20 21 2020-2021 KARMA FOUNDATION IMPACT REPORT
CALL IT KARMA We’re a small company on a big mission — to make soda that’s good for your soul. The world drinks 1 million colas a minute, but none of the money goes back to the people who originally discovered the magical stuff. So we made a drink to fix that. We wanted to create something that would connect consumers with farmers, in a way that respected everyone and everything involved. So back in 2010, we made our first bottles of Karma Cola using a bag of cola nuts sent to us by our friends in Boma, a small village in the rainforest of Sierra Leone, and Karma Drinks was born.
1% of revenue from each of our organic and Fairtrade fizzies goes to The Karma Foundation - which holds us to our promise to be the world’s most ethical soft drink. With the guiding force of The Karma Foundation, we’re able to deliver trade, not aid, and work alongside the people that grow our ingredients to drive economic independence and protect the only planet we have. With your help we can continue to do more good. Call it Karma.
We’re here for far more than pure profit at the expense of our home planet. These are the values that guide us as we build a business based on doing good.
HUMANITY, We strive to create a world where we all can thrive. We’re kind. We fight for fairness; for farmers, for the people that drink our drinks and the people that make them. Everyone on our planet deserves a fair shot.
IMPACT + We work hard to make a positive impact because it’s our responsibility to regenerate the earth for future generations, and we need to get on with it.
CREATIVITY. We’re original, innovative and we have fun with what we do. Whatever we do, we’re never boring.
#TooDamnHot Gingerella
Not-for-profit climate-saving soda launches in the UK.
1.4 tonnes of plastic removed from the supply chain as we continue to develop fully sustainable packaging.
KA RMA LON DON, UNITED KINGDOM
Raising funds to plant 30,
KA RMA FOUNDATION SIERRA LEONE, WEST AFRICA
Rainforests protected with every UK D2C Order
KARMA’S GLOBAL IMPACT AT A GLANCE 2020-2021
We continue to work with our cola growers, as we have done for the last decade. Read on for the lives impacted and projects undertaken...
Our Fairtrade and organic drinks continue to support growers globally
21,828+ drinks donated to NHS
to show our support key workers through the pandemic
178,860+ drinks donated
to food & drink redistribution charities who help those in need.
,000 trees
Localised canning in NZ reduces carbon emissions
$12,000 raised for NZ Hospo Karma supports local hopsitaltiy through the 5 month lockdown.
$1,800 to Hospo red relief
KA RMA HQ A UCKL A ND, NEW ZEALAND
KARMA DRINKS HAS ITS HEAD OFFICE IN N ZEALAND, A SMALL TEAM IN LONDON AND HEART IN SIERRA LEONE. THE KARMA FOUNDATION IS THE GUIDING FORCE THAT HOLDS US ACCOUNTABLE TO OUR PROMISE TO PROMOTE FAIRER THAN FAIRTRADE, AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE WITH EVERY DROP.
8 hours drive east from Sierra Leone’s capital city, you’ll find 8 remote villages within the Gola rainforest. We buy our cola nuts from these communities, and in turn support the economic and social independence of all 3,000 people who live there. We started by building a bridge 10 years ago, and we haven’t stopped there. We support the communities with life changing projects spanning Governance & Accountability, Health & Wellbeing, Sustainability, Infrastructure, Local Enterprise & Sustainable Livelihoods and Education. THE FOUNDING PRINCIPLES OF THE KARMA FOUNDATION: COMMITMENT NGOs come and go. We don’t. We’re here for the long haul, and we won’t let anything from Ebola to Coronavirus get in our way of fulfilling our promises to the community.
COMMUNITY We respect our cola growers and their families. They know what is best for them. We don’t sit in a room thousands of miles away and tell farmers how to live; we work with them, jointly, on projects they TRADE, NOT AID. want to achieve and help Villagers understand provide the resources to that we need to sell more do it. drinks to keep doing more good. We have never, and will never, publish their stories without their support.
