

San Martin San Fernando, Nueva Segovia

La Nicarao Las Banquias, Matagalpa

Abisinia Abisinia, Jinotega

Instituto Rosa Montoya El Cuá, Jinotega

Aguas Amarillas Guapotal, Matagalpa

Health Program: Operation Smile

Our first steps:

In 1995, Operation Smile Nicaragua (OSN) started its work in the country; providing cleft lip and palate free surgeries to children. The same year, CISA Exportadora began its support by giving annual monetary donations to help OSN with costs related to their local and international missions..

A more Integral Collaboration:

In 1998, CISA Exportadora decided to expand their support for OSN beyond monetary donations. CISA Exportadora found an opportunity to recruit cleft lip and palate cases in coffee growing communities, since the company was present in more than a hundred communities through its coffee buying centers. This was the first year that the company brought cases from coffee growing communities to the international mission of OSN. With CISA covering all transportation related expenses, 20 children from different coffee regions traveled for the first time to to be benefited by the OSN international mission..

From 1998 through 2003 CISA Exportadora continued to be an important partner of OSN by providing not just funds, but also building an important bridge between this organization and low- income families benefited by OSN. By the end of 2003, an important component was added to the program when CISA Exportadora associates began participating as volunteers.

More than a Philanthropic Program (2004-Today):

In 2004, CISA Exportadora strengthened their efforts in health by starting a communication campaign across the coffee regions where CISA Exportadora operated. This communication campaign focused on awareness and information throughout the company´s buying centers. As a result, all coffee producers had access to the services and opportunities related to OSN missions.

Besides putting information in the buying centers, the company developed a campaign with local media representatives. All local media helped spread information related to OSN missions and the opportunities for communities to receive cleft lip and palate surgeries. That year the number of cases recruited in coffee regions increased to 60 and in the following years the number of cases increased to more than 100. In total, more than 500 children from coffee growing areas had access to these life-changing procedures and overall health care by the end of 2012.

At the same time, more associates were integrated into the program, making participation in Operation Smile a central activity within the company culture. On average, 20% of associates participate each year in activities related to OSN by donating funds or volunteering. Even though the program started in Nicaragua, Mercon has partnered with Operation Smile in Honduras and Vietnam, countries where the group has offices.