Supporting the wellbeing and development of children
Save the Children has partnered with Ferrero since 2010. In 2017, we started a more transformative approach, working with their cocoa supply chain in Côte d’Ivoire.
In partnership together, Ferrero and Save the Children aim to contribute to the holistic wellbeing and development of children, adolescents and youth in cocoa growing communities across Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, by reducing the risk factors of child labour in cocoa farming.
Protection from child labour
Since 2020, with Ferrero’s support, Save the Children has been leading a five-year project across 65 cocoa growing communities in the Haut-Sassandra region of Côte d’Ivoire. Building on a three-year project delivered in 20 communities in the Nawa region from 2017 to 2020, this phase of the project aims to protect over 18,000 children and young people in cocoa growing communities who are exposed to the worst forms of child labour.
Save the Children is providing strategic guidance and technical support to Ferrero and its suppliers to strengthen child protection throughout Ferrero’s supply chain. This will increase the project’s impact and improve the lives of thousands of children in communities across West Africa and beyond.
Children from a community involved in the Save the Children and Ferrero project to prevent child labour in Ferrero’s cocoa-growing communities in Côte d’Ivoire. Save the Children
Working towards systemic change in cocoa supply chains
In collaboration with Ferrero’s sustainability team, Save the Children has co-developed child labour guidelines with the Centre for Child Rights and Business, now being piloted in Ferrero’s cocoa supply chains in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, to drive long-term change for children. So far, the programme has directly reached over 26,000 people, including 9,000 children. A further 90,000 children and adults will be reached through awareness and outreach activities.
“Since we joined the programme,” says 18-year-old Sandi, “all our dreams that we held in our heart have come true. Now the water is here. Right in the back of our house.” The programme he’s talking about is called i2Change, and the stories of change that come from it are incredible. Save the Children supports communities involved to uncover problems and develop in-novative solutions by igniting the imaginations of young people, nurturing their talents and building their self-belief. In 2023, in West Sumba, Indonesia, Sandy joined i2Change and formed a team with two other 18-year-olds: Soleman and Anjar. Through workshops, they considered the challenges people in their community faced and decided to tackle the lack of water in Sandi’s village. Children and adults, in-cluding pregnant women, were getting up at 3am to walk 3km down a steep and dangerous verge to reach a water source, carrying two five litre containers each. Not only was it incredibly risky, it was impacting children’s education and physical development; growing nutritious food was off the table, and children were missing school because of exhaustion or embarrassment at not being able to wash. The plan: to build a borehole and taps right there in the village. Over the next few months, Sandi and his crew received specialist training and support – not only in how to design and implement their plan, but also in public speaking, influencing and the kinds of things that grow your confidence and make people others listen to your ideas. The consulted with the community and worked on a blueprint for the water system with support from Save the Chil-dren. By the time Sandi and his friends chose the team-name Golden Scorpio, they had really started to be-lieve they could make a difference to their community: gold symbolises courage, and a scorpion is a small and unassuming creature that delivers a powerful sting – and can have a big impact. In West Sumba, that impact is being felt in so many ways. Following the boys’ plan, Save the Children and its partners dug the borehole, installed nine taps, and covered the costs. The community now has regular access to water – but so much more too. Children have more time to study and play. It’s easier for families to irrigate their vegetable gardens. Children can wash twice a day and go to school as a result. They have time and energy to play like children should. No-one is making the difficult journey anymore. Given what they’ve accomplished and the changemaker Sandy has become, it’s hard to believe he used to keep to himself. Now, he’s an outspoken advocate for issues affecting children and young people and has more big plans for his community. “We can make Indonesia much better,” he says, proud and full of confidence. Ulet Ifansasti / Save the Children
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