Day 14. Happy Valentine's Day.

Today is Valentine's Day.

Today, I talked to the fourth grade students about Fair Trade. I showed them a video on the story of Divine Chocolate, a Fair Trade chocolate company out of Ghana, West Africa.

Here is another video of a life that was changed because of Fair Trade.

Learn more about Divine Chocolate here.

This is the information I gave my students on their Valentine's, along with a piece of Fair Trade chocolate. I asked them to tell one person about what they learned.

Over a decade ago, initial reports from this region described how children worked for long hours on cocoa farms performing hazardous work like using machetes, carrying heavy loads, and coming into close contact with toxic pesticides.

The Payson Center at Tulane University, in its 2009 Assessment of Child Labor in the Cocoa Supply Chain in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana, found that children are frequently involved in weeding, plucking cocoa pods, gathering and heaping cocoa pods, and other cocoa growing activities. They also reported that 15 percent of children surveyed reported forced or involuntary work in the past twelve months. In addition, they found that nearly 50 percent of children working in cocoa farming in Cote d’Ivoire and over 50 percent in Ghana reported injuries from their work in the past year. (http://www.raisethebarhershey.org/why-cocoa/)

At the heart of Divine’s heavenly tasting chocolate there is a unique story. Not only do the Kuapa Kokoo farmers’ receive a Fair Trade price for their cocoa, but they also own 45% of the company, and therefore have a direct influence over how the company is run and share in the profits from the chocolate. Owning Divine gives the farmers of the Kuapa Kokoo cooperative not just additional income, but also knowledge and power. (http://www.divinechocolateusa.com/default.aspxhttp://www.divinechocolateusa.com/default.aspx)

The talk went really well. My students responded to what they learned and had a lot of questions about it. I am excited I got to share this with them and that they are now more knowledgeable about injustice and what they can do to stop it.

Take a stand against modern-day slavery and fight for freedom for the child slaves used to make our chocolate. There are many ways to do this: 
- Boycott chocolate specifically on Valentine's Day and follow up by only purchasing fair trade chocolate products.
- Share this information with friends, family members, and colleagues. Post information to Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites. Encourage your schools and workplaces to boycott chocolate that is produced through slave labor. 
- Join the anti-slavery movement. 
- Write, call, or visit your Senators and prompt them to enforce international child labor laws. 
- Be creative. Look for opportunities to help in the fight against modern-day slavery. 

Happy Valentine's Day! Love God. Love people. Love the World.