More than 12,000 employees volunteered nearly 40,000 hours across 70 countries during Mondelēz International’s annual Global Volunteer Month campaign in October 2015.
Among the volunteers, 14 served as Joy Ambassadors during a two-week skills-exchange mission in Ghana.
This team learned about the challenges and opportunities in securing a sustainable cocoa supply while sharing their business skills – from agronomy and research and development to operations, procurement, marketing and law.
The team, representing 10 countries (Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Columbia, Egypt, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, the United States and Switzerland), lived in Aysikrom, Adiembra and Ehiamenkyene, three of the more than 200 Ghanaian villages active in Cocoa Life, the company’s 10-year, $400 million cocoa sustainability program.
The Joy Ambassadors facilitated micro-enterprise workshops focused on developing entrepreneurial skills to help local communities.
They shared their insights on how to identify and launch a business idea, by scaling a business through marketing practices and building the facilitation, collaboration and influencing skills to help enable positive community outcomes.
“While my primary income comes from cocoa farming, the workshops opened my eyes to additional business opportunities as a secondary income to help my family prosper,” said Emmanuel Tetteh, a local cocoa farmer.
Developing innovations to help empower women in cocoa growing communities launch and operate small enterprises was a substantial focus of this year’s mission.
Women cocoa farmers in Ghana earn 25-30% less than their male counterparts and often struggle with less access to financing and business knowledge.
“The women involved in the Cocoa Life program are very entrepreneurial and eager to share their business ideas and learn new ways to grow their micro-enterprises more efficiently,” said Joy Ambassador Maria Gabriela Cadenas, associate director information systems, Colombia.
“Many women have even learned to produce soap from empty cocoa pods.”
“I’ve learned a lot from their determination, strength and innovation to find ways to provide additional income for their families. They are fighters.”
