Olam International has, together with partners Blommer Chocolate Company, Costco Wholesale and Conseil Régional de San Pedro, inaugurated a health centre, primary school and warehouse in San Pedro and Soubré in the Ivory Coast. With a value of more than 54 million CFA (US$114,000) these buildings were constructed in recognition of the strong performance of three cocoa co-operatives in the villages of Doba (nursery school); Dagadji (health centre) and Méagui (warehouse).
Launched in 2009, the Sassandra Sustainability Programme is part of the GrowCocoa partnership, a JV between Olam and Blommer, and supported by the international retailer Costco. It aims to improve the livelihoods of cocoa farming communities by addressing rural poverty. This includes increasing producers’ agricultural knowledge, the provision of seedlings, strengthening co-operative managers’ skills, plus ongoing practical training in labour and gender issues.
Evaluation of the co-operatives helps to identify gaps for improvement and specific performance indicators are considered:
* Farmer comprehension and application of training;
* Quantity and quality of cocoa collected from farmer members, and
* Evaluation of the traceability system (including the cocoa growers’ individual identification, the treatment of cocoa trees against disease, tracking of cocoa volumes delivered by the co-operatives, and transparency on premium usage).
Over the last five years this commitment has also included the construction of health and maternity centres, primary and nursery schools, water pumps and co-operative warehouses in cocoa producing communities.
The three co-operatives respectively selected a rural health centre delivering malaria treatment, vaccinations, and short-term over-night medical care; a primary school which can cater up to 150 children with two school teachers appointed by the Ministry of Education; and a large cocoa warehouse.
