Jill's Ghanaian Wisdom

Meet Jill Frankland, a volunteer with VSO in Ghana fro Kent in England. Most of the time I sent in Ghana was with Danielle and Jill. Together, their wisdom enlightened my experience and made it totally magical. Thanks ladies. Jill though, does deserve a special mention, this grandmother is full of bite and great spirit, always ready to dance, laugh and live life to the full.

Along with telling me to get used to the noise and the seasonal fruit and veg which means you can't get anything out of season. Living with the seasons, especially in places like Suhum, often means spending months trying to make the most of garden eggs. She was always full of little piece of wisdom, here are two of my favourite lessons:

• Ghanaian's regularly call each other and hang up before the other person answers the phone. This is called mobile phone flashing and it's a great way to let someone know you're thinking of them without being charged for a call or text.
• Ghanaians can party anywhere. Any place in Ghana with blue and white stripes painted on the outside is a spot. And when I say anywhere, that's exactly what I mean. I'm talking about old shipping containers and rooms behind petrol stations.

Chocolate Fun

If one thing's universal, it's chocolate. It brings supermodels and novelists together, policians and emporers. The proof, as if you needed it, are right here in these great quores we stumbled across:

‘Life without chocolate is life lacking something important.' Writers Marcia Colman Morton and Frederic Morton

'Once in a while I say, 'go for it and I eat chocolate.' Claudia Schiffer

''There's nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with CHOCOLATE '  Linda Grayson

'The divine drink, which builds up resistance and fights fatigue. A cup of this precious drink (cocoa) permits a man to walk for a whole day without food.'   Montezuma - Aztec Emperor (c. 1480-1520)

‘Biochemically, love is just like eating large amounts of chocolate.’ John Milton

‘Exercise is a dirty word.  Every time I hear it I wash my mouth out with chocolate.” Charles M Schultz

Meet Anna Swaithes

A community meeting in a local church.

What is your job title?

I am Head of Development for the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership – a bit of a mouthful I know.

How long have you been working at Cadbury?

I have been working on the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership for a year now, though to begin with I was just supporting the team with a governance review.

Can you recount a story or tell us about a moment that has been a particular highlight for you while working on this project?

It’s difficult to choose, but I’ll pick one that’s fresh in my mind. I have just returned from my latest trip to Ghana, and I spent two days out in the field in Asunafo North and Amansie West districts where our partner CARE International is working. In Atoborako village, Amansie West, we met with members of the community and heard about the progress they have been making since CARE started work with them as part of the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership a year ago. One of the key needs that the community identified in the planning process that CARE facilitated was for toilet facilities. They have already dug these. Farmers are working together on one another's farms, recognising how they can achieve more as a collective than individually. The atmosphere was buoyant, and the attitude of community members was all about working together to imrpove their farms and their community. For me, this was a great moment.

Scott, one of our blog readers had some questions about the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership.

Firstly, who the actual partners are in the partnership? Who is specifically involved in the partnership on both sides. Who are the Cadbury people involved and who are the Ghanaian people involved? Secondly, how have the roles and responsibilities in terms of the partnership been developed? What are the various roles and responsibilities and who are the people in those roles?

The partnership is a fairly flexible (and ever evolving) structure. Both internationally and in Ghana, we have Boards that are responsible for decision making on investment. The International Board is chaired by Cadbury's CEO and has several other members of senior Cadbury management, as well as the Director of ICI, the Director of Anti-Slavery International, a senior Environmental Economics advisor from UNDP, and a representative from the Ghana Board.

The Ghana Board is co-chaired by the Ghana Cocoa Board and Cadbury, and also has representation from Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare, Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, several farmer representatives, several development representatives and a further Cadbury representative. UNDP advises the Board. Then we have the partners in Ghana who receive funding to implement programmes on the ground. These include VSO, CARE International, World Vision, Cocoa Board and Fairtrade cooperative Kuapa Kokoo. Over time we will be working more and more with farmer organisations directly. Fairtrade is a key partner globally and in Ghana, though they don't sit on our Boards. We have working group structures both internationally and in Ghana that act as a platform for bringing all these different partners together to develop and coordinate the programme. It is really about working together rather than funding a series of separate projects, and it is also very much about working as much as possible with Ghanaian institutions.

