The Global Cocoa Project (GCP) is a high-impact poverty alleviation project focused on significantly improving the lives of cocoa farmers worldwide through the supply of equipment and basic needs. The secondary goal is to educate Americans about the realities of the cocoa industry and leverage the power of knowledgeable, concerned consumers to help make cocoa growing a profitable and sustainable occupation for farmers.
The Global Cocoa Project’s first initiative is called 21 Villages. It will support 1,000 cocoa farmers in Côte d’Ivoire by supplying them with the basic tools necessary to improve the quality of their cocoa production. Additionally, it will provide basic needs such as: wells, latrines, and sanitation education; bikes to transport goods to local markets; solar-powered lights for community spaces and solar-powered lanterns with mobile phone recharging capabilities for home use. Given that families and communities will benefit from the above donations, the overall impact of 21 Villages will exceed 20,000 people.
The Global Cocoa Project will begin its work in Côte d’Ivoire not only because the farmers live below the poverty line, but because 75% of all the chocolate consumed in America comes from Côte d’Ivoire. With the help of Albert Kouassi Konan, the former COO of Kavokiva, a leading fair trade certification organization, the first 21 villages with whom we will be working have been identified, and each has completed a needs assessment survey.
The Global Cocoa Project and its first campaign, 21 Villages, are designed to give individuals who are also chocolate lovers a direct connection to high-impact grassroots giving. A bottom-up, grassroots approach is taken to assure that each village receives the tools and services they need most. Our trusted team on the ground in Côte d’Ivoire will ensure that donations will be used exactly as intended.
Additionally, the Global Cocoa Project is forging relationships with chocolatiers who are working closely with the countries, cooperatives and villages from where they source their cocoa. So far the following chocolatiers have been identified: Alter Eco Fair Trade, Amano, Bonnat, Divine Chocolate, El Ceibo, Equal Exchange, Green & Blacks, Gnosis Chocolate, Kallari, Madécasse, MOHO, Pacari, Sweet Earth Organic Chocolates, Taza, Tcho and Valrhona.
To see videos from our 2009 and 2011 chocolate tasting fundraisers as well as two video shorts about the impact of the donations (under 2 minutes) please click here.