"I used to be harsh, with a short temper, verbally abusive, and uncompromising with my wife and children. Today, I understand the importance of mutual forgiveness and good manners with my family. The family atmosphere is much better than it used to be." Koffi Kouassi Alex, a farmer in Nébo, a village located 15km from Divo (Loh Djiboua), recounts his experience after taking part in parenting skills sessions.
This is a Nestlé Cocoa Plan initiative, developed by ICI in collaboration with ICS (Investing in Children and their Society), an organisation specialising in community development.
Like Koffi Kouassi, several other beneficiaries realise that this training has helped bring about major changes in their family relationships. This is the case for Naomie, a cocoa farmer and mother. Thanks to the advice she received during the parent-child communication training sessions, she has been able to establish a better way of communicating with her 12-year-old son, she told us. “He has been receptive and understanding and has decided to make his education his priority.”
It is 9am on Wednesday at the primary school in Nebo 2. Just over 80 cocoa-farming parents are taking part in the weekly training session. Among the topics covered today are self-esteem, parental communication and family budgeting.
Kouadio Kan Samuel and Loukou Akissi Marie-Jeanne regularly attend these meetings. They have two children and have been together for several years. Before taking part in this course for parents, Samuel acknowledged the lack of communication between him and his wife. He also admitted that he was solely responsible for managing the family budget and that he had endless arguments with his wife. For her part, Marie-Jeanne told us that she was unhappy and was often arguing with their 7-year-old daughter. After participating in the training together, the couple say they are happier and recognise major changes within the family.
“Today, my daughter and I are reconciled. My husband and I argue less. Better still, thanks to the training we received, we have started income-generating activities and are able to better control our budget.”
In the same village, we met Bougouma Sandaogo, a representative of the Source de Guitry Agricultural Cooperative (COPASG). With his two wives, Adissa and Awa, cohabitation has improved and disputes between co-wives have decreased since he was educated on communication within the family and child protection.
The same is true for N'Goran Gouza, an ICS volunteer, and his wife Zoh Lydie. What they learned at the training course helped them agree on what was once a point of contention between them – whether to have another child. They are increasingly open to dialogue and make more effort towards each other. Their daughter N'Goran Esther, a student, underlines the importance of a peaceful environment with fewer arguments, more conducive to her development.
Thanks to the training he received, Mian Kouao Alphonse, director of the Primary School in Nebo 1, says he now speaks much more gently to his wife and children. He was also quick to note that his students' academic results have also improved significantly, rising from 65% in 2024 to 85% in 2025.
According to an ICI report that explores reducing the harms resulting from child labour, "reinforcing the skills, capacities and behaviour of caregivers creates a more supportive environment for children, increasing their resilience to harm”. The report suggests integrated strategies that focus on quality education, health, parenting interventions and gender equality, are likely to best promote healthy child development and prevent harm.
Launched in June 2024, the pilot phase of this project was completed at the end of June 2025. It is part of the implementation of Nestlé's Child Labour Monitoring and Remediation System (CLMRS). According to Ané Dominique, Programme Assistant at ICS, 852 households are directly benefiting from the programme, in addition to 13 teachers. It aims to integrate parenting skills and those of key school stakeholders, namely teachers and students, into the supply chain and training cycle of the COOPASG cooperative. It was carried out in four communities, namely Nebo, Kperedi, Koukouedou and Tokoré in the department of Divo.