SANA Program

Our Model

Our program was designed putting the cultural and social realities of women coffee farmers at the forefront. We provide an integrative psychosocial program focused on mental health and wellness that combines several interventions including teletherapy sessions, virtual education, and community-based support. Programs are designed for groups of 10 to 40 participants and are 5 months long. 

What’s included in our program? ⤵️ ⤵️

Community & Educational Support

  • A virtual educational curriculum is provided using resources like infographics, audio, and video content created in-house to guide and prepare participants during the 5 months.

  • Ongoing support via WhatsApp group, to share updates, gather feedback, and build a supportive community–reducing isolation and helping participants relate to one another.

  • Initial, pre-program, and post-program surveys are conducted via phone calls to get to know participants, collect information to inform our program, and build rapport.

  • After the program, participants gain access to SANA’s global WhatsApp private group where we continue to provide educational resources to any woman who has been part of a SANA program. 

Teletherapy Sessions

  • Female licensed psychologists experienced in teletherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and working with underserved communities will provide the psychosocial support to participants. 

  • These spaces are private and is where participants explore their mental health through psychosocial support. Each program includes two 60-minute teletherapy sessions via video or phone call.

  • Ongoing support from the psychologists during the program. Participants can contact them directly via text or audio messages with questions or doubts.

  • At the end of the program, the psychologists identify 20% of participants who are invited to continue with three additional teletherapy sessions to complete a 3-month treatment.

Group Workshops

  • Workshops are tailor-made by the psychologists based on the most mentioned themes during all teletherapy sessions and structured into three sections: educational content, wellness tools, and interactive activities.

  • For logistical and technical support, we collaborated with cooperatives and associations. Participants attend these workshops in person while we execute them virtually.

  • We provide transportation allowances for all participants.

  • Workshops conclude with a breakfast session, providing an open space for participants to connect, share their therapy experiences, and build a support network.

  • A certificate/diploma of program completion and a pin from the SANA program they were part of are provided.

We Collect & Listen

    • Through pre & post-program surveys, we use the data collected actively to inform each phase of the program, gain insight into their mental health state, preferences, and reveal impact, benefits and areas of improvement. 

    • Semi-structured surveys, combined with multiple-choice, yes/no, open-ended questions, and SANA index 5-Points Unipolar Likert Scale questions.

    • Given potential technological and literacy barriers, surveys are conducted via phone call and transcribed by the surveyor. These phone calls also help us to build rapport with participants.

    • To safeguard participant privacy, all pre- and post-program survey responses are anonymized before being processed or analyzed.

    • Each psychologist provides a report per teletherapy session, keeping out all confidential information that participants’ shared during sessions. We collect data like: most mentioned topics during teletherapy sessions to we use to design our workshops.

    • The psychologist’s report is designed with multiple-choice, yes/no, open-ended questions, and a mental exam using a 5-Points Unipolar Likert Scale questions.

Program’s Goals

  • Reduce stigma surrounding mental health

  • Break cycles of silence

  • Strengthen emotional awareness and resilience

  • Support and foster personal agency

CARMEN

“We all carry a burden, and these spaces helped me lighten mine. My daughter passed away, and I went through the grief alone, unable to speak about her. I had never done therapy before, and here I was able to identify things that had been quietly there, beneath the surface. I felt connected to the psychologist; I found in her understanding, trust, and empathy. I was finally able to open up and begin to understand what I couldn’t see before.”

FAQs

  • SANA partners and has strong relationships with women's coffee farmer associations, cooperatives, and groups across Colombia. We select participants based on available funding and assess each group’s interest and access to the technology needed to participate. We also collaborate with companies already working with women coffee farmers who wish to sponsor a customized program for a specific group/cluster of Colombian women coffee farmers.

  • To enroll in a SANA program, women coffee farmers must have a genuine interest in participating and be available to actively engage in the 5-month program, which includes teletherapy sessions, virtual educational curriculum, and group workshops. They also need access to good connectivity through a phone, and access to WhatsApp. Additionally, they must be 18 years old and be part of a group or cooperative selected by SANA or a sponsoring partner.

  • SANA isn’t designed as a clinical mental health program—it’s a psychosocial support initiative grounded in a salutogenic approach, which focuses on prevention, emotional education, and creating safe, culturally attuned spaces for women to begin exploring their mental health journey. Many participants are engaging with mental health support for the first time, and in rural coffee-farming communities, stigma around therapy remains strong. Starting with just two individual teletherapy sessions helps build trust and lowers the barrier to participation.

    Once women experience the benefits of therapy, some request to continue. That’s why we offer extended support to 20% of participants, providing three additional sessions over three months for those who need deeper care. Our goal is to double this percentage every year. SANA doesn’t aim to replace formal clinical therapy—it opens the door for women to begin prioritizing their mental wellbeing in a way that feels safe, respectful, and accessible.

  • Yes! SANA services and support are primarily delivered virtually, including teletherapy sessions, ongoing online community engagement and educational curriculum. However, in Phase 4 of the program, we organize in-person interactive workshops where participants gather locally while services are delivered virtually. This is the only in-person component and is designed to strengthen connection and participation among the women. We provided travel allowances to 100% of the participants per cohort.

  • Yes! We are committed to hiring highly qualified professionals. All our psychologists are licensed, specializing in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), with over three years of experience in teletherapy and working with rural communities in Colombia. They undergo a three-step interview process and receive onboarding from SANA at the start of each program. Lastly, our priority is to provide psychosocial support and promote healthier lives, do not to focus on clinical psychology, and our primarily goal is not to or diagnose.

  • Sponsoring a woman to participate in the SANA program costs USD$300 and includes full access to all program services and support. For group sponsorships, the cost starts at USD$3,000 for 10 participants and USD$12,000 for 40 participants.

    All contributions are tax-deductible donations to the extent allowed by law, as SANA operates under the fiscal sponsorship of American Friends of Bean Voyage know as Bean Voyage, a U.S. registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Donors will receive an official donation receipt issued by them for tax purposes.

VERÓNICA

“The teletherapy sessions with the psychologist went very well and were truly beneficial. In fact, just days before, I had been feeling overwhelmed, and the sessions came at the perfect time. The psychologist guided me through challenges with my daughter and helped me release past resentments and pain. Those two sessions were truly healing.”

Help us reach our 2025 goal of enrolling 120 Colombian women coffee farmers in a SANA Program!

Donors

Erica Bawot - Amaris Gutierrez-Ray - Jessica Keenan - Rebecca McClain - Victor Poiesz - Paula Arango - Kyle & Lucia Bawot - Lydia Stolper - Alejandra Jaimes - Spencer Ross - Estella Jiménez & Enoc Hernández - Alexander Robbins - Kaylie Yaceczko- Alexandra Bawot - Camilo Sánchez - Sara Becerra - Correne Tabbah - Melanie Hayward - Alexandra Mosquera - Marta Salazar - Wing Yee Marcellina Ng - Roger Conarroe - Ryan Lee - Lynn Broekman

Partners

Logo of Terra Coffee with a stylized coffee cup and steam along with the text 'TERRA COFFEE'.

Contact us

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