The Future of Cocoa Farming Communities Starts With Access to Education
Hershey is investing in education infrastructure in West African cocoa-growing communities, continuing its 130-year commitment to children's education. The company is funding the construction of 12 new schools in Côte d'Ivoire, including one in Ozékro village. Hershey has partnered with the Child Learning and Education Facility (CLEF), a public-private coalition aiming to build 2,500 classrooms, train teachers, and improve literacy for 5 million primary school children.
The company's efforts extend beyond classroom construction to include canteens, water wells, latrines, and teacher training. These initiatives align with Côte d'Ivoire's National Strategy for Sustainable Cocoa and Hershey's Income Accelerator program, reflecting a commitment to a sustainable cocoa supply chain and improved livelihoods for cocoa farming families.
Hershey sta investendo nelle infrastrutture educative nelle comunità produttrici di cacao dell'Africa occidentale, continuando il suo impegno di 130 anni per l'istruzione dei bambini. L'azienda finanzia la costruzione di 12 nuove scuole in Costa d'Avorio, tra cui una nel villaggio di Ozékro. Hershey ha collaborato con il Child Learning and Education Facility (CLEF), una coalizione pubblico-privata che mira a costruire 2.500 aule, formare insegnanti e migliorare l'alfabetizzazione per 5 milioni di bambini delle scuole primarie.
Gli sforzi dell'azienda si estendono oltre la costruzione delle aule, includendo mense, pozzi d'acqua, latrine e formazione per gli insegnanti. Queste iniziative sono in linea con la Strategia Nazionale per il Cacao Sostenibile della Costa d'Avorio e il programma di Accelleratore di Reddito di Hershey, riflettendo un impegno verso una filiera del cacao sostenibile e il miglioramento delle condizioni di vita delle famiglie agricole di cacao.
Hershey está invirtiendo en infraestructura educativa en las comunidades productoras de cacao de África Occidental, continuando su compromiso de 130 años con la educación de los niños. La empresa está financiando la construcción de 12 nuevas escuelas en Côte d'Ivoire, incluida una en el pueblo de Ozékro. Hershey se ha asociado con el Child Learning and Education Facility (CLEF), una coalición público-privada que tiene como objetivo construir 2,500 aulas, capacitar a maestros y mejorar la alfabetización de 5 millones de niños en edad escolar primaria.
Los esfuerzos de la empresa se extienden más allá de la construcción de aulas para incluir comedores, pozos de agua, letrinas y capacitación de maestros. Estas iniciativas están alineadas con la Estrategia Nacional de Cacao Sostenible de Côte d'Ivoire y el programa de Acelerador de Ingresos de Hershey, reflejando un compromiso hacia una cadena de suministro de cacao sostenible y la mejora de las condiciones de vida de las familias productoras de cacao.
허쉬(Hershey)는 서아프리카의 카카오 재배 지역 사회에서 교육 인프라에 투자하고 있으며, 이는 130년 동안 아동 교육에 대한 헌신을 계속하는 것입니다. 이 회사는 코트디부아르에서 12개의 새로운 학교 건설을 지원하며, 그 중 하나는 오제크로(Ozékro) 마을에 있습니다. 허쉬는 아동 학습 및 교육 시설(Child Learning and Education Facility, CLEF)과 협력하여 2,500개의 교실을 건설하고, 교사를 교육하며, 500만 명의 초등학생의 문해력을 향상시키는 것을 목표로 하는 공공-민간 연합입니다.
회사의 노력은 교실 건설을 넘어 급식소, 물 우물, 화장실, 교사 연수 등을 포함합니다. 이러한 이니셔티브는 코트디부아르의 지속 가능한 카카오 국가 전략과 허쉬의 소득 가속기 프로그램에 부합하며, 지속 가능한 카카오 공급망 구축과 카카오 재배 가정의 생계 향상에 대한 헌신을 반영합니다.
Hershey investit dans l'infrastructure éducative des communautés de culture de cacao d'Afrique de l'Ouest, poursuivant ainsi son engagement de 130 ans en faveur de l'éducation des enfants. L'entreprise finance la construction de 12 nouvelles écoles en Côte d'Ivoire, dont une dans le village d'Ozékro. Hershey s'est associé à la Child Learning and Education Facility (CLEF), une coalition public-privée visant à construire 2 500 salles de classe, former des enseignants et améliorer l'alphabétisation pour 5 millions d'enfants d'âge scolaire primaire.
Les efforts de l'entreprise vont au-delà de la construction de salles de classe, incluant des cantines, des puits d'eau, des latrines et la formation des enseignants. Ces initiatives s'alignent avec la Stratégie Nationale pour un Cacao Durable de Côte d'Ivoire et le programme Accélérateur de Revenu de Hershey, reflétant un engagement envers une chaîne d'approvisionnement en cacao durable et l'amélioration des conditions de vie des familles cultivatrices de cacao.
Hershey investiert in die Bildungsinfrastruktur in Kakaogemeinden Westafrikas und setzt damit sein 130-jähriges Engagement für die Bildung von Kindern fort. Das Unternehmen finanziert den Bau von 12 neuen Schulen in Côte d'Ivoire, darunter eine im Dorf Ozékro. Hershey hat sich mit der Child Learning and Education Facility (CLEF) zusammengeschlossen, einer öffentlich-privaten Koalition, die darauf abzielt, 2.500 Klassenzimmer zu bauen, Lehrer auszubilden und die Alphabetisierung von 5 Millionen Grundschulkindern zu verbessern.
