Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) has revealed its intention to continue a program of vocational training in Côte d’Ivoire, which was originally piloted in two cocoa-growing communities.
The Specific Age Group Education and Empowerment System (Sage2S) initially worked with the communities of Amélékia and Appronprom – in the east of the country – to provide innovative and integrated family-based support for education and rural entrepreneurship. The program has been designed to increase mobilisation, organisation and training of the broader rural community in Côte d’Ivoire.
A total of 120 trainees in the two communities took part in Sage2S during 2014, and the program is split between three different age groups with a different focus in each group. The initiative supports the development of micro- and small rural enterprises with a strong emphasis on gender equality; female attendance reached two thirds at training sessions in Appronprom, ADM Cocoa reported.
ADM Cocoa director of sustainability Michiel Hendriksz said: “The SAGE²S program has proven to be valuable and has reached community leaders and young people alike. There is a high level of motivation, so simply providing the necessary tools, education and training pertaining to farming food crops, cocoa and other important topics allowed us to experience tangible success.”
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