For Mary Owusu, a cocoa farmer from Meduma, Ghana, sending her children to school was a struggle.
“Before Nestlé’s Income Accelerator Program,” Mary says, “it was very difficult for me to send my children to school. As a widow with no support, my children could sometimes attend school only twice a week because I did not have enough money.”
Since joining the program, things have begun to look different. Mary has received the school enrollment incentive, practical support that has made a real difference in her children’s day-to-day lives. “Now, my children can attend school regularly,” she says. “I feel relieved and hopeful because my livelihood has improved through the school enrollment support and the other benefits I receive as part of the program.”
Further south in Anhwiam, in the Ashanti Region, Elizabeth Atideka had a similar experience.
Elizabeth, also a cocoa farmer, watched as the cost of her children’s education slowly became too much to manage, and one of her children had to drop out of school and find work just to help the family get by.
But after joining the Accelerator program, life changed. With the cash support she received, Elizabeth was able to buy school uniforms, shoes, bags, and textbooks for her children. And her child who had dropped out, is now back in class.
“The program has helped me a lot with my children’s education,” Elizabeth says. “My children have shown greater interest in schooling than in previous years, since they now have everything they need to perform well at school.”
For both Mary and Elizabeth, the Income Accelerator Program hasn’t just eased a financial burden, it has given their children a future.
About the Income Accelerator Program:
Nestlés Income Accelerator Program aims to improve the livelihoods of cocoa-farming families. It rewards cocoa-farming families not just for the quantity and quality of their cocoa beans, but also for practices that benefit the environment and the local community. The program’s approach aims to deliver a long-lasting impact by incentivising the enrollment of children in school while advancing regenerative agriculture practices and gender equality. The program rewards practices that increase crop productivity and help secure additional sources of income, which aim to help close the gap in living income and help protect children.