
Launched by Colombian photographer Lucia Bawot, the daring program seeks to bolster the psychological and emotional well-being of ladies at origin.
BY VASILEIA FANARIOTI
SENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT
Photographs courtesy of Lucia Bawot
Within the coronary heart of Colombia’s coffee-growing areas, a quiet however highly effective motion is reshaping the dialog round sustainability in espresso. It’s not about new tools or climate-resilient varietals, however one thing much more human: emotional well-being.
Meet SANA, a pioneering psychological well being initiative based by Colombian photographer and storyteller Lucia Bawot, and championed throughout borders by Diana Ayala Gómez of Worldwide Ladies’s Espresso Alliance (IWCA) Spain. Designed particularly for ladies in espresso farming communities, SANA addresses one of many trade’s most uncared for points: the emotional toll of life and labor within the espresso provide chain.
A Legacy Past the Lens
Lucia’s path to founding SANA started behind the digital camera. For over a decade, she traveled throughout Latin America, documenting sustainability tales for main espresso firms. But it surely was in the course of the creation of her debut ebook, “We Belong: An Anthology of Colombian Ladies Espresso Farmers,” that one thing shifted.
The ebook—now award-winning and internationally exhibited—options portraits and vignettes from 25 girls espresso producers. However as Lucia performed interviews, she seen the conversations going deeper than anticipated. “What started as interviews usually became emotional releases,” she says. “These girls wanted greater than visibility—they wanted areas to heal.”

Moved by these encounters and her personal experiences with psychological well being, Lucia launched a pilot program in 2023 referred to as Beans to Minds. Funded largely by proceeds from her ebook, the five-month program offered digital remedy, schooling, and neighborhood assist to 39 girls in Colombia. The outcomes have been hanging: 100% of individuals mentioned they felt heard, supported, and guided; 92% reported resolving private or household challenges.
Constructing on that success, Lucia formally launched SANA—a scalable, integrative wellness initiative that she hopes will attain 1000’s. “Psychological well being is on the coronary heart of gender fairness,” Lucia says, “and it have to be a part of the sustainability agenda for each espresso firm.”

Contained in the SANA Mannequin
SANA is structured round a culturally acutely aware five-month curriculum that features teletherapy periods, audio-visual schooling delivered through WhatsApp, and one in-person group workshop. With a most of 40 individuals per cohort, this system is deliberately intimate and responsive.
For a lot of individuals, SANA marks their first expertise with any type of psychological well being assist. Moderately than medical language, this system emphasizes emotional resilience, self-awareness, and company.

“We don’t discuss diagnoses,” Lucia explains. “We discuss strengthening emotional capability. We’re creating areas the place girls can reconnect with themselves—and one another.”
The choice to ship assist just about was each logistical and philosophical. Psychological well being assets are scarce in rural Colombia, and stigma usually prevents girls from in search of assist. By providing companies remotely and privately, SANA lowers the limitations to entry and respects the rhythms of the ladies’s each day lives.
“We’ve discovered that remedy by telephone or video truly makes it simpler for a lot of girls to open up,” Lucia says. “They will do it in their very own house, on their very own phrases.”

Breaking the Silence, Collectively
For Diana Ayala Gómez, co-founder of IWCA Spain, Lucia’s imaginative and prescient struck a deeply private chord. “After I heard the voices of the ladies in (Lucia’s ebook) ‘We Belong,’ I felt seen,” Diana remembers. “It jogged my memory how hardly ever we discuss concerning the emotional realities of girls in espresso.”
With over a decade of expertise throughout the worth chain, Diana has witnessed firsthand how emotional labor usually goes unrecognized—particularly in roles historically occupied by girls. A latest MBA program deepened her understanding of the systemic nature of gender inequities and emotional isolation within the espresso sector.
By way of IWCA Spain, Diana helped amplify SANA’s message, connecting it to broader worldwide conversations. “This isn’t simply Lucia’s undertaking—it’s changing into a shared mission,” she says. “We’re creating bridges between producing communities and the worldwide espresso world.”
And the resonance is rising. IWCA chapters in Greece and past have voiced robust assist, and a multilingual webinar is underway to convey the dialog to a wider viewers. “Psychological well being isn’t a luxurious,” Diana provides. “It’s a necessity for resilience, dignity, and sustainability.”

The Tales Behind the Numbers
SANA’s impression is greatest understood by the voices of the ladies themselves. One participant describes how remedy helped her launch repressed unhappiness and reconnect together with her household. One other shares how unprocessed stress was affecting her bodily well being. “These periods got here on the good time,” she explains. “They have been actually therapeutic.”
The ladies assist one another by devoted WhatsApp teams, forming micro-communities of belief and solidarity. For a lot of, the expertise is transformative not simply personally, however socially. They emerge not simply as more healthy people—however as leaders inside their households and communities.
What’s Subsequent
In 2025, SANA goals to enroll 120 girls in Colombia and develop to different Latin American nations within the years forward. The group can also be exploring tailor-made psychological well being assist packages for male producers. “Our imaginative and prescient is that psychological and emotional well-being turn into simply as important as bodily well being and financial stability—that they turn into a part of how we measure sustainability in espresso,” Lucia says.

And for these trying to become involved, the invitation is obvious. A one-time donation of $25 can sponsor a lady’s full participation in this system. Organizations can sponsor total cohorts and obtain detailed impression experiences.
“It’s greater than seemingly the espresso you drank right this moment was touched by the fingers of a lady,” Lucia says. “Supporting her well-being shouldn’t be charity—it’s justice.” To study extra or donate, go to SANA’s web site.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vasileia Fanarioti (she/her) is a senior on-line correspondent for Barista Journal and a contract copywriter and editor with a major deal with the espresso area of interest. She has additionally been a volunteer copywriter for the I’M NOT A BARISTA NPO, offering content material to assist educate folks about baristas and their work.
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