It is shortly after 9 am in Koffiyaokro, a community located 30 km from Soubré in the Nawa region of Côte d’Ivoire. Mrs. Kouamé N’Guessan Félicité, President of the Women’s Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA), is busy going back and forth between her house and the village square.

At the International Cocoa Initiative, we support our partners to empower women in cocoa communities. That’s because women have a crucial role to play in the fight against child labour. In this article we explore some of the ways that supporting women in cocoa-growing communities can be beneficial to child protection.

Cémoi, the largest French chocolate and confectionery company, has joined the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI) as a Contributing Partner, joining the organization and its partners in the fight against child labour and forced labour in the cocoa supply chain.

The Spanish cocoa producer Indcresa has joined the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI) as a Contributing Partner, to help support the work of the organization in promoting child protection and tackling child labour and forced labour in cocoa.

Supporting the development of Income Generating Activities (IGAs), which provide different and additional ways to earn money, is one way to support cocoa communities. When used as part of a wider package of interventions they can help to boost farmer resilience, empower women, and increase child protection.

2021 is the International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour. At the International Cocoa Initiative, we have over 13 years of experience tackling the issue with our partners.

There are an estimated 1.56 million children in child labour in the cocoa sector in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana, that’s 50% of children living in cocoa-growing households.