Released on: October 17, 2008, 4:54 pm

Press Release Author: Susan Paff/Ugandan Gold Coffee

Industry: Non Profit

Press Release Summary: A Pennsylvania-based nonprofit is creating jobs, providing
humanitarian support and investigating alternative energy ideas in Uganda �EUR" and it
all started with a cup of coffee.

Press Release Body: The Christian East African and Equatorial Development Trust
(CEED), the nonprofit organization that produces and distributes Ugandan Gold
Premium Coffee, has been working in a small Ugandan village near Wambabya for almost
10 years. CEED was established in 1999 to help develop and maintain sustainable,
income-generating projects in poverty-stricken areas of the world. Ugandan Gold
Premium Coffee is the first of these endeavors. The farm, which was planted in 2000,
employs 42 local residents year round and 80 to 100 additional during picking
season, in an area where unemployment is 60 percent. All the profits from the sale
of coffee are returned to Uganda for economic development and health initiatives.
Next, the organization hopes to realize success from its alternative energy pilot
project, growing Jatropha curcus for conversion to biodiesel fuel.

Since its start from personal contributions from donors in the United States, CEED
has poured nearly a quarter of a million dollars into the Ugandan economy just
through its coffee venture. The organization has been able to dig or rehabilitate 17
water wells over the past several years. This year, the nonprofit is hoping to fund
additional wells and contribute a significant amount of money for a much-needed
operating theater in the local health clinic in the Bunyoro-Kitara province of
Uganda.

�EUR�We are thrilled our social entrepreneurship project is working,�EUR� said Worth Helms,
president of the board of directors. �EUR�Customers really like our Gift Boxes,
especially during the Christmas season, so we expect sales to rise in the coming
months. More money brought in through the sale of coffee means more humanitarian
projects in the Ugandan village. We still have a lot of remote areas lined up that
need clean water, and we always receive requests for other aid as well.�EUR�


CEED is also investigating an alternative energy project to look for additional
streams of revenue for the village. In March, CEED helped fund the planting of a
Jatropha curcus "mother" garden in the war-torn northern part of Uganda by clearing
a five-acre plot and providing 1,500 Jatropha curcus seedlings. The villagers
provided additional cuttings from local Jatropha trees growing as weeds and not yet
cultivated.

The oil from seeds of the plants can be used locally as diesel in some cases without
further processing, or it can be converted into biodiesel fuel and sold globally,
bringing a family significant income and improving the environment at the same time.
The most significant advantage of Jatropha is it grows in areas where it is very
difficult or impossible to grow food.

�EUR�The project is still in the testing stages right now,�EUR� said Graham Hodgetts, board
member and director of business development and water projects. �EUR�We�EUR(tm)ll have to see
what yields we can produce per acre, but it definitely has extremely high potential.
Jatropha oil is commonly used for biodiesel in many tropical countries with India
the current leader so we're not re-inventing the wheel here. Also, since it is a
weed and not a staple of food, it does not result in the affluent consumer burning
up the breakfasts of the poor, as is the case with ethanol from corn or biodiesel
from soybeans.�EUR�


Ugandan Gold Premium Coffee is available at several stores in Pittsburgh, Pa., and
online at www.ugandangold.com. The coffee is priced at $8 per pound or by a bulk
price for churches and organizations wishing to fundraise with the coffee. Gift
Boxes are also available for $32.



Web Site: http://www.ugandangold.com

Contact Details: Susan Paff
Public Relations Consultant for Ugandan Gold Coffee
724-513-0316
susanpaff@gmail.com
www.ugandangold.com