HER STORY: RODIASSE, WEST AFRICA

Rodiasse is married with three children. She lives in the South West of Côte d'lvoire. She has been a member of the Women for Change, Village Savings & Loans Associations program, supported by CARE and Mars, for four years. Through the program, Rodiasse and her husband were able to buy a cocoa farm, build a house in the city, and build an animal breeding business. Rodiasse also has her own juice making enterprise.

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JULIETTE - WEST AFRICA

Juliette is a hairstylist. Before the literacy program , Juliette had a hard time maneuvering the logistics of her business because she was unable to read or write. People would steal money from her because of this barrier. Mars and The Women for Change literacy programme have helped her manage her business, and she can now operate her services with more confidence & security.

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LEA - WEST AFRICA

Lea is the Women for Change, VSLA president, with three daughters under her care. She undertakes the leadership of selling fabric. She also sells mutton and keeps goats, advocates for women's rights beyond the village, and now that she has financial stability, enjoys an improved relationship with her husband.

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ICHI - INDONESIA

Since 2007, Ichi has been working for Mars to ensure that cocoa beans purchased from farmers and collectors meet the company's Responsibly Sourced Cocoa Standard. As a cocoa farmer's daughter, she understands the importance of transparency in improving farmers' income and hopes it will improve financial inclusion for farming families and eventually help children from farming families to pursue education.

Starting in 2016, Mars and CARE have been working together in rolling out the Women for Change, Village Savings & Loans Associations program, to support women's empowerment in the cocoa-supply chain.

On International Women's Day in 2019, the first stone was laid on a new marketplace for women-led businesses in the village of Gueyo, a centrally located commerce area nestled amongst the cocoa fields of Côte d'lvoire in West Africa.

GUEYO MARKET

We partnered with CARE to help the village of Gueyo build a much-needed new marketplace.
This houses 150 businesses primarily run by women.

Our Women for Change, Village Savings and Loans Associations Program

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Our Partners:

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RAINFOREST ALLIANCE

Collaborates and supports businesses in their journey towards sustainability.

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CARE

A leading humanitarian agency delivering emergency relief and long-term international development projects.