ICI is a unique partnership of concerned companies, labour unions and NGOs, and works to help sensitise communities on issues of child labour, hazardous work practices and international laws, through local NGO partners. We also stimulate them to share their concerns and help them develop their own plans to address issues such as poor education provision and better cocoa farming. The objective is to support the changes in practices that will overtime eliminate child labour in the sector. We complement our work at community level with sensitization of local authorities to meet the expressed needs of the communities, support the development of national programmes and aim to inform the international debate.

The underlying causes of child labour are complex. Factors such as an ignorance of hazards, poor education provision, accepted social cultural norms, economic necessity and outright exploitation are all features. Reflecting this complex mix of causes ICI has adopted a comprehensive programme that: 

•  Works at the national level to ensure appropriate and effective policies are in place;
• Supports capacity building for local partners and institutions;
• Implements a community based programme to change practices;
• Supports social protection for victims of exploitation;
• Shares lessons learned for replication.
  

Learn more about our different activities such as community sensitization, training activities, support to micro-projects, radio programmes and about our achievements!