Mark Zuckerberg Tops Steve Jobs, Oprah, Bill Gates, and Warren Buffet

Apr 15, 2011 08:10 ET



Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg Tops Steve Jobs, Oprah, Bill Gates, and Warren Buffet as SUCCESS Magazine's Achiever of the Year

LAKE DALLAS, Texas, April 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Facebook has changed the way people connect worldwide, morphing from college fad to global communication force. And co-founder Mark Zuckerberg has guided the addictive social networking site to incredible heights, more than 600 million subscribers.

With those credentials, Zuckerberg was voted 2010 Achiever of the Year by readers of SUCCESS Magazine. He beat out other titans of business, media, technology and philanthropy, including Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffet and Bill and Melinda Gates.

A cover feature on Zuckerberg appears in the May 2011 issue of SUCCESS, dedicated to connecting with effect - reaching the people who matter. The issue delves into how to effectively integrate new media methods with old-school relationship-building skills.

May's issue also includes a feature on love language with marriage communication tips from relationship expert Gary Chapman, profiles of entrepreneur and philanthropist Sheila Johnson and superstar NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon, plus columns on health by Drs. Oz and Roizen, leadership by John C. Maxwell, making it happen by Mel Robbins and much more!

Also, read about how journalist Bob Woodruff gained new insights and a renewed sense of purpose after surviving a bomb attack in Iraq.

The SUCCESS CD inserted in each magazine features publisher Darren Hardy's interviews with entertainment business mogul Peter Gruber, who gives you the four most crucial pieces to the tell-to-win puzzle, arming you with the storytelling skills you need to move others to action, and with Networking with New Media author Mari Smith, who reveals the rest of the rules of the road for driving down the social media highway. Also, in an ongoing chat, leadership expert John C. Maxwell discusses the five levels of influence integral to being the leader you were meant to be. The issue hit newsstands Tuesday, April 5, 2011.

About SUCCESS Magazine

SUCCESS Magazine is designed specifically to serve the growing entrepreneurial and small-business markets. Each month, it features personal-development thought leaders, CEOs, entrepreneurs and other achievers who offer practical advice, ideas, tips and training on leadership, goal attainment, time management, selling, motivation and more. Bound into every issue is also a free CD featuring exclusive audio compilations of success training from leading personal-achievement experts. SUCCESS is distributed on newsstands nationally. Visit http://www.SUCCESS.com for more information.

Contact

Ashley Glenn
SUCCESS Magazine
Marketing Manager
940-497-9901
aglenn@success.com
This press release was issued through eReleases(R). For more information, visit eReleases Press Release Distribution at http://www.ereleases.com.

SOURCE SUCCESS Magazine


Web Site: http://www.successmagazine.com

Bill Gates Signs Football in Nigeria to Support final push to Kick Polio out of Africa / Rotary clubs in Nigeria

Bill Gates

8 Jun 2010 05:54 Africa/Lagos

Bill Gates signs football in Nigeria to support final push to kick polio out of Africa / Rotary clubs in Nigeria and across the continent unite as ball's 4-month journey comes to a close in Egypt


ABUJA, June 7, 2010/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, gave the Kick Polio Out of Africa (KPOA) campaign a boost today by signing the football which is traveling from Cape Town to Egypt ahead of the 2010 World Cup. During the ball's epic journey through 22 polio-affected and high-risk countries, Rotary clubs throughout Africa are mobilizing the public for massive immunizations and raising awareness for polio eradication. Gates lauded Rotary's efforts to help kick polio out the continent -- and eventually out of the world.

Gates also commended Nigeria for making significant gains in the fight against polio and urged them to finish the job. He joins Nigerian officials in bringing attention to the current immunization rounds throughout Africa targeting more than 100 million children under the age of five.

Since Rotary and its partners began their fight against polio in 1988, the incidence of the disease has been reduced by 99 percent. In Africa, only Nigeria remains polio-endemic, but the disease still affects children in many other high-risk countries, emphasizing the importance of protecting all African children from polio. According to the World Health Organization, only three cases of polio were reported in Nigeria through 25 May this year, compared with 276 cases reported during the same time period in 2009.

