Innovative Partnership Launched to Protect Children in Ivorian Cocoa Communities

Innovative Initiative for Child Protection in Cocoa-Growing Regions

An innovative multi-stakeholder initiative has been launched to enhance the lives of children and adolescents in cocoa-producing communities in Ivory Coast. This partnership involves Italian Cooperation, Save the Children, and Ferrero, aiming to improve child welfare while combating child labor in the region.

Initiated in September 2025, this new program is a continuation of a pilot launched by Save the Children in 2017, which was supported by Ferrero. The initiative will continue until 2030 and will receive funding as part of a public-private partnership approach.

The funding comes from the Italian Cooperation, following a competitive selection managed by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS). The official project unveiling took place in Abidjan during the May 2025 mission led by Stefano Gatti from the Italian Cooperation.

With nearly 20 million euros allocated for the program through the renewed support from Ferrero and funding from AICS, the initiative aims to strengthen child protection and uphold children's rights in cocoa-growing areas. It includes a range of actions designed to mitigate risks and address the root causes of child labor, which are closely tied to socio-economic vulnerabilities.

This initiative employs a comprehensive approach, engaging government entities, civil society, and private sector actors. By fostering resilient and economically sustainable communities, it aims to create conditions conducive to protecting children by ensuring access to education and healthcare, improving birth registration systems, securing livelihoods and nutrition, empowering communities, and promoting women-led businesses while combating child labor.

The project's true innovation lies in its integrated and systemic approach, connecting communities, families, suppliers, and local governments at the ground level, while also ensuring economic sustainability through the mobilization of institutional and private funding for long-term structural change. Collaborating directly with local partners and suppliers from the very start generates powerful synergies between public and private sector expertise, amplifying the impact beyond initial investments and gradually transforming best practices into public policies.

Moreover, child protection measures are incorporated into the supply chain operations, ensuring that interventions reach the most vulnerable children, fostering long-term sustainability, and allowing for scalable replication of the efforts. The initiative also utilizes performance indicators and assessment systems to ensure tangible and sustainable results.

As Daniela Fatarella, CEO of Save the Children Italy, stated: "We have always believed in the importance of collaboration involving public institutions, both national and international, civil society, and the private sector, recognizing the unique value each actor brings. True change is not the result of isolated actions but of transformative and sustainable alliances. This partnership represents a real investment focused on cross-cutting long-term actions involving multiple stakeholders to achieve sustainable outcomes."

With Ferrero's commitment, as expressed by Isabel Hochgesand, Global Purchasing Director at Ferrero, this collaboration marks a significant step towards a more sustainable cocoa ecosystem. By working together across the entire cocoa value chain, the partners aim to create a transparent, inclusive, and sustainable supply chain that can deliver a meaningful impact for both communities and the company.

For further details about the program, please visit Ferrero's official website.

About Ferrero

Ferrero in France is a subsidiary of an Italian family-owned group with a presence in 170 countries and nearly 40,000 employees worldwide. The Ferrero Group is the third largest in the global confectionery and chocolate sector, with a turnover of 1.59 billion euros in 2024 across eight markets in France. Ferrero's brands, such as Nutella, Kinder, Ferrero Rocher, and Tic Tac, create emotional connections with consumers that last generations. With over 1,400 employees, Ferrero focuses on ensuring the highest quality confectionery products while maintaining a strong commitment to responsibility across all levels of operation.