WETO Cocoa Belt Schools initiative with BringKids2School
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We are pleased to announce the launch of Cocoa Belt Schools, a WETO initiative created in partnership with BringKids2Schools.
The initiative is focused on supporting education in cocoa-growing regions – the Cocoa Belt – where the global cocoa value chain begins.
As a company working within the cocoa industry, WETO is connected not only with cocoa processing plants and manufacturers, but also with the regions and communities that stand at the very beginning of the cocoa journey. Through Cocoa Belt Schools, we want to strengthen that connection and contribute directly to the communities behind the raw material on which our industry is built.
Supporting the Cocoa Belt
The Cocoa Belt Schools initiative was created with a clear purpose: to direct support towards communities in cocoa-producing regions and help create better access to education for children living there.
For WETO, the cocoa value chain starts long before processing begins. It starts in local communities where cocoa is grown and where families and future generations are closely connected with the industry.
That is why we want our involvement to go beyond technology, machinery and process engineering. We want to support the regions that form the foundation of the entire cocoa sector.
By supporting school projects within the Cocoa Belt, we aim to help create long-term opportunities for children and their communities – opportunities to learn, develop and build a better future.
Why education?
In many cocoa-growing regions, children still have limited access to quality education. For local communities, access to a school can make a meaningful difference by creating a safe and structured place where children can learn, develop their skills and prepare for the future.
Education creates opportunities that can extend far beyond the classroom. It gives young people the chance to gain knowledge, build confidence and develop abilities that can support them throughout their lives. For families and local communities, a school can become an important part of building stronger foundations for the next generation.
That is why education is at the heart of the Cocoa Belt Schools initiative. We want to support projects that create lasting value in the communities located in cocoa-growing regions - the places where the global cocoa journey begins.
Why education?
In many cocoa-growing regions, children still have limited access to quality education. For local communities, access to a school can make a meaningful difference by creating a safe and structured place where children can learn, develop their skills and prepare for the future.
Education creates opportunities that can extend far beyond the classroom. It gives young people the chance to gain knowledge, build confidence and develop abilities that can support them throughout their lives. For families and local communities, a school can become an important part of building stronger foundations for the next generation.
That is why education is at the heart of the Cocoa Belt Schools initiative. We want to support projects that create lasting value in the communities located in cocoa-growing regions — the places where the global cocoa journey begins.
Together with BringKids2Schools, we aim to contribute to school projects that are developed with the involvement of local communities, public school authorities and project partners. Our goal is not only to help create places to learn, but also to support opportunities that can continue to benefit children and their communities for years to come.
By investing in education, we invest in future generations of the Cocoa Belt.
A community-based model
The projects supported by BringKids2Schools are based on cooperation between local communities, public school authorities, project partners and donors.
Local communities contribute land, local materials and volunteers. Public school authorities provide teachers and educational materials, while project partners manage planning, construction and quality control. BringKids2Schools helps finance the school projects. All members of BringKids2Schools work on a voluntary basis, ensuring that 100% of donations go directly to the school projects.
Community involvement and women’s participation are an important part of this model.
From cocoa industry to cocoa communities
Bringkids2schools has already helped finance more than 40 schools, with each school able to serve up to 150 students. Since 2020, more than USD 1.2 million has been raised to support school projects.
With Cocoa Belt Schools, WETO is now taking its first step in supporting educational projects in the regions where cocoa originates.
We see this initiative as a way to connect two ends of the same value chain: the industry that processes cocoa and the communities where cocoa production begins.
Our ambition is to involve customers, partners and other companies from the cocoa sector and, together, create a broader network of support for education across the Cocoa Belt.
Because the cocoa value chain begins with people.
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Let’s create opportunities together - where the cocoa journey begins.