Mondelēz International will send employees to Ghana for a two-week skills-exchange program to learn about the challenges and opportunities in securing a sustainable cocoa supply, while sharing their diverse business skills with farmers. In its fourth year, the “Joy Ambassadors” program is part of the company’s ongoing commitment to grow its impact for people and the planet. The Joy Ambassadors will be visiting communities that are a part of Cocoa Life, the company’s holistic, third-party verified program that aims to create a sustainable cocoa supply by transforming the lives of farmers and communities at scale.
“This is a unique opportunity for our colleagues to gain a deeper understanding of the cocoa supply chain and share their business skills to help accelerate the impact of our Cocoa Life sustainability efforts,” said Sarah Delea, President of the Mondelēz International Foundation and Senior Director for Well-being and Community Involvement. “Each year, the Ambassadors return with fresh perspectives and energy that helps us grow our people, business and positive impact we have in the world.”
This year’s Joy Ambassador program focuses on strengthening communities through enhanced partnerships across the cocoa value chain — a critical factor to help build thriving cocoa communities. As such, the development and delivery of community workshops to build capacity and collaboration among local farmers and stakeholders will be central to the experience.
The Joy Ambassadors offer a wide range of expertise, including research and development, marketing, manufacturing, strategy and finance. They will host workshops on key topics such as networking and alliance building, planning and organization, coaching and mentoring and managing people and teams. The project is funded by the Mondelēz International Foundation through a partnership with VSO (formerly Voluntary Service Overseas), the world’s leading independent international development organization working through volunteers to tackle poverty in developing countries.
