Supporting Education in Ghana
Access to education, a priority for Valrhona
Since 2017, Valrhona and FEDCO have carried out a far-reaching program to improve educational conditions in their eight sourcing communities.
This program benefits producer families’ (and their neighbors’) children. The aim is that all 4,882 children get access to good school conditions.
Our first Results:
1,408 students (registered in January 2020) have benefitted from an improved educational setting since the program was launched. In total, three schools have already been rebuilt and another two renovated, providing 23 classrooms for three communities! 2019 saw the completion of two projects, as well as financial support via the Valrhona Foundation from some new donors. These were:
- DFNI Magazine, which donated the money it raised at its London charity gala on April 5, 2019
- The Cœur Gourmand Association donated all the proceeds from a dinner held in Tain l’Hermitage on May 19, 2019, as part of its La Conche event
- And pastry chef François Granger
This allowed building work at Atwereboanda high school to be completed. The project created space for six classrooms, a staff room, a computer room, six toilets and a newly drilled well. The schools’ current 208 students (registered in January 2020) will all benefit as a result. The construction budget was $178,308.77 (USD).
The high school was inaugurated on Wednesday, August 28 during a ceremony whose attendees included numerous producers, their families and two patrons: DFNI representative Amanda Félix and pastry chef François Granger. Atwereboanda Primary School has also been renovated for its six grades of students, with most work concentrating on the floor, roof and toilets, as part of a project totaling $32,215.13 (USD).
The renovated school now welcomes 323 students.
In 2020, the program will continue by setting up a primary school in Bosomtwe, renovating the flooring at Wassa Nkran primary school and carrying out other projects identified in the prioritization plan drawn up with local authorities and the Ghanaian Ministry of Education.
