See that KitKat you’re currently munching on? It’s part of an innovative program that aims to increase the income for cocoafarming families in Côte d’Ivoire.

The income accelerator programme takes a unique, family-centred approach, with the ambition to deliver real and long-lasting impact to cocoa-farming families’ lives and futures, by rewarding them for implementing positive practices.

Just like the four-fingers in a KitKat, we have four pillars that bring the income accelerator program to life. These four pillars are centred around good practices and if all are achieved, cocoa-farming families can earn up to 500 euros in extra income a year:

1. Helping children from the community, aged 6 – 16, into school.

2. Improving the way farming is done, such as pruning, to increase crop productivity.

3. Planting forest and fruit trees on cocoa farms, which helps cocoa trees resist climate change and adds income for the farmers.

4. Empowering women to start businesses. This can include growing other crops; raising livestock such as chickens, beekeeping, or selling vegetables from community led gardens.

But wait, we know what you’re thinking. How exactly are these incentives paid? The answer is directly into the hands of the cocoa-farming families. In fact, we snap it in two – half to each head of the household. We offer mobile phone payments, so that everything is simple and transparent. Even better, these incentives are regardless of farm size, so even those with the smallest of farms can earn incentives, ensuring that no farmer is left behind.

By offering immediate financial benefits through these incentives, our ambition is to create an environment that enables cocoa-farming families to build a better life for themselves and future generations. You could say that we’re not just trying to make the world sweeter but help make it brighter too.

So far, the programme has been rolled out to 10,000 cocoa-farming families (and counting) in Côte d’Ivoire. It doesn’t stop there though! This is a step on the road with the ambition to expand the programme’s reach even further. First by extending our coverage in Côte d’Ivoire and entering in Ghana and then aiming to reach 160,000 cocoa-farming families in our supply chain by 2030.

In cocoa-farming communities, it’s still common for women to be completely financially dependent on their husbands. And unfortunately, there’s a wider gender equality imbalance that influences this. If women had the power to make decisions and support their families with secondary income, it wouldn’t just fortify households – it would also play a big part in tackling child labour.

So, here’s another way each Break for Good helps us supportthe 10,000 cocoa-farming families in Côte d’Ivoire. We’re empowering women in these communities with more opportunities to succeed.


We’re taking a holistic approach that falls into two main pillars: splitting incentives equally between the heads of each household, and providing training in gender equality and income diversification. We know, that’s a lot of long words.

The aim? To encourage gender equality, help partners share financial responsibilities and ultimately build more resilient households.

We’re training women to start small businesses or activities that bring in a second income for the family. These include beekeeping, raising livestock such as chickens, and selling vegetables from community-led gardens.

The income accelerator program then distributes a €100 incentive for diversifying incomes – a great launchpad for developing a new business idea. And these, again, are securely sent directly to the women.



But gender justice isn’t just a women’s issue. Employing the Gender Action Learning System methodology, we’re training women and men to recognise that they can achieve more and live a better life if they work together. A woman can farm. A man can help around the house. And together, they can make sure their kids are safe, fed, loved and educated.

We’ve also been helping set up Village Savings and Loans Associations within communities. Self-managed and selfcapitalised, these woman-focused schemes encourage saving, and provide loans for small business opportunities. With financial barriers broken down and self-confidence boosted, women can become changemakers in their communities. 



Here’s to new opportunities!