“Nigeria's recent progress against polio is an achievement that all Nigerians should be proud of,” said Gates. “Thanks to political and traditional leaders, dedicated health workers, and loving parents who want to protect their children, Nigeria is on a path toward eliminating polio.”

symbolically kicking polio out the continent and into the Mediterranean Sea. Also attending the event will be film star and polio goodwill ambassador Hany Salama, polio-infected children, government officials, and dignitaries.

Says Bibliotheca Alexandrina Director Dr. Ismael Serageldin, “Polio still exists, but polio can be eradicated. We cannot let forgetfulness or disinterest keep so many unfortunate victims in misery. We are so close. Let us all together give the final push.”

On 23 February, Rotary launched its “Kick Polio out of Africa” awareness campaign in Cape Town, one of the host cities to the 2010 World Cup, with the symbolic kicking of a ball signed by Emeritus Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Afflicted with polio as a child, Tutu joined the campaign as goodwill ambassador. From Egypt, the ball will travel to Montréal, Canada, to be presented at the Rotary International Convention later this month. The ball's journey is being underwritten by DHL Express.

In support of the campaign, Rotary launched a virtual ball inviting football fans and supporters around the world to sign the ball. With a few simple clicks of a mouse, one can sign the online ball at www.kickpoliooutofafrica.org and join the global movement of solidarity to save all children from this crippling and sometimes fatal disease. The signatures will be formally presented to the spearheading partners of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative after the 2010 World Cup.

“We are calling on the continent's football players to bring their enormous influence to this campaign. Only unified efforts which galvanise whole societies towards these goals will succeed in kicking this virus, that looks so much like a football, out of Africa and eventually, out of the world,” declared former South African President Nelson Mandela, in his 1996 address at the Organization for African Unity Summit as he formally kicked off the “Kick Polio out of Africa” campaign.

“As the volunteer arm and private-sector partner in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, Rotary has contributed $388 million for polio eradication efforts in Africa,” says June Webber, Rotary's South African campaign organizer. “As we celebrate the first World Cup on African soil and the 20th anniversary of the release of Nelson Mandela from prison, Rotarians and our global partners are determined to provide Madiba (Mandela's Xhosa title) with a lasting legacy.”

Nigerian national team captain Nwankwo Kanu joined the campaign announcing that he has two goals for 2010: Kanu wants Nigeria to shine at the upcoming World Cup and also wants to eradicate polio from Africa.

Polio eradication has been Rotary's top priority for more than two decades. The international humanitarian service organization has contributed more than US$900 million toward a polio-free world, and is a spearheading partner in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, along with the World Health Organization, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and UNICEF.

Rotary recently pledged to raise US$200 million to match $355 million in challenge grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. All of the resulting $555 million will be spent in support of eradication activities.

Great progress has been made, and the incidence of polio infection has plunged from about 350,000 cases in 1988 to fewer than 2,000 in 2009. More than two billion children have been immunized in 122 countries, preventing five million cases of paralysis and 250,000 paediatric deaths.

The football's journey can be followed on http://kickpoliooutofafrica.wordpress.com.

To sign and kick the virtual ball, go to www.kickpoliooutofafrica.org.

For video and still photos, go to: www.thenewsmarket.com/rotaryinternational


# # #

Rotary is an organization of business and professional leaders united worldwide to provide humanitarian service and help to build goodwill and peace in the world. It is comprised of 1.2 million members working in over 33,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas. Rotary members initiate community projects that address many of today's most critical issues, such as poverty, disease and illiteracy.

Contact: Sandra Prufer, + 1 847 866-3208 sandra.prufer@rotary.org


Kiki Melonides, +1 847 866-3134 kiki.melonides@rotary.org


Media Contact: +1 847 866-3237


e-mail: pr@rotary.org


www.rotary.org



Distributed by the African Press Organization on behalf of Rotary International


Source: Rotary International


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Bill Gates to Call for United Action to Support World's Poorest Farmers

Bill Gates at the World Economic Forum in 2007

15 Oct 2009 05:00 Africa/Lagos


Bill Gates to Call for United Action to Support World's Poorest Farmers

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to Announce $120 Million in New Agriculture Grants

DES MOINES, Iowa, Oct. 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, on Thursday will urge governments, donors, researchers, farmer groups, environmentalists, and others to set aside old divisions and join forces to help millions of the world's poorest farming families boost their yields and incomes so they can lift themselves out of hunger and poverty. Gates will say the effort must be guided by the farmers themselves, adapted to local circumstances, and sustainable for the economy and the environment.


