An innovative project that involves institutions, the business world, and civil society aimed at protecting girls, boys, and adolescents living in cocoa farming communities in Côte d’Ivoire. This program, at the center of a multi-stakeholder partnership that will see the Italian Cooperation, Save the Children, and Ferrero working together, will be developed in the Haut Sassandra region and the Montagnes district.
The intervention, which will last until 2030, builds on and represents the expansion of an organization’s program, initiated in 2017 with the support of Ferrero, which will continue to fund the initiative in a public-private partnership perspective.
Furthermore, the project will utilize funds from the Italian Cooperation, following the outcome of a selection process managed by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation.
Thanks to the funding provided by the call from the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation and the renewed support from Ferrero, the intervention can count on total funding of nearly 20 million euros.
The program aims to strengthen the protection and respect of children’s rights in cocoa-producing communities, implementing various actions to reduce risks and address the root causes of child labor, which are closely linked to socio-economic vulnerability.
True innovation consists in working with an integrated and systematic approach, both on the ground, by connecting communities, families, suppliers, and local governments, and at the level of economic sustainability through private and institutional funding that can enable structural and long-term change. Working in the cocoa supply chain, with partners from the corporate world and local suppliers, creates a cross-fertilization of knowledge and skills between the public and private sectors, gradually transforming good practices into public policies. In this way, child protection measures are integrated into supply chain operations, ensuring that interventions reach the most vulnerable children, promote long-term sustainability, and can be replicated at scale.
“We have always believed in the importance of collaboration between public institutions – both at the national and international level – civil society and the private sector, which enhances the experience and skills of each of these actors. True change does not arise from isolated actions, but from transformative and lasting alliances. This is why, as Save the Children, we believe this partnership gives meaning to the word investment: investing in the long term with cross-cutting actions, involving multiple actors for lasting results,” stated Daniela Fatarella, General Director of Save the Children.
Press release Save The Children