Also it’s important to say that the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership is not just Ghana. We are also investing in India and Dominican Republic, but the programme is newer there, so we haven't developed the partnership structures to the same degree.

Thirdly, is there any public formal or informal documentation on the partnership and its details and where might one access this information?

No, the Partnership is not a legal entity. It has its legal 'home' in Cadbury, but this is really to maximise efficiency. We don't want to use funds on setting up new HR systems, Finance systems etc when we can leverage the ones that Cadbury alrready has. The Partnership is set up as a standalone project with a ringfenced budget.

National Cocoa Day

National Cocoa Day 2009 was held in Suhum and attended by the chief of Akim Abuakwa
(a part of the Eastern Region which contains a few districts)

Ever since I returned to the UK from Ghana I've had mild pangs of nostalgia. The tumbling red earth, the dusty hot air, the smiling, joyous spirit and awesome people - Ghana has a lot to miss.

And if I'm totally honest, remaining in regular contact with Danielle isn't really helping. Her emails are full of the familiar awesomeness that you can only get in Ghana and though I love hearing from her and about them, the pangs of nostalgia do sharpen every time my inbox pings with an email from her.

Her most recent email was all about Cocoa Day - which she attended on my behalf. Here's what she wrote about it:

Every year, the 1^st October is COCOA DAY in all COPAL countries.

COPAL, the Cocoa Producers’ Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization instituted in January 1962 by representatives of the governments of five cocoa producing countries. The founding members are Ghana, Nigeria, Brazil, Ivory Coast and Cameroon. Other members are Dominican Republic, Gabon, Malaysia, Sao Tome and Prinicpe and Togo.

African countries account for approximately 70% of total cocoa production but only 3% of cocoa consumption.   COPAL recommended that all members initiate and sustain activities towards the promotion of local consumption of cocoa by changing the perception of cocoa. Each country was to put in place a National Promotion Committee which will develop and run activities.

 

This year the theme focused on the tremendous health and nutritional benefits of cocoa. Research has shown that cocoa has about 300 elements and has the highest level of antioxidants in all nature foods. Cocoa is believed when taken regularly to help in several ailments such as cardio-vascular diseases and reduce the aging process, among the many diseases it can prevent. Therefore, the Committee recommends the regular intake of cocoa and cocoa products by all persons for good health. 

In order to promote the consumption of cocoa, improve its perception and encourage people to eat more of it, a list of 43 reasons has been drawn up. It's a long list, but here are 5 of my favourites:

1. If you serve chocolate pie at a family reunion, you will have at least one thing the whole crew will agree on.
2. Help your kids excel in school. Bring their teachers chocolate
3. Chocolate makes a better gift than those little porcelain knick-knacks. Chocolate never needs dusting
4. Eat lots of chocolate to stretch your stomach out in preparation for thanksgiving
5. Chocolate can have a calming effect. It sure makes your in-laws easier to take.

I'll be tweeting some more of the 43 tips over here.

Zingolo Extra Extra!

Since our music single celebrating our move to Fairtrade went live we've had loads and loads of questions. People wanted to know what about the dancers, the head, the moves, the handshakes and loads of other stuff.

That's why we've released a special edition of the video, with extra information where you asked for it.

Enjoy!

Sculptural Inspiration

There's a lot going on in our latest ad. There's singing, dancing and no end of general celebrating. You have to watch really closely to see it all. But there's one thing in the ad that's there throughout: the head.

On our travels we came across this awesome carving of a human head. We loved its moustache and winking eye. Then we realised that the head actually had drums for ears! We were really inspired by it and wanted the head to feature in our ad. Local sculptors and artists helped us recreate this head for the starring role.