15 per year Bursaries for girls 42 per year Trainings 5 Health Fund (2021) 1 School Teacher 1 Adult Literacy Teacher 2 Bridges 1 Heritage Campsite 1 Rice Mille + Drying 8 Entrepreneur Funds 1 Construction of Seed Bank
15 per year Bursaries for girls 42 per year Trainings 4 Health Fund (2021) 3 New Classrooms 2 School Teachers 1 Girl at Teacher College 1 Bridge (to Boma) 1 Adult Literacy Teacher 1 Heritage Campsite 1 Rice Mille Drying Floor 8 Entrepreneur Funds
SAA
B 30 per year Bursaries for girls 42 per year Trainings 6 Health Fund (2021) 1 Girl sent to university 1 Makkenah Bridge (2013) 1 Adult Literacy Teacher 1 Outboard Engine for Boat 1 Heritage Campsite 1 Community Guesthouse 8 Entrepreneur Funds
NEW D ITS
MAP OF TIWAI, SIERRA LEONE HOME TO 3,000 PEOPLE SUPPORTED BY Map of Tiwai, Sierra Leone THE KARMA FOUNDATION Home to 3,000 people supported by the Karma Foundation 15 per year Bursaries for girls 42 per year Trainings 8 Health Fund (2021) 1 Adult Literacy Teacher 1 Heritage Campsite 1 Construction of Seed Bank 8 Entrerpreneur Funds
15 per year Bursaries for girls 42 per year Trainings 6 Health Fund (2021) 1 Adult Literacy Teacher 1 Heritage Campsite 1 Rice mill + Drying Floor 8 Entrepreneur Funds
15 per year Bursaries for girls 42 per year Trainings 6 Health Fund (2021) 1 School Teacher 1 Adult Literacy Teacher 1 Heritage Campsite 8 Entrepreneur Funds
KAMBAMA
JENE GIEMA
Visitor’s Centre
MAPUMA NAINIAHUN
AHUN MAKENNAH BRIDGE
SEGBEWEMA
BOMA 15 per year Bursaries for girls 42 per year Trainings 4 Health Fund (2021) 3 Classrooms under construction 2 School Teacher 2 New Bridges 1 Road Widening + Maintenance 1 Adult Literacy Teacher 1 Heritage Campsite 1 Construction of Seed Bank 8 Entrepreneurs Fund
15 per year Bursaries for girls 42 per year Trainings 5 Health Fund (2021) 1 Adult Literacy Teacher 1 Heritage Campsite 8 Entrepreneur Funds
CAR BUSH TRAIL CANOE
INSIDE THE IMPA At the heart of The Karma Foundation is the principle that the people who benefit from the work we do together know what’s best for them.
Sustainability During the 10 year civil war, people were forced to leave their communities and so their plantations became forested. Bush overtook all of the plantations and the community people weren’t able to access their land when they Anyone who’s ever bought a Karma Drink has returned. This is when the enabled the Karma Foundation to accomplish project to rehabilitate life changing initiatives in the following areas: cola nut plantations was launched. The project cut Governance & Accountability, Health & down old trees and bush Wellbeing, Sustainability, Infrastructure, to allow the plantations to Local Enterprise & Sustainable Livelihoods flourish again. The Tiwai and Education. Here’s what we’ve achieved community fiercely protect together in the last two years. other inhabitants on the island; pygmy hippos, 11 people on their roles and species of primates and Governance responsibilities in project vast numbers of trees and & Accountability There’s an African proverb implementations by NGOs plants. that rings true in every and Government. culture, ‘it takes a village to 2. Gender Equality and Infrastructure raise a child’. The truth is it Social Inclusion The people in Tiwai ‘takes a village’ to achieve 3. SALT approach to decided to use some the any meaningful change community management first cheque from the sale in our world. The Karma 4. Business management & of Karma Drinks to help Foundation have made it record keeping build a bridge, helping a priority to empower and 5. Good Governance with transport in and out Maintenance and of the village and enabling teach the people we work 6. with to ultimately lead this management of water children to get to school in pumps work themselves. the rainy season when the A total of 336 people 7. Teacher qualification river tributary made the were trained in 2021 across 8. Rice milling training route impassable. Since 9. Committees’ training the following projects: then, 4 more bridges have 1. Citizens Voice and 10. Farm management been constructed along Action — capacity training with community meeting training of community
houses, classrooms and roads. 2020 saw a total of 3 new classrooms built and 2021 marked the beginning of a new school being built in Segbwema, led by Mohammed Kallon. This new school will save young school children walking over 12 miles a day, just to get their basic education. Health & Wellbeing In the two years since the fund was launched, with revenue from the Karma Foundation, 127 people who would not have had access to medical treatment were able to receive treatment (in some cases life saving) – hernias, broken limbs, stomach and other internal disorders. 44 people accessed the fund in 2021. Communities are now aware that treatment is available for serious ailments e.g. hernia, and generally more healthaware. Communities have added 1/5th more to the base fund amount as all loans have been repaid. This has seen a 20% uplift in the fund.
