A sweet lesson for GEMS students

Children at GEMS Jumeirah Primary School had a lesson brought to life with a special visit from Mars GCC.

The visit was part of the school's latest project, where Year 3 classes investigated chocolate as part of their Creative Curriculum. The project embraced many elements of the curriculum, including art and design, science, and cookery, with the children exploring the history of chocolate as well as where in the world it is grown.

Zeina Maktabi, nutritionist from Mars, and Christine Greaves, Corporate Affairs Manager, were on hand to explain not only the science behind cocoa and chocolate production, but also the importance of incorporating activity into everyday lifestyles. They also brought a real cocoa pod, coco beans, and cocoa raw materials for the children to see first-hand, and explained in more detail the sustainability work that the Mars business undertakes with cocoa farmers in Ghana.

Christine Greaves, Corporate Affairs Manager, Mars GCC, comments “Mars GCC's has grown over the past nine years because of the strong support from the local community and we see school visits like this as a chance to give back to it. We believe educating the next generation is a serious responsibility and some projects we actively drive in the UAE include INJAZ Al-Arab, the Al Haraka Baraka programme with the Ministry of Education and the Academic Awards with key local UAE universities.''