Fairtrade programme that supports child labour prevention and remediation takes off
Fairtrade’s Child Labour and Forced Labour Prevention and Remediation Programme launched in 2023 is beginning to make a meaningful impact on the lives of cocoa farmers and their families.
According to the latest report, four small-scale producer organisations - CANN Cooperative, DAVO Cooperative, SOCAMEA Cooperative in Côte d'Ivoire, and ABOCFA Cooperative in Ghana – have received 50 percent of €80,000 in funding awarded to them, and their community building proposals focused on child labour prevention and remediation are becoming a reality.
In Côte d'Ivoire, the CANN Cooperative and DAVO Cooperative have started construction of the new classrooms for the local children. The DAVO Cooperative’s project also includes adding toilets, solar panels, and a borehole that will supply the school with clean drinking water.
The SOCAMEA Cooperative has begun to purchase and distribute 125 bicycles to local children. In many cases, the children live far away, and without adequate transportation, attending school has been challenging.
According to one producer parent from the SOCAMEA the cooperative, the fatigue of walking six kilometres to school each day has led to exhaustion, but the bicycle will make life easier for the child. Another producer parent said, “the bicycle will allow me to stop spending on transportation” and “instead invest that money in school fees and supplies.”
By the project’s completion, the SOCAMEA cooperative will not only have purchased 125 bicycles and helmets but also have built a bicycle garage to store them. These small-scale producer organisations are the first to see their proposals funded; five others were approved, and the funds will be disbursed shortly.
Fairtrade understands that poverty is one of the root causes of child labour, and while we cannot solve this endemic problem initiatives such as the Child Labour and Forced Labour Prevention and Remediation Programme that strengthen children’s rights and help them to attend school are a step in the right direction.