GoodSam Foods has launched give-back initiatives including a new venture with Colombian chocolate manufacturer Luker Chocolate.

The endeavor, “Building Networks,” is a program aimed at bringing together Colombian youth and providing them with educational resources while teaching them how to use social media for good. 

In an effort to support farmer communities GoodSam has also committed to making meaningful upgrades to three schools in Colombia by the end of 2022. The schools, in areas around the country, cater to younger children in the community, and the upgrades will help to teach them more about farming and the environment, as well as teach English and bolster digital versatility among students. 

“Everything we do at GoodSam is in the spirit of giving back to people and helping the community, " says GoodSam CEO Heather K. Terry. "Build Networks was created as a means to help create digital and educational equity in real communities where our farmers live and our mission has always been the growth of communities and helping them flourish. The deep relationships we foster with our farmers empower us to give back directly to communities and create farmer-driven initiatives with full visibility of where our resources are going. We are passionate about our work in continuing to decolonize the system and Building Networks is another step toward our end goal.”

To help close the digital divide in Colombia, GoodSam and Luker Chocolates created Building Networks. GoodSam will be running training sessions, helping to enable technical solutions in rural Colombian areas while connecting with the community. 

Participants in the program include local kids and teenagers who will be strengthening their leadership, technology capabilities and social skills. The program aims to empower youth in GoodSam farmer communities to become leaders and advocates for local development and growth. 

“Starting the Building Networks program with GoodSam has further cemented our joint partnership and alliance," said Julia Ocampo, director of sustainability, Luker Chocolate. "The GoodSam team has an abundance of international experience in social network to leverage in order to help these rural communities. We are optimistic this partnership will help communities connect with the world, share their daily lives, promote entrepreneurship, and continue building our Chocolate Dream together.”