Impact Bond to address Child Labour in the Cocoa Value Chain in Côte d’Ivoire

Intervention

Social or environmental challenge

Despite being the foremost cocoa producer, most cocoa farmers in Cote d'Ivoire are impoverished. 1.3 million children (aged 5-17) in cocoa-producing regions work in the cocoa sector. Despite several measures to combat child labour, progress to date remains modest. School feeding programs have shown limited but positive empirical evidence regarding reduction in child labour. The Cote d'Ivoire government has been facing challenges in implementing its national school-feeding programme. Current supply of school canteen by government covers only 18 school days out of 120 days in total. Challenges include insufficient budget to cover the operation of the project, food shortages in the canteens, irregular operation of the canteens, low community involvement, lack of staff to manage the canteens, ineffective model for the sustainability of the canteens, etc. Proposed project seeks to address these challenges by introducing sustainable, well-stocked canteens for all 120 school days.

Description of the intervention

The project aims to reduce child labour in cocoa producing regions in Cote d'Ivoire. The primary intervention includes establishing innovative and sustainable school feeding programme (canteen services) in primary schools. The objective is to raise USD 10-20 million to fund the establishment and functioning of 150- 250 school canteens in selected cocoa-growing regions.
Expected results include:
1. Reducing child labour in cocoa growing regions in Cote d'Ivoire
2. Increase in school attendance rates contributing to better education outcomes for children and reduced time of children on fields
3. Establishing a sustainable community-based food supply model for school canteens
A cornerstone of the project involves procuring local produce directly from smallholder farmers within the communities, serving as a pivotal mechanism to fortify local economies and contribute to the long-term sustainability of the programme. The programme is designed in partnership with the government to ensure that it can be replicated on a larger scale by the government. The project represents a holistic approach to improving the lives of children, families and communities while testing a sustainable long-term solution.

Target population

Primary school children

Outcome metrics

• TBD (child labour rate, learning outcomes)

Last data update

Data for this project was last updated by stakeholders in Feb 2024.