Poverty

Dukale's Dream

Watch Hugh Jackman in a film about fair trade coffee. The cost of your download will be donated to help give life-changing opportunities to struggling communities.

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How far would you go to keep a promise?

On June 4 2015, Hugh Jackman stood alongside his wife Deborra-Lee Furness on a red carpet in New York for a very different kind of film premiere. He wasn’t there to talk about thrilling action sequences, intoxicating romance or unexpected plot twists. Instead, he was discussing a global issue that we unconsciously engage with nearly every morning.
“Everyone has a cup of coffee every day, but I'm not sure everyone understands how it gets there, and how the choice of what you drink makes a massive difference at the beginning to the grower.”

The premiere was for Dukale’s Dream, a film that documents the six-year journey taken by World Vision ambassadors Hugh and Deborra-Lee in the birthplace of coffee; Ethiopia. Their trip to the region in 2009 took on unexpected significance when the duo were deeply touched by the story of 27-year-old coffee farmer Dukale and his family. Dukale and his wife Adanech were working with World Vision to improve their income and to ensure their children could access the education needed to give them a good start in life. Unfortunately, a flawed local sales model and a lack of industry knowledge was keeping them from rising above their situation.

After seeing the difference that a fair trade system could make to the lives of farmers, Hugh and Deborra-Lee made a promise to their new friend.
“When we got back to the US after meeting Dukale, we couldn’t just talk about him, we had to do something and that’s why we founded Laughing Man Tea & Coffee,” Hugh says.
Based in two storefronts in Manhattan, Laughing Man buys all its coffee and tea from fair trade co-ops and donates 100% of its profits to charity. Its most popular blend is sourced from Dukale’s farm.

The story of how completely different people can share a strong common bond and vastly improve each others’ lives has rarely been demonstrated so candidly and so warmly as it is in Dukale’s Dream. It’s more than just believing that our everyday choices can affect someone else’s life, it’s about using those opportunities to improve the world.

With the global premiere of Dukale's Dream now in full swing, you too can witness the inspiring friendship forged between Hugh and Dukale from anywhere in the world using any device with iTunes, Google Play or Amazon Video capabilites.

Dukale's Dream is available via video on demand on 13 January 2016. Find out more here.

'Dukale's Dream with Hugh Jackman' - Movie Trailer

Actor Hugh Jackman traveled to Ethiopia as an ambassador for World Vision Australia. While there, Hugh met a young coffee farmer named Dukale, working to lift his family out of poverty. After spending time on Dukale's farm, Hugh realised that something as simple as a cup of coffee could have a profound impact on global poverty. Hugh was so inspired by what he learned from Dukale that he made—and kept—a promise that is revealed in this inspirational documentary.

 

 

"This is a documentary which inspires and informs at the same time."

- Prerana Das, Toronto Film Scene

"Josh Rothstein [has] captured the unlikely friendship of the two men which began a transcendent life journey..."

- Yvonna Russell, Huffington Post

Nine years on.

Since Hugh Jackman first visited Ethiopia in 2006, the impact of his actions have had a tremendous run-on effect for the wider community of Kochere, the region where Dukale lives.

 “The participation in the film with Jackman motivated me to dream big and work hard. Before Jackman’s visit to Kochere I had 2000 coffee trees, but now 4000. Not only the number of coffee trees increased but also the way how I handle my coffee farm, coffee preparation, and compost usage have been changed and improved,” Dukale says. Since appearing in the film, Dukale’s export quantity has risen to about 600 kg per annum, he now employs 10 staff, and has received training on coffee preparation and compost usage.

Adanech, Dukale’s wife, has joined a women’s savings group in their village. The ability to contribute to the collective funds as well as to take out a small loan to help start up her tea shop has created a greater sense of community.  It has also allowed her to educate all five of their children.

Sigiga Coffee Farmers Primary Cooperative was established 40 years ago but due to a long standing lack of industry education or regulated coffee pricing, it has consistently struggled. The cooperative’s current chairman, Haile Maro, says that since working with World Vision, there has been noticeable improvement in the price of coffee, members’ earnings and quality of life.

“We collect coffee from our members at a reasonable price, process it, and supply to the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange (ECX) for grading. Then we supply to Yirgachefe Coffee Farmers Union and export directly to foreign market. This year we installed a new coffee pulping machine worth 22,000 USD donated by World Vision,” says Haile.

Kochere coffee has now been granted the certificate of FairTrade premium which has helped farmers and their families immensely. The increase of education and agency given to local farmers means the Sigiga Cooperative is no longer in debt or suffering at the hands of deceptive private coffee traders. Workers are able to feed their families and educate their kids, all thanks to training and business improvement opportunities.

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(1) Dukale, (2) his family, (3) and his wife Adanech picking red coffee beans at his farm. (4) A member of the Sigiga coffee farmers cooperative displaying freshly picked coffee beans, (5) processed beans being loaded onto a truck to be transported to Yirgacheffe Union. (6) Sigiga coffee farmers cooperative chairman Haile Maro (third from left) and fellow cooperative members. (7) A transport road constructed by the Sigiga cooperative. (8) Dukale and his children Nazreth (left) and Elias (right).