Sorwathe, Rwanda
The Rukeri black tea comes from Sorwathe, a renowned tea plantation covering over 700 acres. With 3,000 Rwandans employed in its factory and fields, it has earned awards worldwide for its ethical and sustainable business practices. Tirelessly advocating for workers’ rights, this Choice supplier was a pioneer in banning child labor and was the first private company in Rwanda to establish a collective bargaining agreement with its workers.
Just like Choice, Sorwathe has a strong commitment to doing good in its local community. In April 2018, Sorwathe began distributing servings of Aheza — a specially formulated breakfast porridge designed to support healthy child development — to children at local daycare centers and preschools. After only three months, there was a 67% drop in underweight malnutrition and the complete eradication of severe underweight malnutrition in the local daycare centers and preschools.
doing our part
In 2020, with support from Choice, Sorwathe purchased a year’s worth of Aheza porridge for an additional 200 children under the age of two. Now, in 2022, we are very excited to share that we’ve increased our commitment five times over, investing $25,000 annually to bring nutrition to 1,000 schoolchildren. We are committed to continuing this work for years to come to support the growth and development of children during their critical early years.