Speaking at the World Food Prize in Des Moines, Iowa, in his first major address on agricultural development, Gates will lay out the foundation's vision, which includes investments in better seeds, training, market access, and policies that support small farmers. Gates also will announce nine foundation grants totaling $120 million that illustrate the range of efforts necessary to empower millions of small farmers to grow enough to build better, healthier lives.


"Melinda and I believe that helping the poorest small-holder farmers grow more crops and get them to market is the world's single most powerful lever for reducing hunger and poverty," Gates will say, according to a draft of his speech.


After his speech, Gates will be joined on the stage by the 2009 World Food Prize laureate, Dr. Gebisa Ejeta, a renowned Ethiopian sorghum researcher who was honored for his work to develop hybrids resistant to drought and the Striga weed -- advances credited with increasing food security for hundreds of millions of Africans.


The foundation's new grants include funding for legumes that fix nitrogen in the soil, higher yielding varieties of sorghum and millet, and new varieties of sweet potatoes that resist pests and have a higher vitamin content. Other projects will help the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa support African governments in developing policies that serve small farmers; help get information to farmers by radio and cell phone; support school feeding programs; provide training and resources that African governments can draw on as they regulate biotechnologies; and help women farmers in India manage their land and water resources sustainably. To date, the foundation has committed $1.4 billion to agricultural development efforts.


Gates will say the world should draw inspiration from the agricultural transformation in Latin America and Asia during the 1960s to 1980s, known as the Green Revolution, which averted famine, saved hundreds of millions of lives, and fueled widespread economic development.


But Gates will warn that as scientists, governments, and others strive to repeat the successes of the original Green Revolution, they should be careful not to repeat its mistakes, such as the overuse of fertilizer and irrigation.


"The next Green Revolution has to be greener than the first," Gates will say. "It must be guided by small-holder farmers, adapted to local circumstances, and sustainable for the economy and the environment."


According to the World Bank, three-quarters of the 1 billion people who live in extreme poverty depend on agriculture for a living. More than 1 billion people suffer from chronic hunger in the developing world. In the world's poorest areas, small farmers frequently face harsh conditions, including depleted soils, pests, drought, diseases, and lack of water. Even if they manage to grow a surplus, they often lack a reliable market where they can sell it.


Despite these challenges, there are reasons for optimism in the fight against hunger. After two decades of neglect, the world's attention is once again focused on agricultural development. The G20 group of leading donor and developing nations recently made a three-year, $22 billion pledge to help solve global hunger by supporting small farmers in the developing world.


"It's a great thing that donor nations are focusing on this issue," Gates will say. "But we need them to spell out clearly what the $22 billion means -- how much is old money, how much is new, how soon can they spend it, and when will they do more?"


While Gates will say that major breakthroughs in the fight against hunger and poverty are now within reach, he will caution that progress toward alleviating global hunger is "endangered by an ideological wedge that threatens to split the movement in two." On one side, he will say, there are groups that support technological solutions to increase agricultural productivity without proper regard to environmental and sustainability concerns. On the other, there are those who react negatively to any emphasis on productivity.


"It's a false choice, and it's dangerous for the field," Gates will say. "It blocks important advances. It breeds hostility among people who need to work together. And it makes it hard to launch a comprehensive program to help poor farmers. The fact is, we need both productivity and sustainability -- and there is no reason we can't have both."


Gates will say the foundation is supporting research on crops that can withstand drought and flooding so poor farmers can adapt to climate change. It is also supporting a ground-breaking effort with the World Food Programme (WFP) to buy food from small farmers in the developing world for food aid. WFP has already purchased 17,000 metric tons of food from small farmers through the program, linking many to markets for the first time.


Gates will say the foundation isn't an advocate of any particular scientific method. "Of course, these technologies must be subject to rigorous scientific review to ensure they are safe and effective. It's the responsibility of governments, farmers, and citizens -- informed by excellent science -- to choose the best and safest way to help feed their countries," Gates will say.


