Hershey, Barry Callebaut complete joint project

Addressing a critical community need in the western cocoa-growing region of C?te d’Ivoire, The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) and Barry Callebaut set up a primary school, community and farmer training centre. Located in the Abokro, Gabiadji, Bas-Sassandra region, the school and community centre will be fully operational for the 2013-14 schoolyear. About 150 primary-school-age children are enrolled in the new school.

The rural regions of C?te d’Ivoire suffer from a lack of modern primary school buildings 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 subsidised 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 Learn to Grow initiative

The Hershey Learn to Grow initiative modernises cocoa farming techniques, increases the yield of cocoa production, and thus improves the livelihoods of cocoa farmers and their families.  It features farmer and community projects in C?te d’Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria. In C?te d’Ivoire, the Hershey Learn to Grow programme 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 programme.

The Abokro primary school is a registered public school and its operation will be managed by the Ministry of Education. The infirmary will be staffed and operated by a professional health worker assigned by the Ministry of Health. Barry Callebaut's local subsidiary, SACO, will liaise, on behalf of the two chocolate companies, with a school committee regarding future development activities. The school committee will be comprised of teachers and community members, inNike Sneakers