IFCC

Women and Cocoa Communities Initiative

Project Summary

With the Women and Cocoa Communities Initiative (IFCC), we adopt a multisectoral and integrated approach that leverages the consortium’s expertise: socio-economic development through the cooperative model and education. This program supports women and girls from cocoa-producing communities so they can become agents of change in their communities. It aims in particular to improve the socio-economic empowerment of girls by increasing their access to economic and productive resources, as well as to education.

Objectives

  • Improve the living conditions of cocoa-growing communities, especially women and girls
  • Strengthen socio-economic empowerment in rural cocoa-producing communities
  • Build the capacity of FNFPCC, cocoa co-operatives, and women’s savings groups (AVEC) to offer products and services tailored to member needs and climate realities
  • Improve the ability of local stakeholders to support the resilience of cocoa communities and their food systems in the face of climate change and socio-economic shocks

Results and impact

  • More than CAD $2 million in savings mobilized through the 233 Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) supported by the project, enabling the disbursement of more than CAD $1 million in loans to support the creation of over 3,500 income-generating activities benefiting women and girls.
  • 77% of households now involve women in economic decision-making, compared with 43% at the start of the project.
  • 84% of women and 65% of girls report being able to control their economic and productive resources, compared with 54% and 34%, respectively, at the beginning of the project.
  • 87% of women and 87% of girls report being able to make decisions that support their economic advancement and continued education, compared with 58% and 39%, respectively, at the start of the project.
  • 99% of women members and 96% of men members of co-operatives now use products and services adapted to their needs and to climate change.
  • Four agroforestry nurseries were established, producing 446,429 shade tree seedlings, contributing to the climate resilience of cocoa-growing communities.

Testimonial

“I was never sent to school. Before the IFCC project, I didn’t know how to count. Now I do. Even when I’m in public, I speak French. I’ve put my shame behind me. I’m no longer ashamed. Now I speak French. Today, I can manage on my own. I know how to express myself and how to name things in French. It has truly helped me. I hope it will help my sisters too. When they have the opportunity to go to school, they should seize it, be courageous, and learn. It is truly something very good.”

  • Aya Antoinnette Koffi
    Member of the Lucienkro Village Savings and Loan Association and IFCC project participant

“I took literacy classes using a mobile phone. The phone really helped me because I didn’t know how to use it before. Thanks to Socodevi, I can now use a phone and access social media. But what helped me even more was learning how to sew. Before, when I went to town to buy goods, I couldn’t calculate the cost of my purchases. Now I do my calculations and I know when I’m paying a fair price. It has truly changed my life, and I thank Socodevi.”

  • Adjo Chantal N'Dri
    Member of the Balokuya Village Savings and Loan Association and IFCC project participant

“Thanks to the loans I obtained through the AVEC, I was able to buy more goods and I am now building a nice little shop to display them.”

  • Kohou Chia Françoise
    Trader and member of an AVEC (Association for the Promotion of Community Mutual Support) in Adzopé, Côte d’Ivoire

Partners

  • Consortium partner
    • Fondation Paul Gérin-Lajoie
  • Implementing partners
    • Trente coopératives cacaoyères
    • Fédération nationale des femmes productrices de café-cacao (FNFPCC)
    • Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Food Crop Production (MINADERPV)
    • Conseil du Café-Cacao (CCC)
    • Agence nationale d’appui au développement rural (ANADER)
    • Ministry of National Education, Literacy and Technical Education (MENAET)
    • Ministère de la Femme, de la Famille et de l’Enfant (MFFE)
    • World Cocao Foundation (WFC)

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