Empowering African Nations Since 1981
Côte d'Ivoire
Since 2005, we have been working in Côte d'Ivoire to improve the quality of education in cocoa farming communities through teacher training, the establishment of teacher resource centers and the development of a functional literacy manual. Our focus is on computer skills, curriculum development, teaching English as a Second Language, health, small-scale business development and early childhood development. We also focus on training teachers how to educate their students using teaching and learning materials made from construction paper and recycled materials developed in the field.
In 2007, IFESH, Winrock International and Making Cents joined the World Cocoa Foundation's Empowering Cocoa Households with Opportunities and Educational Soultions (ECHOES) Alliance. The Alliance evolved out of a commitment by the World Cocoa Foundation and USAID to strengthen the capacity of cocoa farmers to promote sustainable income and to increase educational opportunities for families in order to reduce the prevalence of child labor and to increase literacy levels. We are responsible for developing and supporting the basic education component in Côte d'Ivoire, with our focus being teacher training, establishing teacher resource centers and functional literacy. Activities under the basic education component which includes teacher training, functional literacy and establishing and operating teacher resource centers are implemented by IFESH, those under livelihoods component are implemented by Winrock, and those under innovative activities are implemented by Winrock and Making Cents. We are working in the Abengourou, Aboisso, Adzope, Alepé, Daloa and Yamoussoukro districts.
Through the Mars, Inc. iMPACT Project, we work in cocoa growing communities to improve social, economic and environmental situations and to contribute to the development of cocoa farming as a profitable, socially rewarding and sustainable occupation for future generations. Our goal is to demonstrate that an integrated approach that includes agriculture, environment, education and health can lead to distinct changes in income and welfare of rural communities.
Current Projects
Mars Partnership Project for Cocoa Communities of Today and Tomorrow (iMPACT)
Empowering Cocoa Households with Opportunities and Educational Solutions (ECHOES)
International Educators for Africa (IEFA)
Past Projects Include
Teacher Resource Centers
Best and Brightest African Bankers Training Project
International Fellows Program
