Providing safe spaces for children

Alianza de Sueños (Dream Alliance) is a project operated with Nespresso’s AAA farms during the coffee harvest season in Costa Rica. It seeks to provide a safe space for the children of seasonal coffee pickers to avoid child labour.

The first Casa de Alegria (House of Joy) opened in December 2022, with 30 children, along with a teacher, an assistant and a cook. The space was built out of a container and features open spaces that support the development of skills, values, physical activity and fun.

It is also a socially, economically and environmentally sustainable project that meets different objectives to improve the living conditions of the children, such as providing access to high-quality education. A qualified teacher leads daily activities and learning, and children have access to nutritious food, water and rest areas. Health and wellness are catered for by a visiting company doctor. As well as benefiting the children, the project has provided employment for 12 people from the local area.

Following the project’s success, other producers joined the scheme in 2023 and there are now three casas in operation in Costa Rica, supporting 120 children and their families, with similar schemes in Nicaragua and Guatemala.