Against child labor – joint forces to promote quality education
Zurich, April 21, 2020 A strong coalition of the Ivorian government, companies of the cocoa and chocolate industry and philanthropic partners aims to jointly tackle root causes of child labor in Côte d’Ivoire The coalition intends to structure two initiatives with a total target capitalization of 150 million Swiss francs and boost quality education and…
Read More →
Acumen Report: Cocoa Interrupted
Author: Acumen Year: 2019 Cocoa Interrupted details how social enterprises can play a role in creatively and sustainably addressing the varied needs of cocoa growing communities. The spirit of entrepreneurship, combined with a drive to solve complex social problems, makes social enterprise a natural ally in the effort to tackle the systemic issues associated with the cocoa industry in…
Read More →
Capacity building for young Ivorian researchers
A new PhD program is supporting young researchers in Côte d’Ivoire to advance their knowledge on early childhood development. Learn more about research interests of the six fellows and their united goal of enhancing lives of children and youth. (240 ch.) Scientific research is essential to advance knowledge related to early childhood development (ECD) and…
Read More →
Portrait of Programa Valentina, a startup that develops technological skills among young Guatemalan
On the occasion of the Seedstars Summit, an annual event that aims to reward social entrepreneurship in emerging markets, but which this year, due to the COVID-19 crisis, took place online, TRECC presented the Transforming Education Prize to the Guatemalan startup Programa Valentina. The prize, worth CHF 50,000, is intended to reward the startup that has made the most outstanding contribution to education through the potential and scope of its impact on its environment. Here’s the portrait of Programa…
Read More →
Bridging the Gap: How to Prepare Younger Generations to the Future of Work
Today’s era is defined by emerging innovative technologies. We are living in a time during which digital is merging with the physical and robots are capable of executing surgeries on human brains. These times require completely revolutionary approaches to schooling and to education – approaches that start with children as young as 2 and 3.…
Read More →
Programa Valentina wins Transforming Education Prize
Programa Valentina wins the Transforming Education Prize 2020, worth 50,000 Swiss francs, offered by TRECC. Programa Valentina reduces youth unemployment and underemployment in Guatemala with training, certification and placement programs. Education is one of the key areas to drive change in emerging markets. Despite a lot of technological progress, even today most rural and low-income…
Read More →
Success story of the Women for Change project: Bamba from Guéyo
Bamba Zolet is 35 and lives in Guéyo in southwestern Côte d’Ivoire. Originally from the far west of the country, she came with her husband in search of a better life in the country’s largest cocoa producing region. However, things did not go as planned. After 10 years in Guéyo, Bamba and her husband, Diomandé, and their two daughters were living in…
Read More →
Women empowerment has contributed to improve quality of life for families in Cocoa Communities
Women are pivotal agents for development. Their role is crucial in achieving desired economic, social and environmental changes. Nonetheless, women living in cocoa communities often face disparities based on social beliefs and power structures that underestimate their value in society, as well as their significant contribution to cocoa production and their impact on the healthy development of the next prospering generation. In 2015, Mars and the Jacobs Foundation joined forces to support women empowerment in…
Read More →
The Jacobs Foundation pledges CHF 30M to address child labor through quality education
Quality education is key to improving the lives of children and to tackling one of the root causes of child labor in cocoa-growing communities. The Jacobs Foundation and its philanthropic partners have pledged an initial investment of CHF 30M with the objective of leveraging CHF 150M for quality education in cocoa-growing Côte d’Ivoire. The seed…
Read More →