![]() In the past when we used to drink the dirty water from wells and rivers the children were getting sick all the time, but today, because of the water coming from the pump, children are feeling well, healthier, and everybody is happy about that.’įor Therese, the price she gets now for her cocoa is better than before. Thanks to the co-op CAVA, today we can have clean water in our village to drink. The village she lives in has seen an improvement in child health: ‘In the past the water we used to have to drink, even if people were asking you to do their washing in it, you would have refused because it was unclean, but we used to boil that water before drinking. For Therese, one of the biggest changes brought about by this is the water pump. ![]() Together they decide what they should spend it on for the most benefit to their community. Collectively, the co-operative she belongs to earns extra money through Fairtrade, called the Fairtrade Premium. I am here to support my husband with the money I earn so that we can leave the children high in their studies.’Īs is so often case across the world, the responsibilities of cooking, washing and cleaning the house also fall to Therese. My husband is making money from cocoa himself. ‘At the moment life is very hard around here. I do bean farming, I do chilli farming, I do okra farming, to earn money, additional revenue than what I have from my cocoa farm.’ ‘When there is no more cocoa at all I do peanut farming. ‘I am suffering at the moment for my kids to have a good job in cities so that they will not come back here and suffer again like me.’ She and her husband supplement their income with other crops, because the money from cocoa only comes in a couple of times a year and more often than not, doesn’t last that long. Most of her money goes on their education but there’s no question that the sacrifices she makes are worth it. They stay there, which means not only that she must pay for their fees and books, but that she must find a place for them to stay and pay for their food. The others study in the biggest nearby town, which is still a bumpy two-hour drive away. The oldest is at university in Côte d’Ivoire’s capital city, Abidjan. It’s this security that allows Therese and her husband to support their children.
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