Members of Seed for Change Initiative, an employee engagement platform of Barry Callebaut Nigeria, have engaged with over 800 students in Nigeria as part of activities marking the International Day of the African Child, commemorated on June 16.
Leaners of five selected schools in Akure, Ondo State, were sensitised on the roles of children in national development, particularly how they need to get involved in supporting programmes that will improve our climate and environment.
In line with this year’s theme for the International Day of the African Child which is ‘The Rights Of The Child In The Digital Environment‘, the Sustainability Operations Manager for Barry Callebaut Nigeria, Mujeeb Oniyide stressed the need for children to prioritise their studies in the ever-changing world where everything is going digital.
He charged the students to start using available digital skills to contribute to the various challenges facing cocoa farmers in the country.
He further used the events to expatiate ways the children can be agents of change as the world continues to face climate-related challenges, particularly among cocoa farmers.
For this reason, over 150 trees were planted in Ogbe and Imafon High School, Muslim College, Fiwasaye Girls College and Acquina College all in Akure, Ondo State.
The students were implored to become tree-planting ambassadors in their respective schools by nurturing the trees to maturity. This will be a legacy they will continue to look back and appreciate.
The Seed for Change Initiative had earlier organised a Speech Contest programme for students from these selected schools where they extensively discussed the topics: ‘The future of our cocoa and our planet‘ and ‘My part in shaping sustainable cocoa in Nigeria.’
The essence of the speech contest was to enlighten the children about some of the challenges the farmers are facing.
It is hoped this could inspire the young ones to start thinking of solutions to support the farmers.
“Some of them could become farmers, lawyers, engineers, and even politicians that will formulate policies that will support cocoa farmers in the future,” said Oniyide.
While further indicating the essence of the speech contest, the Barry Callebaut Nigeria Sustainability Operations Manager, Mujeeb Oniyide indicated that “some of the issues we are addressing in cocoa sustainability is paramount that children are also one of the vulnerable people that we are also looking at.
We have child labour cases in the cocoa sector, by this, the children will also be aware of some of the challenges they are having and how they can face their education squarely and how they can proffer a solution to the coming generation.”
To climax the African Child Day celebration, certificates of participation were also presented to the students who took part in the Speech Contest to motivate them and also appreciate their contribution towards giving back to society.
Watch the event Photo Gallery below: