Haut-Sassandra Child Protection Initiative: A Landscape and Referral Pilot
What is the main objective of the project?
With ICI’s technical support and guidance, this landscape and referral approach pilot aims to provide a coordination platform for actors operating in the same location or region to explore possibilities of collaboration with the local authorities. The project will follow a bottom-up and organic approach, building on the needs identified in the selected geographic area to coordinate the response between all actors presents to improve the global efficiencies.
Over the years, an increasing number of cocoa farming households, cooperatives and communities are covered by industry sustainability systems, whether through a Child Labour Monitoring and Remediation System (CLMRS) , or other types of interventions. The upscale and increased coverage of interventions is positive. However, they are often implemented uncoordinatedly, leading to overlaps in some areas, while others remain uncovered. This calls for parallel efforts to improve coordination and to drive alignment within the sector, including among cocoa and chocolate companies and their implementing partners, between them and government services under the national leadership of mandated bodies, and with other commodities actors present in the same geographies.
"Working together for the well-being of children is a source of great satisfaction for us and we are delighted with this success."
How will the project contribute to sustainable cocoa production?
In cocoa farming families in Côte d’Ivoire, more than a third of children (38%) are involved in child labour, and almost all of them engage in hazardous tasks. While many households and children benefit from activities implemented by various actors in Côte d’Ivoire, the lack of connection between industry and government efforts undermines potential synergies and efficiency. Joining efforts will strengthen the protective environment, therefore reducing the risk factors of child labour in the intervention area and increasing sustainability in cocoa farming.
"We were delighted to see the creation of Landscape and Referral, which helps to coordinate our actions on the ground. Today, we understand how important it is to work together."
What steps are taken during the project?
The 24-month Landscape pilot project in Haut-Sassandra aims to enhance coordination and collaboration among key stakeholders in the region. A primary objective is to establish a dedicated coordination platform for actors operating in Haut-Sassandra, ensuring better alignment of their activities. This involves strengthening partnerships with local authorities, particularly with organisations such as the Child Labour Observation and Monitoring System in Côte d'Ivoire (SOSTECI), the Ministry for Women, Family, and Children (MFFE), and Social Welfare structures. By improving coordination, the project seeks to streamline stakeholders’ interventions, reducing overlaps and ensuring that all areas requiring support are sufficiently covered.
The project places a strong emphasis on sharing experiences among stakeholders to build on past efforts and improve the overall effectiveness of future interventions. As part of this process, stakeholders in the region will be mapped, and knowledge of ongoing activities—especially those related to child protection—will be expanded. This comprehensive mapping will help identify common activities being implemented at the community level, enabling the development of strategies to avoid redundancies and ensure more efficient use of resources.
In addition to preventing overlaps, the project will explore ways to mutualise interventions, ensuring that communities receive the necessary support without duplicating efforts. To facilitate improved coordination, logistical support will be provided to regional authorities. The project also aims to strengthen coordination at the national level by organising landscape platform coordination meetings and bringing partners together to align their approaches.
Finally, the project will encourage the development of joint activities, such as training sessions and joint field learning visits, promoting collaboration and shared learning among platform members in the landscape of Haut-Sassandra.
A landscape stakeholders learning workshop on data collection, held in Daloa. The project is conceived as a pilot to better understand and assess the potential of the landscape approach.
How do you plan to communicate the outcomes to relevant stakeholders?
Communication and sharing of knowledge are a core aspect of the project as they are essential components of coordination. These fully involve local and national governments, especially the SOSTECI and the MFFE, working towards the vision of having them playing an active role in child protection issues. Lessons learned and practices from participating stakeholders will be shared so that positive and efficient practices can be adapted by others. Indeed, the stakeholder’s coordination platform set-up in haut Sassandra plays a pivotal role for communication and exchange amongst the landscape stakeholders. Besides this, information sessions and workshops at the national level will also be organised.
Where do you see the greatest potential for other stakeholders in the cocoa sector and beyond to learn from the outcomes of this project?
The project is conceived as a pilot to better understand and assess the potential of the landscape approach, as there is limited experience within this framework concerning social issues, particularly child protection. The project's learning potential is high, especially in demonstrating the increased cost-efficiency of stakeholders' work related to child protection and referrals. This will depend on the various stakeholders' capacity to work in a more integrated manner within a pre-competitive framework.
Organisations involved
