Gladys is a member of Kuapa Kokoo Co-operative. When she was interviewed in 2013, she shared how a well built by Kuapa has transformed the lives of people in her village: “At first, we had to walk about three miles to the forest before getting water to fetch. The water was not clean, and we had to filter it before drinking."
Not having accessible clean water can be devastating to communities across sub-Saharan Africa.
Across the continent, children's education suffers as many of them help their families get water very early in the morning. By the time they finish, they are usually too late to attend school or they are too tired to concentrate. Drinking unclean water can also make people sick or cause death. However, Gladys and her community do not have these problems as she says: “The water we drink is clean, and when we drink it we don't get sick. Other villages praise us. They say our water is so sweet!”
Thanks to Kuapa Kokoo Co-operative, whose members grow the cocoa beans in Divine Chocolate, Gladys’ community has as much clean water as they need. Everyone benefits because Kuapa has the farmers’ interests at heart.
Gladys' heartfelt thanks to Kuapa Kokoo extends to everyone who buys Divine Chocolate. The simple action of buying Divine Chocolate can mean so much to Kuapa and to the communities it supports.