From cocoa farm to classroom
CARE reports positive changes through its Cargill-supported Rural Education Project in Ghana.
This year, twelve-year-old Abigail Osei is going to school. To understand how noteworthy that is you must first know that Abigail lives in the Ashaniti Region of Ghana and that her parents are cocoa farmers. Before now, Abigail had been out of school for two years because her parents could not afford books or a uniform, and didn’t support her attending school.
Her parents’ attitudes aren’t unusual where they live. Thirty-five percent of the children in Ghana don’t attend primary school. But, Abigail’s father had a change of heart after attending meetings organized by CARE and Cargill, where he learned about the benefits of education and the harm caused by child labor.
Positive changes at schools and farms
Six-months into its second phase, CARE is reporting positive changes in the area’s schools and farms through its Cargill-supported Rural Education Project. Phase II marked the expansion of the project to 40 new communities, bringing the total to 70. Among the early successes:
- Increased cocoa output: The average production rate has jumped from 30 (65-kilogram) bags to 50 bags per farmer, a sixty percent increase. Fourteen thousand cocoa farmers have directly benefited from the program.
- Increased school enrollment and attendance: In the 2007/2008 school year an additional 1,900 students attended school, an increase of nearly 4 percent.
- Well-organized farmer groups: The 70 farmer groups organized by the project are offering important benefits to their 7,000 members, of whom 1,400 are women. Ten of the groups have used their collective savings to purchase 10 additional cocoa spraying machines to add to those donated by the project. In addition, farmers have established group nurseries and regularly work together to weed individual members’ farms.
Improved livelihoods
“Now that I’m a member of a farmer group, it is the responsibility of the group to ensure that all members receive assistance on their farms at the right time,” notes Akosua Bempah, a 52-year old cocoa farmer from Kunsu Cam. “My income has doubled and I am using this money to support my (six) children.”
Substantial, long-term commitment
The Ghana project originated as part of Cargill’s four-year investment (2004-2008) that launched successful, large-scale projects in Asia, Africa, South and Central America. Last year, Cargill expanded those efforts with a five-year, $10 million initiative designed to help 100,000 rural residents in six nations lift themselves out of poverty.
A brighter future
Abigail Osei may not know all the details of why her life has taken a happy turn. But she’s glad it did. Recently, she participated in a trip to meet role models – an excursion that would not have been possible without Cargill’s support. “I loved getting to sit on a bus and travel to the district capital to meet doctors, nurses, a police officer and even a woman lawyer,” said Abigail. “Now I know that one day I can become a doctor too.”
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