Helping Kids Into School

Your break is part of an innovative program in West Africa that supports cocoa-farming families by increasing their incomes, planting trees, and helping kids into school.

Education is at the centre of the income accelerator program. We support cocoa-farming families with school expenses by delivering mobile cash transfers, enabling children to get into the classroom.

Within the income accelerator program, cocoa-farming families can earn up to €250 for sending their kids to school. 50% percent of this is paid upfront, upon the parents' commitment to enrol their children aged 6-16. The remaining 50% is paid once it has been confirmed that their kids have been attending school regularly. We also support the kids by making sure they have what they need at school, such as school kits.

Mobile money cash transfers are distributed equally between both heads of the family to encourage gender equity, share financial responsibilities, and build more resilient* households.

The results in 2024 (see the latest progress report summary of the Nestlé income accelerator program for more details):

• 88% of children in participating families are now in school (up from 81% in 2022)
• 20 422 households have committed to sending their children to school
• +31% improvement in children's well-being index** vs non-participating families

So far, the program has reached 30 000 cocoa-farming families in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, moving to 50 000 families by 2026 with the ambition to reach an estimated 160 000 by 2030. More information is available in the latest progress report summary of the Nestlé income accelerator program.

*Resilience is defined as the ability to adapt and recover from adversities – such as poor agroclimatic conditions, volatile cocoa prices, and rising living costs.

**For more information on the impact and the measure, see the latest progress report summary of the Nestlé income accelerator program