Our Mission

The Mission of Project Hope & Fairness, Inc. is to assist African cocoa farmers who suffer disproportionately from the inequities in the world cocoa trade with particular focus on the participation of chocolate producers and  consumers in the United States.  Our purposes will be achieved through the following three activities: Promote the sustainability of African cocoa farmers through direct assistance (grants and in-kind contributions). Educate American consumers about the realities of the world cocoa market and the inequities being suffered  by African cocoa farmers in particular; and Encourage producers of the world's cocoa products to adopt Fair Trade policies that will benefit African cocoa farmers. Our current programs are as follows: Promotion of micro-business enterprises. The profit margin for African cocoa farmers is so narrow that their income does not allow them to purchase basic necessities for themselves and/or their families.  Accordingly, we offer in-kind grants of solar-powered freezers to needy families of African cocoa farmers that can be used to generate supplemental family income through the sale of frozen products (products which are rare in rural West African countries). Providing cocoa-weighing scales to farmers. The majority of African cocoa farmers sell their produce to middlemen who are responsible for weighing their crop since most farmers cannot affordtheir own scales. Using imbalanced scales and "cheating on the weights" is extremely common among the middlemen. If the farmers weigh their own crop, they stand to gain significantly more profit for their labor.  Therefore, we offer in-kind grants of cocoa-weighing scales to needy farmers and farming cooperatives so that they can weigh their own crop and increase their profit margins.  Village women also benefit from the scales, as they weigh their produce before selling to the buyers. Providing agricultural tools to farmers. Many African cocoa farmers lack many basic agricultural tools and other equipment that would make cocoa farming safer, less laborious and more productive. Therefore, we offer to farmers in-kind grants of agricultural tools and other equipment to meet their basic needs. Payment of school fees for children of farmers. Most West African countries do have public schools but students are still responsible for the payment of "school fees," including the cost of books and supplies. Therefore, only children of wealthier families that are able to afford the school fees and costs are able to actually attend school. We assist in this regard by offering needy families a chance to send their children to school by paying their tuition and other school fees.