Hershey opens primary schools in Ivory Coast

Chocolate brand Hershey, in collaboration with local and international partners, has opened three public primary schools in Gly, a village in the Lôh-Djiboua region of Ivory Coast.

In a statement, Hershey said the initiative, which included the construction of a new school and the renovation of two existing ones, aimed to improve education in cocoa-producing areas.

A tripartite partnership with Hershey, the National Committee for Monitoring Actions to Combat Child Labor, chaired by the First Lady of Ivory Coast, Dominique Ouattara, and the International Cocoa Initiative Foundation led the school project.

The schools are part of a larger effort to improve educational infrastructure in regions known for cocoa farming, a sector where child labor is a problem, Hershey said.

Hershey’s Senior Vice President and General Counsel James Turoff said the company has viewed education as important for more than 130 years of its existence.

Turoff said: “Supporting children’s education is fundamental to our work in cocoa growing communities. Through this effort, we hope to provide greater access to quality education and help generations of children thrive.”

Hershey noted that one of the schools was named “Gly 3 Dominique Ouattara,” after the First Lady of Ivory Coast, Ouattara, in recognition of her commitment to children’s rights.

Ouattara expressed her gratitude, noting that the new schools were an important step toward securing a better future for rural children.

“Hershey’s contribution reflects our shared vision of ensuring that children in rural areas have access to modern educational facilities,” said Ouattara.

Participants at the event included the Minister of Women, Family and Children, Nassénéba Toure, representing Ouattara, traditional leaders, local officials, students and parents.

According to Hershey, the school’s inauguration aligns with its broader commitment to supporting education in cocoa-producing communities as part of its global ‘Cocoa for Good’ strategy.

It added that it planned to build 12 primary schools with 72 classrooms in Ivory Coast by 2025.