Mother-daughter chocolate company launches programme to help female cocoa farmers build schools

The mother-daughter-founded brand. SkinnyDipped, has launched ‘Brick By Brick,’ a give-back programme to support an innovative, women-led recycling initiative that converts plastic waste into durable bricks used to build safe schools for children in cacao-based communities.

Cote d’Ivoire is the world’s largest cocoa growing country, where famer poverty and child labour issues are well documented.

More than 1.6 million children are unable to attend school due to a lack of classrooms. SkinnyDipped’s programme is an innovative recycling project in the region that is working to help women generate a steady income and create safe spaces for kids to go to school.

Here's how it works, according to the company

• Local women are paid to collect plastic waste off the streets and take it to recycling stations
• A first-of-its-kind factory converts the waste into durable plastic bricks
• The bricks are used to build sturdy schools for children, utilizing 5 tons of recycled plastic for each one

Through an international children's humanitarian organization, SkinnyDipped plans to donate enough money to this recycling initiative in the next year to build at least two  schools and recycle at least 10 tons of plastic waste. The brand will also ask their consumers to contribute by giving them an option to "purchase​" a brick for $4 (the cost of manufacturing each brick) on their website. 100% of the proceeds from brick purchases will go directly to the implementing charity.

"We could not be more excited to support the amazing work happening in Ivory Coast -- it's a cause that we feel deeply connected to as a mother/daughter team​," said SkinnyDipped CEO Breezy Griffith. "We also are mindful of the impact of our industry on the region and are committed to not only raising awareness of the challenges women and children face there but also actively working to drive change​."