Barry Callebaut inaugurates new rural primary schools and community learning centers in Côte d'Ivoire
(Thomson Reuters ONE) -
Barry Callebaut /
Barry Callebaut inaugurates new rural primary schools and community learning
centers in Côte d'Ivoire
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Promoting education in cocoa farming communities
* Barry Callebaut completes construction of two new rural primary schools and
community learning centers to serve cocoa farmer families
* Work underway with development experts and community members to establish
school food programs and provide child labor sensitization activities
* Project recognized as contributing to the elimination of child labor in Côte
d'Ivoire
Zurich/Switzerland, May 7, 2013 - Barry Callebaut, the world's leading
manufacturer of high-quality cocoa and chocolate products, recently inaugurated
two new rural primary schools and community learning centers in Côte d'Ivoire.
Since 2010 the company has funded the construction of seven primary schools in
Côte d'Ivoire, providing a total to date of 21 furnished classrooms to enable
over 1,000 children in rural cocoa growing areas to attend school.
Barry Callebaut's latest educational infrastructure projects in Côte d'Ivoire
were completed in the villages of Mossi Carrefour, located south of Divo, and in
Djahakro, located northeast of San Pedro. Several thousand cocoa farmers and
their families live in the villages and surrounding areas, and more than 900 are
members of cooperatives that have participated in Barry Callebaut's Quality
Partner Program for over five years. Through its Quality Partner Program,
established in 2005, Barry Callebaut works to advance sustainable cocoa
production and improve farmer livelihoods.
The new schools in Mossi Carrefour and Djahakro were inaugurated on March
13, 2013, and April 9, 2013, respectively. Community members including farmers
and management staff of the cooperatives, as well as village chiefs and elders,
local government officials and representatives of the Education Ministry
participated in the inauguration events hosted by Barry Callebaut.
"The construction of new primary classrooms to meet the needs of rural
communities, in particular in cocoa growing areas, is of great importance to the
Ministry of Education in Côte d'Ivoire. Making quality schools available is one
of the most effective ways to combat the issue of child labor, and we are
grateful for the contribution to this effort made by Barry Callebaut," said Mrs.
Kandia Camara, Minister of National Education and Technical Education in Côte
d'Ivoire.
The project, which is part of Barry Callebaut's USD 42 million Cocoa Horizons
global sustainability initiative, represents an investment commitment of USD
300,000 over three years and includes the provision of infrastructure and
community-driven curriculum in two rural cocoa farming communities with a
combined population of more than 11,000.
"Our goal is for the school facility to evolve into a community learning center
and to serve as a focal point in the village," said Paul De Petter, VP Cocoa
Africa at Barry Callebaut. "We are proud to be working in partnership with the
local cooperative and farmers to help meet their urgent needs for educational
facilities for their primary school-age children. By providing well-built
accommodations for teachers, as well as school facilities, we also aim to help
these remote farming communities attract and retain qualified teachers."
The infrastructure elements include a furnished and equipped school building
with three classrooms and an office for teachers, separate latrines for boys and
girls, solar panels for lighting, a school canteen, a teacher housing unit with
three two-room apartments, and a community water well. The curriculum
components, being developed with local NGOs and the International Cocoa
Initiative (ICI), will include child labor sensitization activities and
agricultural and business skills training to enable women to run and manage a
school food program.
"While we have worked already with five other communities in remote cocoa
growing areas to build primary schools and other infrastructure, this is the
first time Barry Callebaut is implementing a combined approach integrating
infrastructure and curriculum for community members," said Marina Morari,
Manager Corporate Social Responsibility, Global Sourcing & Cocoa, at Barry
Callebaut. "We will be monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the
combined approach to determine the opportunities for expansion to additional
communities."
The construction of the schools, fully funded by Barry Callebaut, is part of a
three-year project that has been recognized as contributing to the elimination
of the worst forms of child labor by the Child Labor Cocoa Coordinating Group
(CLCCG). The CLCCG is the steering group for the "Framework of Action to Support
the Implementation of the Harkin-Engel Protocol," a commitment by multiple
stakeholders to reduce the worst forms of child labor in the cocoa sectors in
Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana by 70 percent in aggregate by 2020. Members of the CLCCG
include U.S. Senator Tom Harkin, U.S. Representative Eliot Engel and
representatives from the U.S. Department of Labor, the Government of Côte
d'Ivoire, the Government of Ghana, and the international chocolate and cocoa
industry.
***
Barry Callebaut (www.barry-callebaut.com):
With annual sales of about CHF 4.8 billion (EUR 4.0 billion / USD 5.2 billion)
in fiscal year 2011/12, Zurich-based Barry Callebaut is the world's leading
manufacturer of high-quality cocoa and chocolate - from the cocoa bean to the
finest chocolate product. Barry Callebaut operates out of 30 countries, runs
more than 45 production facilities and employs a diverse and dedicated workforce
of about 6,000 people. Barry Callebaut serves the entire food industry focusing
on industrial food manufacturers, artisans and professional users of chocolate
(such as chocolatiers, pastry chefs or bakers), the latter with its two global
brands Callebaut(®) and Cacao Barry(®). Barry Callebaut is the global leader in
cocoa and chocolate innovations and provides a comprehensive range of services
in the fields of product development, processing, training and marketing. Cost
leadership is another important reason why global as well as local food
manufacturers work together with Barry Callebaut. Through its Cocoa Horizons
initiative and research activities, the company engages with farmers, farmer
organizations and other partners to help ensure future supplies of cocoa and
improve farmer livelihoods.
***
Contact
for investors and financial analysts: for the media:
Evelyn Nassar Raphael Wermuth
Head of Investor Relations Head of Media Relations
Barry Callebaut AG Barry Callebaut AG
Telefon: +41 43 204 04 23 Telefon: +41 43 204 04 58
evelyn_nassar(at)barry-callebaut.com raphael_wermuth(at)barry-callebaut.com
The complete news release and various images can be downloaded from the
following links:
Mossi Carrefour Inauguration 1:
http://hugin.info/100441/R/1699413/560922.jpg
Mossi Carrefour Inauguration 2:
http://hugin.info/100441/R/1699413/560923.jpg
Mossi Carrefour Inauguration 3:
http://hugin.info/100441/R/1699413/560925.jpg
Djahakro Inauguration 1:
http://hugin.info/100441/R/1699413/560915.jpg
Djahakro Inauguration 2:
http://hugin.info/100441/R/1699413/560916.jpg
News Release (PDF):
http://hugin.info/100441/R/1699413/560593.pdf
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(ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and
originality of the information contained therein.
Source: Barry Callebaut via Thomson Reuters ONE
[HUG#1699413]
Unternehmensinformation / Kurzprofil:
Datum: 07.05.2013 - 10:00 Uhr
Sprache: Deutsch
News-ID 256781
Anzahl Zeichen: 9070
contact information:
Town:
Zurich
Kategorie:
Business News
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