Gates will also pay tribute to Dr. Norman Borlaug, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for his pioneering work in expanding agricultural production in the developing world, who died on September 12 of this year.


"His passing is cause for sadness, but his life should make us optimistic," Gates will say. "He not only showed humanity how to get more food from the earth -- he proved that farming has the power to lift up the lives of the poor. It's a lesson the world is thankfully relearning today."


Note to Editors: Video clips and other media materials will be available following the speech at:



ftp://gatesfoundationiiWorldFoodPrizeII@omaedcftp001.interpublic.com
Username: GatesFoundationII
Password: WorldFoodPrizeII

This announcement includes the following grants:

Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)
The AGRA Policy Program: $15 million

To develop a strong policy support system in Africa that will raise incomes, and assure household and national food security. The program focuses on policies to speed adoption of approaches to improve farmer productivity, market and trade policies to stimulate expanded markets for staple crops, and land and property rights policies to stimulate equitable agricultural growth for the poor.


Press Contacts
Preeti Singh, +1.301.652.1558, ext. 5722, psingh@burnesscommunications.com
Stella Kihara, +254 735380199, skihara@agra-alliance.org

American Institutes for Research (AIR)
Farmer Voice Radio: $10 million

To create a network of radio broadcasters, farmer groups, universities, research institutes, non-governmental organizations, ministries of agriculture, and African media organizations to generate quality content and facilitate impact-driven and sustainable broadcasting to small-holder farmers to enhance their livelihoods. The project aims to reach 1.6 million small-holder farmers in Kenya, Malawi, Zambia, Mali, Ghana, and Tanzania in its first four years.


Press Contact
Larry McQuillan, +1.202.403.5119 or +1.202.641.7747, lmcquillan@air.org

Grameen Foundation
Building a Network of Community Knowledge Workers: $4.7 million

To develop a network of 4,000 community knowledge workers in Uganda who use mobile devices to increase the reach and relevance of agricultural information, leading to improved productivity and livelihoods for small-holder farmers. The project aims to reach up to 280,000 small-holder farmers, reduce the cost of adoption of new and improved practices by 25 percent to 50 percent, and ultimately provide a model that can be scaled to reach millions of small-holder farmers throughout Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.


Press Contact


Liselle York, +1.202.628.3560, ext. 128 or +1.202.549.3400, lyorke@grameenfoundation.org


International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)


Harnessing Opportunities for Productivity Enhancement (HOPE) of Sorghum and Millets: $18 million


To help small-holder farmers in moisture-deficient areas of Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia increase their yields of sorghum, pearl millet, and finger millet to improve food security and increase the income of farmers. The project aims to benefit 200,000 households by increasing yields of sorghum and millet by 35 to 40 percent over four years.


Press Contact
Rex L. Navarro, +91 40 3071.3223, rex.navarro@cgiar.org

International Potato Center (CIP)

Sweet Potato Action for Security and Health in Africa (SASHA): $21.25 million


To produce high-yielding, stress-tolerant varieties of sweet potato to help farming families in Sub-Saharan Africa improve their productivity, incomes, and nutrition. The project aims to benefit 150,000 families directly from the initial seed systems work, and up to 1 million families indirectly from the first set of improved varieties in five years.


Press Contact
Valerie Gwinner, 202.468.7486, v.gwinner@cgiar.org



New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) and Michigan State University (MSU)


African Biosafety Network of Expertise (ABNE): $10.4 million


To create a center in Africa that provides training, education, and technical support to African regulators to develop regulatory systems for biotechnology, ensuring countries can make informed decisions on how to use these advances while protecting farmers, consumers, and the environment.


Press Contacts
Aggrey Ambali, +27 12 841 3688, aggrey@nepadst.org
Karim Maredia, +1.517.353.5262 or +1.517.775.6627, kmaredia@msu.edu
Stephanie Motschenbacher, +1.517.884.2135, motsche3@msu.edu

Partnership for Child Development (PCD)
Home-grown School Feeding: $12 million

To support the delivery of cost-effective school feeding programs that promote local agriculture and benefit small-holder farmers. The project aims to increase the income and improve the nutritional status of approximately 200,000 small farmers; improve the education, health, and nutrition of school-age children; and provide opportunities to those involved in the transportation, processing, and preparation of food along the school-feeding value chain.