Wood carving is serious business in Ghana; it is a centuries-old vocation as well as a revered art form which gains expression in different traditions, styles and meanings. Even wood carvings that are totally functional, like chairs, are sculptured with loads of symbolism and meaning.

It is a fact that indigenous Ghanaian stools were traditionally named after the matriarch of the home and were instrumental in tracing the ancestry of family members. When I was in Ghana the only thing stopping me from lugging back one of these beautiful pieces was the size of my case!

Meet Mohamed Amin

Mohamed Amid is the HR Director of Cadbury in the Middle East and North Africa. He lives in Cairo, Egypt. I met him on my first day in Accra when I travelled with a bunch of HR Directors from around Africa and the Middle East and asked him some questions about his trip, job and country,

How long have you been working with Cadbury?

One and half years.

What's your favourite thing about your job?

I love growing people and seeing them being their very best.

What do you think people would consider to be the best thing about your role in Cadbury?

In HR we approach our job as a strategic partner for all the other departments.

What's your favourite thing about being in Ghana?

When people find out that you work for Cadbury they can't help but smile.

What has been the highlight of your trip?

Meeting the cocoa farmers and seeing the source of our product.

What do you think of Cadbury Dairy Milk going Fairtrade in the UK and Ireland?

I think it's absolutely wonderful!

What's your favourite day out?

A day at the sea with my wife and baby.

What do you wish people knew about Egypt?

That Egyptians are very accepting people, they are tolerant and appreciate diversity. They also make friends easily.

What's your favourite food?

Molokhia - an Egyptian spinach soup with rice.

Meet the Ghanaian artist behind the new Cadbury press ads

It very exciting to see the press ads for Cadbury’s move to Fairtrade finally appear. I’ve been waiting for this moment so that I could share some of the bigger story with you all. When I was in Accra I was
lucky enough to hang out with Jasper, the artist who painted the murals for us.

All over Ghana walls are covered in gorgeous signwriting, so we thought it was only right to take inspiration from this for our own ads and get them made in authentic Ghanaian style. So Jasper painted the murals on real, live walls in Kof Town and those murals are the ads you see.

His studio is a double storey ramshackle spot in Accra. Its courtyard is shaded with a massive, leafy tree and under it, are his eager students, all painting and drawing their days away.

 

Jasper comes from a family of cocoa farmers, so it seems beautifully fitting that he’d be painting this murals for us to celebrate Fairtrade. Jasper was a born artist and it’s all he’s ever been interested in. When I ask him what he’d be doing if he wasn’t an artist he looks at me like I’m crazy. There is nothing else.

 

His studio is filled to the brim with all kinds of artwork. Everything from action movie posters to family that he’s commissioned to create.

 

For us, he brought cocoa beans to life, gave them arms, legs and smiles so they could celebrate with us.

  

 

Voting in the field

Cadbury Cocoa Partnership works with about a hundred communities in rural Ghana. A lot of this work is done with members of the communities, in lectures and facilitating decision-making with them.

There was so much about this work that humbled and inspired me. But more than anything else I was struck by just how complicated everything was. Or rather, things that would be taken for granted in the west have to be thought through. Nothing is obvious. Everything requires more effort and consideration.

For starters, you could pretty much guarantee that all the people in the meetings and lectures were illiterate, which makes note-taking and studying really difficult - and this becomes exponentially harder when all this work is done with democratic intentions and a hope of empowering the community members in question.

For me, there is no better example of this than the voting system used by the team I spent time with (this included people from Cadbury in Ghana, MOFA and VSO). The work done in these communities is for each community to decide. For instance, when it comes to alternative incomes, come communities want to learn to grow other crops, others might want to learn to make other products from their cocoa. The voting method used is basic and brilliant. A naive picture of the action is drawn on a piece of paper and one at a time each person living in the community casts a vote with a pebble or stone. The one with the biggest pile wins.

The picture above was taken by Danielle during one of her days in the field. To me it's symbolic of everything happening out there right now.