Didier Drogba opens fully furnished school for Ivorian village

Former Ivorian international footballer, Didier Drogba, has inaugurated a school built in his region. It is specifically in the village of Onahio Pokou-Kouamekro.

Under the auspices of the Didier Drogga Foundation and with support from Nestle and the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI), some 350 children can now have access to education in the rural cocoa growing community.

The Didier Drogba Foundation, Nestlé and ICI share the common objective of helping children live healthier lives and helping develop thriving resilient communities. Like any public school, the Didier Drogba school will be handled to the government to run, Nestle said.

The facility will replace an existing school in Pokou-Kouamekro which was made of mud and lacked the necessary infrastructure. It comprises of 6 classrooms, a kindergarten class, a school canteen, school latrines, a football field and 3 teachers’ homes to attract qualified teachers.

Present at the ceremony were members of the foundation, Nestle and the ICI as well as community leaders to who the former African player of the year handed a symbolic key to the facility.

“ it is not beyond our power to create a World in which all children have access to a good education” NelsonMandela

Proud of the opening of the first school from The Didier Drogba Foundation today in Côte d’Ivoire ?? the first one we built ???? pic.twitter.com/5bdbHreKLq

— Didier Drogba (didierdrogba) January 17, 2018

What Drogba said at the event:

“We have been working on this project for the last two years and I am very proud to see it completed. The belief of my foundation has always been if we give children access to health and education, we will build future generations of doctors, scientists, businessmen and women and that is how we build a better Africa.

“When I started working with Nestlé. I explained our vision and they have given us great logistical help and support on the ground to make the construction of this school a reality.”

So happy to have been able to build this school and change the conditions where the kids from this little village Onahio Pokou Kouamekro from my region were studying. Been able to provide them better place to get their education is an priceless feeling I want to see this smile on their faces everyday of my life ?? Thanks to nestle and l’ICI for the logistic support . #wontstop #cantstopwontstop #didierdrogbafoundation #team225 #cotedivoire??????

A post shared by didierdrogba (didierdrogba) on Jan 17, 2018 at 11:33am PST

What Stanislas Guedj, Country Manager for Nestlé Côte d’Ivoire said:

“We are pleased to collaborate with the Didier Drogba Foundation on this 2-year project because access to quality education is fundamental to securing a better future for children.

“The Didier Drogba Foundation promotes education, sustainability and sports, as a means to help children have a brighter future Nestlé is tackling child labour by building educational infrastructure.”

“The Didier Drogba Foundation has done great work. It is an important asset to building resilient and thriving cocoa growing communities as well as eradicating child labour. Every child’s place is in school.”

We’re supporting the didierdrogba Foundation in Côte d’Ivoire to give more children in cocoa-growing communities the chance of an #education: https://t.co/UOFR1ozuO1 #GoodLife pic.twitter.com/Q4hUIGJaQB

— Nestlé (Nestle) January 17, 2018

Euphrasie Aka, Representative for ICI:

For his part, Euphrasie Aka, Regional Representative for West and Central Africa for ICI, stressed its commitment to helping cocoa-farming communities through social protection initiatives to tackle child labour more effectively.

“With Nestlé, ICI is strongly committed to addressing child labor because we believe that every child deserves the chance to create its own future”.

“Make me proud of you!” says didierdrogba to the children in Pokou Kouamekro, #cotedivoire. His foundation helped build 6 classrooms, a kindergarten, a canteen, latrines and a football field together with ICI & Nestle https://t.co/6h1Jec2StS #endchildlabour pic.twitter.com/GycKnpLSGJ

— ICI (@ICI_children1st) January 17, 2018