Pictured: Mercy Zaah, member of Kuapa Kokoo Co-op.
This guest blog comes to us from our supporters at Divine Chocolate.
For the past few years, Divine Chocolate has partnered with Whole Planet Foundation to support its microfinance programs and women’s empowerment initiatives.
We are pleased to continue the tradition this year with our Divine Chocolate Advent Calendar giveback program. For every calendar sold, not only does five cents go to Whole Planet Foundation’s microcredit programs, but five percent of sales is donated to Divine Chocolate’s own microlending program in support of Kuapa Kokoo farmers in Ghana.
Divine Chocolate is the only 100% Fairtrade chocolate company that is also co-owned by cocoa farmers. Members of Kuapa Kokoo, a co-operative of over 85,000 cocoa farmers in Ghana, benefit not only from the Fairtrade premium on the sale of their beans, but also receive the largest share (44%) of Divine’s distributable profit and 2% of total sales. This, in turn, enables farmers to enjoy more economic stability and the increased influence in the cocoa industry that company ownership brings.
Members of a Kuapa Kokoo Co-op women’s group.
Women’s empowerment through economic stability has always been a central philosophy for Divine
Chocolate and Whole Planet Foundation. In order to generate additional income after the cocoa harvest, many female cocoa farmers have started up small businesses such as liquid soap-making, selling clothing, or making baked goods.
Divine Chocolate’s microlending program will not only provide additional funding for women to manage their small businesses, but also, coupled with literacy and numeracy programs which Divine Chocolate funds, female cocoa farmers will become more financially literate by managing these loans. The extra household income generated by woman-owned small businesses is often used to keep their children, particularly girls, in school longer than families in villages where women’s training and microloans are not available.
This holiday season is a sweet time to join us in financing small businesses across the globe. $.05 of each Divine Chocolate’s Advent Calendar goes to Whole Planet Foundation!