Press Contact
Lucy Goodchild, +44 (0)20 7594 6702, lucy.goodchild@imperial.ac.uk

Professional Assistance for Development Action (PRADAN)

Developing Farm-based Livelihoods in Endemically Poor Regions of India: $9.7 million


To create sustainable farm-based livelihoods for rural families in endemically poor regions of India by training women farmers in land and water management and modern farming practices, establishing village extension services, and building effective market linkages. The project aims to mobilize 120,000 women into self-help groups to assist them in improving their farm productivity and food security, enhancing their household income.


Press Contact
Souparno Chatterjee, +91 11 2651 8619 or +91 4164 0611, ext. 21

Wageningen University, The Netherlands

Putting Nitrogen Fixation to Work for Small-holder Farmers in Africa (NforAfrica): $19 million


To increase legume productivity, family nutrition, soil health, cropping systems, and farm income for small farmers in Burkina Faso, Mali, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, and Malawi by expanding the use of selected legumes, proven tools of biological nitrogen fixation, and sound agronomic principles. The project aims to benefit 225,000 farmers.


Press Contact


Erik Toussaint, +31 (0) 317 48 08 67 or +31 (0) 6 51 56 59 49, erik.toussaint@wur.nl


Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation


Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people's health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people -- especially those with the fewest resources -- have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. Learn more about the foundation at www.gatesfoundation.org.


Source: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

CONTACT: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, +1-206-709-3400,
media@gatesfoundation.org


Web Site: http://www.gatesfoundation.org/



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World Cocoa Foundation and Leading Chocolate Industry Companies Partner with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to Significantly Improve Cocoa Farmer Liv

19 Feb 2009 07:00 Africa/Lagos

World Cocoa Foundation and Leading Chocolate Industry Companies Partner with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to Significantly Improve Cocoa Farmer Livelihoods in West Africa

Five-Year, $40 Million Investment to Focus on Increasing Cocoa Farmer Knowledge, Marketing Efficiency and Incomes

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- The World Cocoa Foundation today announced a new, $40 million program funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and chocolate industry companies to significantly improve the livelihoods of approximately 200,000 cocoa farmers in Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon and Liberia. The innovative, five-year West Africa Cocoa Livelihoods Program will focus on enhancing farmer knowledge and competitiveness, improving productivity and quality, promoting crop diversification and improving supply chain efficiency. These initiatives will help increase farmers' incomes and significantly improve cocoa community well-being.


The program will be managed by the World Cocoa Foundation and be implemented through a consortium of five organizations including ACDI/VOCA, Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)/Sustainable Tree Crops Program, SOCODEVI and TechnoServe. In addition to the $23 million in funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, over $17 million in financial support and in-kind contributions come from the private sector: major branded manufacturers The Hershey Company, Kraft Foods and Mars, Incorporated; cocoa processors Archer Daniels Midland Company, Barry Callebaut, Blommer Chocolate Company and Cargill; and supply chain managers and allied industries Armajaro, Ecom-Agrocacao, Olam International Ltd. and Starbucks Coffee Company. The governments of the participating West African countries will support and be full partners in the program's implementation.


"We know from experience that cocoa can play a significant, positive role in improving farm family incomes in the developing world," said Bill Guyton, President, World Cocoa Foundation. "However, many cocoa farmers today lack the practical knowledge and organizational support needed to grow this unique crop profitably and sustainably. Thanks to our new partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, we will be able to dramatically expand our efforts to reach these farmers in West Africa and to promote economic and social development as well as environmental conservation in cocoa-growing communities."


Implementation plans and site selection for the West Africa Cocoa Livelihoods Program will be finalized over the coming months. On-the-ground program activities are expected to begin in late 2009 and early 2010. Once underway, the program will train farmers in better production techniques, quality improvement and business skills; professionalize farmer organizations to better meet member needs; and improve farmer access to agricultural inputs and improved-quality seedlings. The project will also improve farmers' access to market information and opportunities for diversification into alternative food and cash crops to maximize farmer income and security.


