ADM Donates USD$125,000 to Create Computer Lab at Girls’ School in Côte d’Ivoire

Lycée Mamie Faitai de Bingerville in Abidjan to receive 40 computers and related equipment

DECATUR, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE: ADM) has donated USD$125,000 for a computer lab at Lycée Mamie Faitai de Bingerville in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. The donation includes 40 computers, 10 printers, software, licenses, uninterrupted power supply and related installation costs. The computer lab project will be implemented by Opportunities Industrialization Center - Côte d’Ivoire, a local nonprofit organization.

“This donation is a part of ADM’s efforts to help improve the quality of life in communities where we have operations,” said Scott Walker, managing director, ADM Cocoa International. “ADM believes education is the foundation for progress, and Lycée Mamie Faitai de Bingerville provides vital educational opportunities for girls from Abidjan and throughout Côte d’Ivoire. The new computer lab will enhance the educational opportunities provided to the students through improved technology and Internet access.”

“ADM chose to revamp the school’s computer lab because technological literacy is vitally important to prepare young women for careers. In addition, the computers and equipment will aid in teaching and evaluation of students,” said David Loué, ADM sustainable development manager in Côte d’Ivoire.

This donation was given through ADM Cares, a social investment program that directs funds to initiatives and organizations that drive meaningful social, economic and environmental progress worldwide. The program comprises three distinct focus areas: supporting the responsible development of agriculture, improving the quality of life in ADM communities and fostering employee giving and volunteer activities.

Lycée Mamie Faitai de Bingerville in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, is an all-girls boarding school and one of the country’s oldest educational institutions dedicated to the education of girls. It was founded in 1938 and has contributed significantly to the development of women throughout Côte d’Ivoire.

About ADM in Côte d’Ivoire

ADM grinds approximately 16 percent of the world’s cocoa crop. In Côte d’Ivoire, the company operates the UNICAO cocoa processing facility in Abidjan, two cocoa conditioning and storage facilities in Abidjan and one cocoa conditioning and storage facility San Pedro. At the conditioning and storage facilities beans are cleaned, checked for quality and prepared for export to ADM’s cocoa processing facilities around the world.

ADM works with farmers, grower cooperatives, government and non-governmental organizations, academia and industry partners to improve the lives of cocoa farmers in Côte d'Ivoire. ADM’s Socially & Environmentally Responsible Agriculture Practices (SERAP) Program, launched in 2005, helps West African farmers produce higher quality cocoa crops while advancing sustainable farming practices. It encourages farming cooperatives to work together to address social and environmental issues, offering financial incentives in the form of premiums to help implement sustainable practices. During the 2010-2011 growing year, more than 22,000 cocoa farmers participated in the program, producing 24,000 metric tons of sustainable cocoa. Since 2005, the program has distributed over US$10.4 million to cooperatives and their members.

In addition to the SERAP program, ADM is working with OIC International to construct 16 clean water wells and eight small bridges in 23 villages throughout Côte d’Ivoire. Bridges in Nyan (Adzopé), Amélékia (Abengourou), Apprompron (Abengourou), Akoupe (Akoupe) and Nianda (Agnibilékro) have already been completed, with the remaining two bridges to be completed later this year. Additionally, wells in Bacon (Akoupe) and Zouhounou (Abengourou) have been completed, and construction of a third well in Elinso (Abengourou) is underway.

About ADM

For more than a century, the people of Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE: ADM) have transformed crops into products that serve vital needs. Today, 30,000 ADM employees around the globe convert oilseeds, corn, wheat and cocoa into products for food, animal feed, industrial and energy uses. With more than 265 processing plants, 400 crop procurement facilities, and the world’s premier crop transportation network, ADM helps connect the harvest to the home in more than 160 countries. For more information about ADM and its products, visit www.adm.com.

Archer Daniels Midland Company
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