The Hershey Company purchases cocoa from nearly 50 different producers, exporters and processors around the world. We interact directly with many of these business partners regarding their sustainability programs, visiting cocoa farms and cooperatives in West Africa, Asia and Latin America both to share our goals and to encourage their efforts. These programs include farmer organization development and capacity building, community sensitization regarding responsible labor practices, and farmer skills training focused on productivity and income improvement.

Dagoba Organic Chocolate and Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker, part of Hershey's Artisan Confections Company subsidiary, seek to source cocoa directly from growers. These partnerships ensure high-quality cocoa while supporting social and environmental stewardship. Dagoba products also use organic cocoa, with a portion being Fair Trade Certified™.

We also fund programs that address needs such as education and health in cocoa regions, helping strengthen communities on a broad basis. The Hershey Company is providing a multi-year grant to the Empowering Cocoa Households with Opportunities and Education Solutions Program (ECHOES), in partnership with other financial supporters. ECHOES is implementing programs that train local teachers, helping expand access to quality education in West Africa and open new doors of opportunity for youth. The program benefits tens of thousands of young people in Ghana and the Ivory Coast, most of whom would otherwise not be able to attend school past the primary grades.

With Family Health International, a global health and development organization, we're funding a program to address malaria in the Ivory Coast. Since the partnership began, Family Health International has been working to distribute 3,000 insecticide-treated bed nets to families, especially populations who are most vulnerable such as pregnant women and children under five. Family Health International ensures recipients are educated on proper use and re-treatment of the bed nets, maximizing the program's success rate. Malaria is one of West Africa's biggest public health challenges, and one of the world's leading causes of death among young children in developing countries.