A cocoa farmer from Esmeraldas, Mr. Elias Garofalo, gets his blood pressure measured and receives nutrition advice.
UOCAQ (Union of Farmer´s Organisation from Quininde County) is a cocoa farmer organisation located in the province of Esmeraldas, a north-western region of Ecuador.
In 2009, UOCAQ began supplying cocoa directly to Nestlé. It provides benefits to both farmer communities, through paying better prices by shortening the traditional supply chain of middlemen, and Nestlé with higher quality traceable cocoa.
In partnership with The Cocoa Plan and the Creating Share Value initiatives, Nestlé Ecuador S.A. organised a day to provide health check-ups and nutritional advice for UOCAQ members and their families. During the day, cocoa farmers from different regions of Esmeraldas, attended the "Nutrimovil" stand. Around 70 families took advantage of free health checks and were given dietary advice for both adults and children.
The main objective of the program is to make the cocoa communities more aware of potential health risks and provide guidance on how to eat in a balanced way, reducing the negative impact of poor nutrition on the lives of the farmers and their families.
Nestlé Ecuador continues to organise similar health events in other cocoa growing communities.