"Cocoa is West Africa's largest agricultural export, providing a living for nearly two million smallholder farmers and their families in the region," said Madame Amouan Acquah Assouan, Vice President, Coffee-Cocoa Sector Management Committee, Republic of Cote d'Ivoire. "Too many of them grow cocoa on a subsistence basis, failing to realize the economic benefit this important crop can provide. The new West Africa Cocoa Livelihoods Program can change this situation for the better, lifting thousands of these farm families out of poverty."


"Agriculture offers powerful pathways out of poverty, but without access to knowledge, tools, and markets, millions of smallholder farmers - most of whom are women - aren't able to prosper from their land and labor," said Dr. Rajiv Shah, Director of Agricultural Development at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "We're excited to support this partnership, which will create opportunities for these farmers to sustainably boost their incomes and lift themselves and their families out of hunger and poverty." To date, the foundation has committed more than $1 billion in agricultural development efforts to increase opportunities for small farmers to succeed at every step of the way--from seed to sale.


About the World Cocoa Foundation


Established in 2000, the World Cocoa Foundation is a leader in promoting economic and social development and environmental stewardship in 15 cocoa-producing countries around the world. With nearly 70 member companies from the Americas, Europe and Asia, the Foundation actively supports a range of farm-level programs harnessing sustainable agriculture practices to improve the quality of life for the millions of smallholder farmers growing this unique crop. For more information about the World Cocoa Foundation, visit: www.worldcocoafoundation.org


About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation


Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people's health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people - especially those with the fewest resources -- have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and Co-Chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. Learn more at www.gatesfoundation.org.


About ACDI/VOCA


ACDI/VOCA is a nonprofit international development organization that delivers technical and management assistance in agribusiness, financial services, enterprise development, community development and food security in order to promote broad-based economic growth and vibrant civil society. Based in Washington, D.C., ACDI/VOCA has empowered people in developing and transitional nations to succeed in the global economy for 45 years and in 145 countries. ACDI/VOCA currently has approximately 80 projects in 40 countries and revenues of approximately $100 million.


About GTZ


As an international cooperation enterprise for sustainable development with worldwide operations, the federally owned Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH supports the German Government in achieving its development-policy objectives. It provides viable, forward-looking solutions for political, economic, ecological and social development in a globalised world. Working under difficult conditions, GTZ promotes complex reforms and change processes. Its corporate objective is to improve people's living conditions on a sustainable basis. The company works on public benefit.


About the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture


Africa has complex problems that plague agriculture and people's lives. We develop agricultural solutions with our partners to tackle hunger and poverty. Our award winning research for development (R4D) is based on focused, authoritative thinking anchored on the development needs of sub-Saharan Africa. We work with partners in Africa and beyond to reduce producer and consumer risks, enhance crop quality and productivity, and generate wealth from agriculture. IITA is an international non-profit R4D organization since 1967, governed by a Board of Trustees, and supported primarily by the CGIAR.


About SOCODEVI


SOCODEVI is a network of Canadian cooperatives and mutuals that cooperate and share technical expertise and know-how with partners in developing countries in order to create, protect and distribute wealth. Since 1985, SOCODEVI has supported over 500 cooperative and mutual enterprises and organizations in 30 countries. SOCODEVI measures its success by the extent to which the enterprises supported become models for their sustainability and the benefits their activities provide. The ultimate goal of SOCODEVI: improved living conditions for the communities.


About TechnoServe


TechnoServe is leading a movement that empowers people in the developing world to build businesses that break the cycle of poverty. Growing enterprises generate jobs and other income opportunities for poor people, enabling them to improve their lives and secure a better future for their families. Since its founding in 1968, the U.S.-based nonprofit has helped to create or expand thousands of businesses, benefiting millions of people in more than 30 countries. The Financial Times has rated TechnoServe one of the top five NGOs for corporate partnerships. Charity Navigator has also awarded its highest Four Star ranking to TechnoServe.


Source: World Cocoa Foundation

CONTACT: Bill Guyton of World Cocoa Foundation, +1-202-737-7870,
bill.guyton@worldcocoa.org


Web Site: http://www.worldcocoafoundation.org/