The World Cocoa Foundation is donating $600,000 in an effort to stop the spread of Ebola to one of its largest areas of cocoa suppliers, the Ivory Coast. The danger of the sickness is not only to the health of a major population, but also to the vast number of small cocoa farms that major corporations like Mars and Nestle depend on. The main point of the WCF is to “promote a sustainable cocoa economy through economic and social stewardship in cocoa-growing communities”. It is obvious that this is a company founded to make a social difference, however is widely known that Mark Zuckerberg gave $25 million towards efforts to fight Ebola, greatly exceeding the donation of WCF. Why did a foundation with such influential corporations as its members only muster up $600,000 to donate to a cause that could cripple the very industry that it claims to protect? One major issue I have with shared value and engagement in sustainability in the business world is that there is rarely participation in efforts to improve our world unless there is some profit or brand reputation gain as incentive. This article greatly fuels my desire to get involved with social and environmental issues and gives me a deeper perspective on the motivations, pure or tainted, of large corporations.

Original article: http://www.newsweek.com/multi-billion-dollar-cocoa-industry-gives-600000-fight-ebola-277748