Protecting Ghana’s Cocoa Children: Insights from an Endline Evaluation
Ghana’s cocoa industry is not only central to the economy, but also to the lives of millions of families. Yet, the sector faces ongoing challenges around child labor and child protection, especially in rural communities. That’s why Fairtrade Africa (FTA) launched the Dignity For All (D4A) Child Protection Project, aiming to strengthen community awareness, improve reporting systems, and ensure children’s rights are respected.
About the Evaluation
Development Change Hub (DCH) was engaged by Fairtrade Africa to conduct the endline evaluation of the D4A Child Protection Project in selected cocoa-growing districts. This evaluation focused on identifying what changed for children and communities as a result of the project, what worked well, and what remains to be addressed for future progress.
Highlights & Lessons Learned
- Community-Led Change: The evaluation found that local committees and champions played a crucial role in raising awareness and supporting safer environments for children. As a result, more families and community members became active in identifying and addressing child protection issues.
- Empowering Children and Adults: Children and caregivers alike reported better knowledge of their rights, where to seek help, and how to report cases of abuse or exploitation. These improvements point to the value of community training, ongoing sensitization, and open dialogue.
- Sustaining the Impact: While notable gains were observed, the evaluation also identified ongoing challenges—such as limited resources and the need for stronger government partnerships. Continued investment and community involvement will be key to long-term change.
Final Thoughts
This blog shares high-level findings only, and does not include any proprietary or confidential project data. The full results and recommendations have been delivered to Fairtrade Africa as part of the official endline evaluation report.
We at DCH are proud to support partners like FTA in advancing child protection and evidence-based action across Ghana.
Interested in learning more about our work? Contact us at devchangehub@gmail.com.