In 2021, the Valrhona Foundation financed the construction of a primary school in the village of Nadjette, in Duékoué, Ivory Coast.
In 2022, thanks to the endowment from Johann Dubois, Artisan Chocolatier in Brittany, and our partner, the ECOOKIM Union of Cooperatives, we financed the construction of the Nadjette public school canteen.
Building the school is part of our program for access to education. The construction of the Nadjette canteen complements this project, which is a driver to encourage students’ presence throughout the day. Before, children had to go home for lunch, some of them having to walk a long distance. Many, especially the youngest, therefore did not go back to school in the afternoon.
The donation made it possible to finance the construction of a building with a canteen, kitchen, and storeroom, and the equipment necessary for the canteen to work properly: stoves, kitchen utensils, cutlery, and bench tables.
With a capacity to seat 240, the canteen is ready to receive children from the Nadjette public primary school and the surrounding rural communities.
What are the intended outcomes?
Our objectives by building the canteen include the following:
- Promoting access to education in rural areas
- Improving student attendance
- Contributing to food security and nutrition
- Participating in women’s empowerment by creating jobs for women, who run the canteen and prepare meals
Open for the 2022 school year, the canteen welcomes hundreds of children for lunch every day.
Welcoming children in front of the Nadjette primary school
The Nadjette public school canteen
