Just Chocolate?

In 2002 a study by the Sustainable Tree Crops Program of the Institute of Tropical Agriculture of Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea and Nigeria claimed that there were at least 284,000 children trapped in forced labour in the West African cocoa industry. The majority of these (200,000) were to be found in Cote d’Ivoire. Child slavery is still a feature of cocoa production today.

In the run up to Easter 2008 CHURCHES TOGETHER IN STEVENAGE ran a campaign, focused on the sale of Easter eggs, to promote awareness within local schools and churches that:

                            Buying certain chocolate may enslave people

                            There is a Fairtrade alternative

This won the Stevenage Fairtrade Steering Group's "Fairtrade Challenge Award" in the Category "Organisation's Challenge - Best Campaign".

The campaign had three strands.

To raise awareness in churches. See the resources page.  

To raise awareness in schools.  13 Stevenage schools heard our message. See the resources page for downloads and links.

To encourage people to lobby retailers and chocolate manufacturers to cease selling chocolate which involves the use of slave / child labour. See the resources page for downloads and links.

The third is still relevant as retailers and manufacturers plan to produce/order Easter eggs for 2009. Please lobby them today!!!

Who sold some Fairtrade Eggs

see details of our launch - "Chains for Change"

Any queries? e-mail webmaster