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ACT
istribution of medicines nd masks has also aken place. Monitoring nd counselling for both arents and school hildren on the dangers early pregnancy and arly marriage has also aken place.
ocal Enterprise & ustainable Livelihoods he Ebola epidemic revented people in Tiwai om going to market. This ave three local women he idea to start a business hat would safely buy ssentials for villagers. he foundation granted heir wish with microloans nd a motorbike to bring roceries home to their llage. The women have ontributed over a million ones to their local evelopment funds, Ebola’s one and the businesses re going strong.
EDUCATION When we asked what the Tiwai people would like to do with money from the sale of our drinks made with their cola nut, the people in Tiwai replied ‘Send our girls to school’. So we did. A number of stipends were made to community teachers who were not on government payroll to help alleviate the problem of shortages of staff in community schools at Saahun, Niahun, Kambama and Segbema. The Foundation supports 6 community teachers, 2
their education journey since 2013. More children taking and passing the secondary school exams (21 last year) and for the first time more girls than boys (11 to 10). As result of rise in standards the Kambama school has now been authorised to carry out the secondary entrance of whom are doing their exams (previously qualification training children had to travel alongside 4 Government further afield). teachers taking the total to 10, raising teaching standards and education outcomes. Payment school numbers rose from 136 in 2014 to 700 in 21/22. Bursaries for 135 girls every year right through
Over the years, the Karma Foundation has worked with the local communities and government to build a total of 4 schools, with another school to be completed in 2022 and a further 3 classrooms to be completed in 2022. The foundation continues to work alongside local government to ensure provision of books for the students.
PROVIDING BURSARIES, CLASSROOMS AND TEACHERS HAS HELPED INCREASE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE 479% IN EIGHT YEARS, WHILE VILLAGE POPULATION HAS INCREASED BY JUST 30%.
KarmaFoundation Foundation Karma Bursaries Bursaries
600
400
400 200
200 0 2013
0 Total Students
Total Students
121
2013
2014
121
200
2014 200
2015 N/A
SCHOOLS CLOSED DUE TO EBOLA
600
SCHOOLS CLOSED DUE TO EBOLA
School Attendance School Attendance
2015 N/A
2016 372
2016 372
2017
2018
493
515
2017
2018
493
515
2019 614
2019
2020
2021
645
700
2020
2021
645
700
614
With the support of The Karma Foundation — to date, 700 children from the Tiwai region have been educated in the local schools.
THIS IS A STORY ALL ABOUT HAWA In the Tiwai region of Sierra Leone, there’s a young woman called Hawa Alie. Hawa was orphaned during the 10 Year War in Sierra Leone and raised by her aunt. Despite missing a few years of school, she persevered. Hawa sat her University Entrance Exams a year ahead of schedule and passed on her first sitting. She’s been accepted to Njala University Medicine Faculty to be a Senior
Nurse. The Karma Foundation has supported Hawa’s education since 2016, she’s the first kid from Tiwai to go to University. Let’s not let her be the last.
(LEFT) HAWA ALIE ON HER FIRST DAY AT WORK AT THE OPHTHALMOLOGY LAB
ALBERT IN SIERRA LEONE, POINTING OUT SOME KEY MEMBERS OF THE KARMA CREW.
THE ROAD AHEAD... We caught up with Albert Tucker, chair of The Karma Foundation, on the happenings of the foundation and the hopes for the futures of the Tiwai villagers. TELL US ALBERT, HOW’S IT BEEN WORKING WITH KARMA DRINKS AND THE KARMA FOUNDATION ALL THESE YEARS? Karma Drinks have worked well with the Karma Foundation to make sure they are self determining and run the projects themselves. The goal of the foundation has always been to offer a sustainable partnership for the Tiwai communities so they can determine how best funds are invested and managed. A compelling example of this is the entrepreneur and health funds which charge interest on the loans offered, growing the funds without additional input from Karma Drinks. This is great because it embodies a sustainable way of working and empowers the Tiwai communities.
The Chiefs of all the villages are appreciative of the fact that Karma haven’t abandoned them and have seen through the commitment to them in spite of the challenges throughout the pandemic. It’s taken many years to build the relationships and the communities respect that Karma does what we say we’ll do and if we can’t do it, we’ll tell them why.
CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT LIES AHEAD FOR THE TIWAI COMMUNITIES? The lack of electricity is a big challenge in the near future, it will be a priority to work out how to connect the remotely placed villages to electrical supply. Another key area is for the villages to get access to a vehicle. This would mean that the growers and producers can take their
goods to markets in nearby cities and receive up to 3 times the value that they can get in the villages. The health fund is still an area of challenge, with high rates of maternal death but little understanding of causes there is only so much the fund can do. The overall health system needs to improve and better equipment is needed. Reforestation is an exciting area for the coming years. The plan is to plant 30,000 trees over the next three years in the rainforest around the Tiwai communities. External training is required to skill the farmers to manage this project beyond the 3 years. Tiwai is home to 123 types of plants and trees, pygmy hippos and Diana monkeys. Protection is vital. The villagers protect the land from poachers and deforestation and are very cautious to allow passage through the forest where
HUMANS SNAPSHOTS AND SNIPPETS FROM THE PEOPLE IN SIERRA LEONE WHO INSPIRE THE KARMA FOUNDATION AND ALL THAT WE DO.
OF
KARMA
MADAM MANSARAY, CHAIRLADY OF BOMA
Madam Mansaray oversees anything and everything pertaining to the women and girls in the village. She equips young girls with nets and teaches them how to fish. She also manages disputes that arise between the women.
MR GEMBE, COLA NUT FARMER
FAMILY AND FRESHLY HARVESTED COLA NUT
Mr Gembe farms cocoa and the cola nuts that make it into our Karma Cola. He trained in the army and then as a haulage driver but his love of the village of Boma was so strong that he returned home and works in the rainforests everyday.
Chief Kadie is the female democratically elected leader of Boma village. She comes from a strong line of female chiefs, each teaching the next what it takes to be a great leader, and paving the way for future generations.
“I’m serious about my responsibility of being Chief of the village. I don’t mess around, or pander to views of what I should be like.” ALBERT TUCKER & CHIEF KADIE, SHARING THE CEREMONIAL COLA NUT
From the Barri chiefdom, Michael now lives in Bo, where the office is located, with his wife who travels to Freetown to her job as social worker. Michael trained in agriculture and has lots of experience working with NGOs in the past but prefers working with the foundation. MOHAMMED KALLON, VICE CHAIR TIWAI COMMUNITIES COMMITTEE
Mohammed’s enthusiasm is unrivaled. When the foundation was delayed in building the school in Segbwema, Mohamed couldn’t wait and cracked on and built the school out of bamboo, himself. He’s led the road building projects and is currently taking teacher training while leading the project for the next school construction. What a guy.
MR KALLON
Mr. Kallon is the local storyteller who told us with lashings of drama the origin story of the cola nut. We won’t do him justice but it goes a little something like this… The cola nut was given to from God to Allah for prophet Mohamed. The cola nut, when unripe is sweet and turns bitter as it ripens. The story goes that prophet Mohamed wasn’t around to receive the gift so the cola nut became embittered and the lesson is that you should be around to receive gifts when they are given from God.
MICHAEL SALLU, KARMA FOUNDATION PROJECT MANAGER
A CHAT WITH CHRIS We sat down with Karma founder, Chris Morrison to talk about the future of sustainability. As well as being a founding member of Karma Drinks, Chris is a leading voice in sustainable business and was celebrated in New Zealand’s 2021 honours list.
“WONDERFUL TO SEE KARMA DRINKS JOIN THE B-CORP MOVEMENT, CONTINUING THE GREAT WORK THE FOUNDATION DOES AND MAKING A BIG DIFFERENCE TO OUR SUPPLY CHAIN BY SELLING MORE DRINKS.”
WHAT POSITIVE CHANGE MOVEMENTS HAVE YOU WITNESSED IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS?
GOOD KARMA, IT’S IN OUR FOUNDATION.
The strong interest in B-Corp has been very positive. Business has a massive contribution to creating a sustainable future and B-Corp will help create this. This rise of plant based diets is encouraging. From a climate change, animal welfare and human health perspective this is very positive. The continued growth of Organics and more recently regenerative organics is good from a biodiversity perspective.
WHAT’S INSPIRED YOU FROM OUR GROWERS IN SIERRA LEONE? Their resilience, optimism and their ability to work together for the greater good.
WHERE DO YOU HOPE THE KARMA FOUNDATION WILL BE IN A YEAR FROM NOW? Continuing the great work they have started plus starting work on reforestation and this contribution to fighting for climate justice.
CHEERS,
YOU’VE READ THE REPORT. NOW (PLEASE) BUY OUR DRINKS.
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