Quality education is a viable alternative and remedy to child labour. ICI's ECLIC project makes sure the children from 50 cocoa-growing communities have access to schooling. Funded by the United States Department of Labor (USDoL), ECLIC recently constructed schools equipped with solar panels providing access to electricity and drinking water, to the communities of Jeannotkro, Gligbeuadji and Kamiadji, in the Doba Sub-Prefecture; Sinikosson in the sub-prefecture of Ouyably-Gnondrou; Ipouba in the sub-prefecture of Gbapleu; and Kouadiobakro in the sub-prefecture of Méagui.
To equip the communities with drinking water, ICI set up 400-watt solar panel systems with an electrical installation including a pump to extract water at a depth of about 10 meters, to fill water towers for a constant supply. As for the access to electricity, a 100-watt installation powers two outlets and three light bulbs in the director's offices and outside.
In Gligbeuadji, Sinikosson and Kamiadji, ICI built a three-classroom building with a director's office and a block of three latrines with faucets, all constructed with the compressed brick technique, and a newly constructed well was added in Kamiadji. In Jeannotkro, ICI equipped the classrooms with table benches. In Ipouba, a building with three classrooms and a fully equipped office of the Director of Compressed Raw Earth Brick was offered to the population. In Kouadiobakro, a six-class school with a headmaster's office has been rehabilitated and a temporary educational structure (appatam) for the bridging classes was built.
Apart from these schools, which costs total more than 65 million CFA francs, other support consisting of equipment and materials was provided. 9,000 school kits were given to 9,000 vulnerable children benefiting from the project, teaching manuals were distributed to teachers in schools in the target communities and equipment (pairs of boots, wheelbarrows, atomisers, shellers, crushers, etc.) was allocated to 100 Community Based Organisations (CBOs) for the implementation of Income Generating Activities (IGAs).
The equipment and materials provided to women's groups amount to 70 million CFA Francs. Those given to youth groups cost a total of 25 million CFA Francs. The equipment and materials provided to the groups of the Child Protection Club (CPE) amount to 12.5 million CFA Francs.
The project aims, through its actions, to strengthen community mobilisation in the fight against child labour; to strengthen the incomes of households with children at risk or involved in child labour and to improve access to quality educational opportunities for children at risk or involved in child labour.
Please find media coverage on these most recent ECLIC actions below: