Mondelēz International has announced new plans to accelerate women’s empowerment across four cocoa origin countries as part of Cocoa Life, the company’s cocoa sustainability program.
Based on program learnings and insights from international and local partners, the plans focus on promoting women’s empowerment across five focus areas: farming, community, youth, livelihoods, and environment.
The company launched specific women’s empowerment action plans in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire in 2014 and is now expanding to include two additional origin countries, Indonesia and the Dominican Republic.
Each action plan for a specific region is tailored according to local needs, supported by a change methodology that links resources, activities, outcomes and ultimate impact.
These new action plans will empower more than 100,000 women in over 1,000 communities in these four countries.
Women’s Empowerment
“As a company, we’re committed to offering snacks that are made the right way and that includes transforming our cocoa supply chain to grow opportunities for farmers and communities,” said Cathy Pieters, Cocoa Life director.
“We believe women’s empowerment plays a crucial role in creating sustainable cocoa communities. Based on our experience, in communities where women’s voices are heard and treated equally, we see rising incomes, better management of family finances and increased school attendance.
“This translates to greater economic success and more sustainable cocoa farming. Women’s empowerment grows opportunities for all.”
The Cocoa Life program provides 50,000 women annually with access to finance to fund education and encourage entrepreneurship, in order to give them a voice and unlock their potential.
“Women’s empowerment is a top priority for Oxfam and underpins the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals,” said Sarah Zoen, senior advisor, private sector department, Oxfam America.
“We welcome Cocoa Life’s commitment to women’s empowerment and recognise the detailed and locally sensitive nature of their plans.”
© 2018 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Aidan O’Sullivan. Click subscribe to sign up for the Checkout print edition.
