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CLEF is an active and growing coalition that brings together the Government of Côte d’Ivoire, 16 cocoa and chocolate companies, and 2 philanthropic foundations as of December 2023. Its strength lies in its collaborative efforts, uniting public and private sectors to address complex intertwined social challenges such as ensuring universal access to quality education and eradicating child labor. Leveraging their combined expertise, resources, and commitment, the partners can achieve together much more than anyone could alone.

CLEF is open to further cooperation. Interested partners are welcome to join!

Alignment with national strategic objectives

CLEF responds to three national strategies targeting children in Côte d’Ivoire: the Education/Training Sector Plan 2016-2025; the National Action Plan to Combat Child Trafficking, Exploitation and Labor 2019-2023; the National Strategy for Sustainable Cocoa (2022-2030).

Tackling root causes of child labor

Child labor is a serious challenge driven by many dimensions affecting and influencing families and caregivers. This includes poverty, lack of access to basic social services, adverse social norms, migration dynamics. Thus, any attempt to end child labor in cocoa growing communities must address the fundamental causes of this complex problem holistically.

Evidence shows correlations between access to quality education, school attendance, and lower child labor risks. CLEF is built upon the belief that child labor can only be tackled effectively through collective and coordinated efforts with accountability shared among all stakeholders: cocoa-producing countries, cocoa and chocolate companies, development partners, and farming communities.

JOINING FORCES TO WORK AT SCALE

CLEF capitalizes on the expertise of multiple stakeholders contributing to the initiative financially. It also builds on prior efforts undertaken through the Transforming Education in Cocoa Communities (TRECC) program. Together with the Ministry of National Education and the cocoa and chocolate industry, TRECC implemented various pilot projects with the purpose of identifying the best suitable solutions to improve learning outcomes in primary school. CLEF supports scaling the new national program for literacy and numeracy, which integrates strategies and tools that have proven effective.

Learn more

Contact us to learn more about the initiative and to get involved.

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Lindt&Sprüngli
“Access to quality education for all children is at the heart of a holistic child protection concept. Through the CLEF initiative, public and private stakeholders jointly invest into the education system in Ivory Coast to collaboratively contribute to creating a better future for the children of cocoa farmers and with the aim to prevent child labor at the landscape level. We are proud to be part of this partnership, which perfectly complements our existing efforts to protect children's rights within the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program, our responsible sourcing program for cocoa.”
Martin Hug, Member of Group Management, Lindt & Sprüngli
Quote 1
“Collaborative philanthropy is critical to addressing the greatest challenges facing vulnerable populations. We are proud to stand alongside the Jacobs Foundation, the Government of Côte d’Ivoire, and the corporate sector in support of advancing quality education across the country. We look forward to building on this program and amplifying its successes beyond Côte d’Ivoire.”
Phyllis Kurlander Costanza – Head UBS in Society and CEO UBS, Optimus Foundation
Quote 2
“We see CLEF as a unique opportunity to reach out beyond our individual efforts in the supply chain to address the root causes of child labor in cocoa. By collaborating with the Jacobs Foundation, the Government of Côte d’Ivoire, and other industry partners, we aim to leverage the funding and expertise required to achieve the kind of scale needed to bring about long-lasting behavioral change.”
Nicolas de Wasseige – Global Head Cocoa, Ecom Agrotrade Ltd
Quote 3
“Child labor in the cocoa supply chain is unacceptable and we’re committed to eradicating it as part of Cocoa Compass, our sustainability ambition for the cocoa sector. The programs that we deliver with our customer and industry partners focus on tackling the social and economic root causes of this issue through action at the individual, community, and national level. Along with the Jacobs Foundation, the Government of Côte d’Ivoire, and others in our industry, we are pleased to participate in the Child Learning and Education Facility (CLEF). We appreciate that if we are to achieve our goal, school availability must be accompanied by access to quality education if children are to really thrive. We strongly believe this program will enhance the work of the industry to date and have a positive impact on the future of millions of children in Côte d’Ivoire as well as their wider cocoa community.”
Gerard A. Manley – CEO, Olam Cocoa
Quote 4
“We are pleased to contribute to the CLEF initiative to improve the quality of education in Côte d’Ivoire. This builds on the work we have been doing with the Jacobs Foundation under their TRECC program. Since 2012, Nestlé has contributed in improving access to education in rural areas in Côte d’Ivoire. As part of the Nestlé Cocoa plan, we have built or refurbished 49 schools in cocoa-growing communities. CLEF complements our wider actions to tackle child labor through the rollout of the Child Labor Monitoring and Remediation System. It helps address some of the root causes of child labor.”
Alexander von Maillot – Global Head Confectionery and Ice Cream Strategic Business Unit, Nestlé
Quote 5
“Barry Callebaut continuously strives to ensure that cocoa farmers’ children go to school and have optimal development. Nevertheless, there are some things that we cannot do on our own and have chosen to do in collaboration with the Jacobs Foundation, the World Cocoa Foundation, and other stakeholders. The programs from the Jacobs Foundation will provide the vehicle by which cocoa-farming communities will benefit from good education and better development, and we will all make progress in eliminating child labor.”
Pablo Perversi – Chief Innovation, Sustainability and Quality Officer and Global Head of Gourmet, Barry Callebaut
Quote 6
“The CLEF initiatives are complementary to the existing Ferrero Farming Values Cocoa program. In this program, Ferrero is working to enable the successful growth of children in cocoa-growing communities by providing access to quality education and basic facilities like sanitation and hygiene and good nutrition. For many years already, we have been working closely together with our suppliers and main partners like the NGO Save the Children. Because only together can we ensure a better future for children and advance the elimination of child labor. As a family company with strong values, Ferrero is proud to contribute to this partnership with the Jacobs Foundation, the Government of Côte d’Ivoire, and other cocoa and chocolate companies, which we believe will have a meaningful and lasting impact, on our direct supply chain and beyond.”
Marco Gonçalves – Chief Procurement & Hazelnut Company Officer, Ferrero
Quote 7
“The Hershey Company is excited to partner with the Jacobs Foundation to support the CLEF initiative to invest in quality children’s education at scale in cocoa-growing communities of Côte d’Ivoire. We believe that education is critical both for individual development and to create future opportunities.”
Jeff King – Senior Director Global Sustainability and Social Impact, The Hershey Company
Quote 8
“Investing in quality education and early childhood development in cocoa-growing communities is foundational to achieving a sustainable cocoa supply chain where human rights are respected and cocoa farmers and their families have the opportunity to thrive. The CLEF initiative represents a major opportunity to expand our collaboration with the Jacobs Foundation, whose robust expertise and well-established presence in Côte d’Ivoire will support our approach aimed at protecting children through access to quality education, driving toward better long-term futures for children in cocoa-growing communities.”
John Ament – Global Vice President Cocoa, Mars Wrigley
Quote 9
“At Mondelēz International’s cocoa sustainability program Cocoa Life, we believe the work of children is education and play. Every actor in the cocoa sector has a part to play in making this a reality. The future of cocoa depends on us collaborating on landscape approaches that promote early childhood development and access to quality education. That’s why we’re proud to partner with the Jacobs Foundation, the Government of Côte d’Ivoire, and other stakeholders of the CLEF initiative. Together, we create a movement for lasting change and help future generations thrive.”
Cathy Pieters – Global Director Cocoa Life, Mondelēz International
Quote 10
“Sucden Cocoa is very pleased and privileged to be a contributor to the Jacobs Foundation and the CLEF and ELAN programs. Sucden recognizes the challenges many cocoa-farming families face in Côte d’Ivoire. We believe that the provision of enhanced educational opportunities for young children is a fundamental weapon in the fight for improved opportunities in the weakest part of our cocoa community. The CLEF and ELAN programs will help the next generation of children in the cocoa areas of Côte d’Ivoire to obtain the skills necessary to achieve more choices in their future lives. We wholeheartedly support the partnership that the Jacobs Foundation has created, and we look forward to playing any part we can in making the program a success.”
Paul Davis, Head of Sucden Cocoa
Quote 11
“The CLEF-ELAN funding facilities offer a groundbreaking opportunity to address some of the root causes of child labor at scale. Nurturing early childhood development support and reinforcing quality schooling systems are proven levers to protect children and empower smallholder communities. Touton is proud to support this ambitious collaborative approach, which will provide key learnings for all actors intent on significantly contributing to the achievement of the SDGs.”
Patrick de Boussac – CEO, Touton
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