From tiny cocoa beans nestled in colorful pods to a delicious velvety confection, your favorite chocolate bar undergoes a remarkable transformation before reaching your hands. At the heart of this journey are cocoa farmers who have built their livelihoods on the cocoa industry. Meet some of the women and men in three cocoa cooperatives in Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
Graduates from a TechnoServe entrepreneurship program share turning points they experienced in the program, their hopes for the future, and what they’ve been doing since graduating.
Enterprising women are key to generating diverse economic opportunities in Côte d’Ivoire’s cocoa-growing areas.
When Virginie Adounon first opened her beauty salon in Bohicon, Benin, she was not keeping track of her sales or giving herself a salary, and she could not save up enough money to make necessary upgrades to her shop. After joining a TechnoServe program called BeniBiz, she gained the skills she needed to run a profitable business.
When Tamia’s health suffered, life became hard. By working with TechnoServe, she would eventually gain the tools to change her own life.
This International Women's Day, look at some real-world examples of what can happen when women can realize their full potential through economic empowerment.
TechnoServe’s Global Gender Director Cristina Manfre recently discussed gender equality in coffee farming in a LinkedIn Live panel discussion with Nespresso.
Determined to find a way to support her three children, a single mother started selling roasted peanuts and earned about $3 each day. Since then, she's dramatically increased her income after working with a start-up supported by TechnoServe.
TechnoServe acknowledges women’s vital role in growing the world’s food, while grappling with significant other challenges and responsibilities. The story of Lesbia Ludia Juárez, a rural woman farmer, demonstrates the tremendous contributions and potential of rural women around the world.
Ten years ago, Namukolo was unemployed and in an abusive marriage. Today, she is a successful entrepreneur supporting her family on her own.
