Jennifer is 14 years old and lives in Bayerebon 3 village. Her father is a cocoa farmer and a member of the Kuapa Kokoo farmers’ cooperative, and her mother runs a shop selling basic foodstuffs like rice.
When she was younger Jennifer had to leave her family and go to school in Kumasi, two hours away from her village. Now there is a new school built in Bayerebon 3 funded with Fairtrade premiums and so Jennifer was able to come back home and go to school a short walk away from her house.
Jennifer knows a bit about the role Fairtrade plays in her community – “Fairtrade supports Kuapa,” she says. “Fairtrade means my father gets a bonus. And I got to go on one of the kids camps that Kuapa Kokoo organises for children of cocoa farmers.”
Jennifer plays a very active part in the classes she attends at school – and loves learning English best. She works hard and plays hard (her favourite game at break is called ‘Ampea’) but also has plans for the future. “I want to be a nurse,” she says confidently. “Then I can come back here and help my community when they are ill.”