Die Bemühungen des Unternehmens gehen über den Bau von Klassenzimmern hinaus und umfassen auch Mensen, Wasserbrunnen, Latrinen und Lehrertrainings. Diese Initiativen stehen im Einklang mit der nationalen Strategie für nachhaltigen Kakao von Côte d'Ivoire und dem Einkommensbeschleuniger-Programm von Hershey, was das Engagement für eine nachhaltige Kakao-Lieferkette und die Verbesserung der Lebensbedingungen von Kakaobauernfamilien widerspiegelt.
- Hershey is funding the construction of 12 new schools in Côte d'Ivoire, improving access to education in cocoa-growing communities
- Partnership with CLEF aims to build 2,500 classrooms and improve literacy for 5 million primary school children
- Comprehensive approach includes building canteens, water wells, latrines, and providing teacher training
- Initiatives align with Côte d'Ivoire's National Strategy for Sustainable Cocoa and Hershey's Income Accelerator program
- None.
Since our founding 130 years ago, Hershey has continued work to expand the education system in cocoa-farming communities in West Africa.
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / August 20, 2024 / Hershey
By Tim McCoy, Director, Cocoa Partnerships
Key Takeaways:
Supporting children's education has been a central part of Hershey's mission since our founding more than 130 years ago. Today, we're continuing this work by helping expand the education system in cocoa-farming communities in West Africa.
We've teamed up with the Government of Côte d'Ivoire and are funding the construction of 12 new schools, including a new school in Ozékro, a small village of farmers in Côte d'Ivoire's western cocoa-growing region.
In addition to school construction, we are working to train teachers, establish remedial education programs and improve literacy and numeracy for 5 million primary school children through the Child Learning and Education Facility (CLEF).
Growing up in rural Appalachia, I knew that education was key to a brighter future. The importance of education is deeply engrained in my family going back to my great-great grandfather, who taught primary school both before and after his service in the U.S. Army during the Civil War and my grandfather, who taught vocational agriculture to American GIs after their service during World War II. This makes me especially proud to work for The Hershey Company, where supporting children has been part of the company's DNA since our founding more than 130 years ago. We want all children to have bright futures, and that extends to the communities in our cocoa supply chain.
Milton Hershey may have given us America's most iconic chocolate bar, but one of our founder's most compelling contributions is Milton Hershey School (MHS). Founded by Milton and his wife Catherine, they built the school with the intention of providing youth with a productive and fulfilling life. Prior to his death, Milton Hershey left the entirety of his fortune with the school to ensure its continued success.
We've continued to carry on this commitment to education today. In addition to our work with youth in the U.S., we're investing in widescale educational infrastructure in West Africa, where much of the world's cocoa is grown, to support children who lack sufficient access to quality education. Our hope is that having greater school access can help set generations of children on a path to fulfilling and productive lives.
We engage with leading children's rights experts to enhance our work and apply what we've learned from years of investing in cocoa-farming communities to achieve greater impact. We're active partners with the Child Learning and Education Facility. (CLEF), a public-private coalition to improve access to quality education for children in cocoa-producing areas of Côte d'Ivoire. In CLEF, we are partnering with the Jacobs Foundation, the Government of Côte d'Ivoire Ministry of Education and Literacy, and 14 other chocolate producers and cocoa suppliers to build 2,500 new classrooms, train teachers, establish remedial education programs and improve literacy and numeracy for 5 million primary school children.
Last year, Hershey signed an agreement with Côte d'Ivoire's National Oversight Committee for Actions to Fight Child Labor, Trafficking and Exploitation (CNS) and the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI) to fund construction of 12 primary schools (72 classrooms) in cocoa-producing communities that currently lack school infrastructure. In 2023, we built three new schools in Côte d'Ivoire and nine more will be completed by the end of 2025.
Many rural cocoa-growing communities lack the financial resources to develop a school system that can serve all the children in the area. Lack of educational infrastructure is often caused by factors like distance between households and challenges in recruiting and housing teachers. In Ozékro, a cocoa-growing community located in western Côte d'Ivoire, the new public primary school is already allowing families to benefit from the project. In a community of fewer than 1,000 people, nearly 200 households have been impacted by having a new school within traveling distance, removing a barrier to education for many. Watch the video above to hear from community members how the new school has made a difference for their families.
Our efforts are aimed toward helping children receive a quality education to achieve their full potential and that high-quality school infrastructure is key to creating a safe and protective environment where children can learn. Research also shows that communities with better access to education have fewer children working to support their families' farms, a key issue in many cocoa-growing regions.
We also know education is about more than just classrooms. Our projects extend to the construction of canteens, upgraded water wells, and latrines. Central to any education system are devoted teachers, so we're working with our partners to train educators and, where appropriate, build teacher lodgings. We're providing school supplies in line with the government's national child labor action plans, and helping children obtain birth certificates that are necessary to enroll in school.
Aligned with the objectives of Côte d'Ivoire's National Strategy for Sustainable Cocoa and Hershey's Income Accelerator program, these investments reflect a shared commitment to ensuring a better and more sustainable cocoa supply chain.
Hershey has an important role to play in a sustainable supply chain and the livelihoods of cocoa farming families. It takes an environment of supportive practices and broad cooperation. No single company can do this alone, so we remain committed to collaborating to tackle the complex issues facing the industry. By working with our partners to eliminate barriers to school attendance, we are making strides to set cocoa-growing communities up for success for generations to come.
View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from The Hershey Company on 3blmedia.com.
Contact Info:
Spokesperson: The Hershey Company
Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/hershey-company
Email: info@3blmedia.com
SOURCE: The Hershey Company
View the original press release on accesswire.com
FAQ
How many new schools is Hershey funding in Côte d'Ivoire?
What is the Child Learning and Education Facility (CLEF) that Hershey has partnered with?
How many children are expected to benefit from Hershey's education initiatives in West Africa?
What additional infrastructure is Hershey providing beyond classrooms in cocoa-growing communities?
