Children first: promoting human rights and an equitable and sustainable cocoa supply chain in Côte d'Ivoire
Cote d'Ivoire
Status
ImplementationAid type
Project-type interventionsCote d'Ivoire
Location
-
€ 2,159,908
Committed
Committed
€ 1,295,945
Used
Used
Description
The initiative "Children First - promoting human rights and an equitable and sustainable cocoa supply chain in Côte d'Ivoire" is being implemented in the Sud Comoé region with the aim of addressing poverty and the social, health, and economic barriers that limit the access of children in the region to their fundamental rights. It seeks to achieve this by promoting an integrated system for the protection and safeguarding of children, tackling trafficking, child exploitation, and forced labor, while simultaneously improving the socio-economic conditions of vulnerable families in the implementation area and combating extreme poverty. Result 1 aims to enhance access to and the quality of basic socio-health services through the strengthening of healthcare facilities, including the Pouponnière Shalom Soua di Ayamé, the state hospital in Ayamé and 10 rural health centers within the Aboisso health district. The Sud Comoé region faces significant vulnerabilities in accessing basic healthcare services, as many communities in the area are located in hard-to-reach areas, where health centers often lack trained personnel and adequate diagnostic tools. This structural deficiency leads to insufficient prevention and treatment of common childhood illnesses, contributing to high infant mortality rates. In particular, limited access to safe water supply services poses a significant health risk to children, increasing the spread of communicable and gastrointestinal diseases. Result 2 focuses on the prevention and protection of children who are victims of trafficking and exploitation. The Sud Comoé region, located along major transit routes connecting Côte d'Ivoire to neighboring countries, is often affected by human trafficking, particularly involving children destined for labor and sexual exploitation. Additionally, traditional agricultural practices in the cocoa supply chain, marked by high levels of poverty and low family incomes, contribute to child exploitation. Strengthening social centers for the reception and rehabilitation of victims, combined with awareness-raising and active surveillance activities, addresses the need to build a more effective and coordinated local network to protect children, raise community awareness, and promote a culture of prevention against such phenomena. Result 3 seeks to improve the economic conditions of vulnerable families by acting on the development of the cocoa commercial supply chain, one of the region's primary sources of income. The supply chain is characterized by high economic vulnerability among small-scale producers, caused by low prices imposed by intermediaries, poor organization of cooperatives, and unsustainable farming practices that have led to land degradation and reduced yields. These precarious economic conditions drive families to employ children on plantations, perpetuating the cycle of child exploitation. The project will work with cooperatives and producers to promote agroecological transition and strengthen producers' skills through training centers. The result aims to improve product quality and value, enabling small-scale producers to access more profitable local and international markets. These interventions aim to increase workers' average income and promote a cultural cocoa industry that recognizes and combats exploitative practices, reducing economic vulnerability and reliance on child labor in plantations.
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| Year | Committed | Used |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | € 2,159,908 | € 1,295,945 |
Agency
| Type | Name | Channel code |
|---|---|---|
| Government | AICS - Italian Agency for Cooperation and Development | 11000 |
Channel reported
| Type | Name | Channel code |
|---|---|---|
| National NGO | AGENZIA N°1 DI PAVIA PER AYAMÉ (APPA) ONG | 22000 |
Project data
Sectors
Policy markers
SDGs
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