Addressing what the companies described as a critical community need in the western cocoa-growing region of Côte d’Ivoire, Hershey and Barry Callebaut announced today the completion of a primary school, community and farmer training centre.
Located in the Abokro, Gabiadji, Bas-Sassandra region of Côte d’Ivoire, the school and community centre will be fully operational for the 2013-14 school year. Approximately 150 primary-school-age children from 24 nearby hamlets and villages are enrolled in the new school. The project is a joint community partnership between Hershey and Barry Callebaut.
The rural regions of Côte d’Ivoire suffer from a lack of modern primary school buildings, according to Barry Callebaut, and the new Abokro school will address a long-standing community development need. The Hershey Learn to Grow Abokro school includes three furnished classrooms equipped with solar-powered lighting fixtures, a solar-powered water well, an infirmary, a school canteen at which subsidized meals will be offered, as well as housing for professional teachers and medical staff. Barry Callebaut has previously constructed a medical facility in Goh and the company processes large volumes of cocoa at its nearby San Pedro facility.
Hershey said that its Learn to Grow initiative exemplifies the company’s commitment to serving communities in cocoa growing regions. modernising cocoa farming techniques, increasing the yield of cocoa production, and thus improvimg the livelihoods of cocoa farmers and their families.
Hershey Learn to Grow features farmer and community projects in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria. In Côte d’Ivoire, the Hershey Learn to Grow program will focus on primary education through the Abokro school project, but will also include cocoa farmer training in partnership with Barry Callebaut’s Cocoa Horizons program.
“This modern school will make primary education far more accessible for the children of Abokro who today face many challenges,” said Mike Wege, Hershey’s senior vice president chief growth officer. “Through this innovative project, children will receive a meal at midday, good medical care and instruction from professional teachers. Both our companies are committed to giving back to cocoa communities and the new Abokro school is a great example of what we can achieve together.”
“The Abokro project is the result of a unique collaboration between Hershey, Barry Callebaut and the farmers of COOPAGLY, and it illustrates our holistic approach in working with cocoa farming communities under the Cocoa Horizons framework,” said Paul De Petter, vice president cocoa Africa at Barry Callebaut. “The project integrates agricultural training, which gives farmers the knowledge to increase crops yields and income, and it provides access to education, water and basic healthcare, which improves the livelihoods of farmers and their families.”
Located in the Abokro, Gabiadji, Bas-Sassandra region of Côte d’Ivoire, the school and community centre will be fully operational for the 2013-14 school year. Approximately 150 primary-school-age children from 24 nearby hamlets and villages are enrolled in the new school. The project is a joint community partnership between Hershey and Barry Callebaut.
The rural regions of Côte d’Ivoire suffer from a lack of modern primary school buildings, according to Barry Callebaut, and the new Abokro school will address a long-standing community development need. The Hershey Learn to Grow Abokro school includes three furnished classrooms equipped with solar-powered lighting fixtures, a solar-powered water well, an infirmary, a school canteen at which subsidized meals will be offered, as well as housing for professional teachers and medical staff. Barry Callebaut has previously constructed a medical facility in Goh and the company processes large volumes of cocoa at its nearby San Pedro facility.
Hershey said that its Learn to Grow initiative exemplifies the company’s commitment to serving communities in cocoa growing regions. modernising cocoa farming techniques, increasing the yield of cocoa production, and thus improvimg the livelihoods of cocoa farmers and their families.
Hershey Learn to Grow features farmer and community projects in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria. In Côte d’Ivoire, the Hershey Learn to Grow program will focus on primary education through the Abokro school project, but will also include cocoa farmer training in partnership with Barry Callebaut’s Cocoa Horizons program.
“This modern school will make primary education far more accessible for the children of Abokro who today face many challenges,” said Mike Wege, Hershey’s senior vice president chief growth officer. “Through this innovative project, children will receive a meal at midday, good medical care and instruction from professional teachers. Both our companies are committed to giving back to cocoa communities and the new Abokro school is a great example of what we can achieve together.”
“The Abokro project is the result of a unique collaboration between Hershey, Barry Callebaut and the farmers of COOPAGLY, and it illustrates our holistic approach in working with cocoa farming communities under the Cocoa Horizons framework,” said Paul De Petter, vice president cocoa Africa at Barry Callebaut. “The project integrates agricultural training, which gives farmers the knowledge to increase crops yields and income, and it provides access to education, water and basic healthcare, which improves the livelihoods of farmers and their families.”
