Ten years after the chocolate industry’s commitment to the “Harkin-Engel Protocol”, the promise to end forced child labour – including trafficking, in West Africa’s cocoa production, still is yet to be fulfilled. As the 10 Campaign site explains, in Cote d’Ivoire where more than 40% of the world’s cocoa is produced, 109,000 children are employed under “the worst forms of child labour.” 10,000 of these children are also victims of human trafficking or enslavement, according to the US Department of State. Around the world, 1.8 million children work in the chocolate industry, due to low cocoa prices ‘making’ producers turn to child labour for lower costs. This is a paradox, if you consider the huge profits made by the chocolate industry.

As members of the 10 Campaign, we initiated the Bittersweet campaign to raise awareness about child and forced labour in the cocoa sector. This photo contest aimed to spread the message to love chocolate and end child labour, initiating international participation with dozens of people sending their fair-trade chocolate pictures and hundreds more spreading the word about these issues.

Today, we are proud to announce the lucky winner, whose picture received a whopping 376 votes on the Bittersweet website. Ewa Tuteja’s photo “I was gone for just a minute…”, has won fair products worth €50,-. Congratulations, Ewa! We’d like to thank everyone once again for all of your wonderful entries.

Bittersweet has finished, leaving us exactly with that taste; we are pleased that so many of you support this cause; joining it with so much enthusiasm and helping us spread our message. However, child labour and slavery still continue to this day and there are still major commitments to be made to finally create a world free of cocoa produced at this expense.

See the Bittersweet microsite

Read more about issues with cocoa

Have you read something we should know about? Please let us know in the comments.

Dirkje Koene is a Copywriter for Fairfood International.

Image: Bob.Fornal (CC License)

Voting is now open! Choose which photo you think best expresses a passion for fair-trade chocolate. We’ve decided to extend the voting process so that everyone can make their vote heard. The photo that receives the most votes by February 21st will be the winner.

To learn more about the campaign and make your vote, visit www.fairfood.org/bittersweet.

To learn more about these issues, visit www.10campaign.com.

Online Fundraiser

Department
The Business Development department’s main responsibility is to acquire financial means for the organisation. The Business Development Department’s main responsibility is to acquire resources that can enable Fairfood to attain its goals. These resources can be found in the form of subsidies, as sponsoring in kind or in the form of donations from individuals. The department also focuses on establishing and maintaining partner relationships. The department is directed by the Director Business Development. Four paid Managers manage the business development activities, each with the help of one or more Business Development Officers and Fundraisers.

Function
As an Online Fundraiser, you will participate in the development of strategies and proposals to raise funds from individuals online. You will look for appropriate platforms and methods to attract donors and involve them in a long-term support to Fairfood. You will analyse existing donors and accordingly create proposals for successful fundraising campaigns. You will expand the (international) network of Fairfood and you will establish and maintain partnerships with other organizations that fundraise online. Also, you will have the opportunity to attend conferences and represent the organization.

Your competences
Your are studying at or have graduated from a higher education institution (HBO) or university or have acquired an equivalent working and thinking level through work experience. Preferably (no requirement), your studies or previous experience have a focus on online media, interactive e-campaigning and/or fundraising.

You have excellent verbal and written communication skills in English; another European language is a plus. You are able to work well both independently and within a team, and are out of the box thinker. Furthermore, you are result oriented, creative and have well-developed social skills. Obviously, you have affinity with Fairfood’s goals.

What we offer?
This is an unpaid position which is suited as an internship to get working experience in this particular field of work and at an NGO. We offer a versatile position within a young international organisation. You will have the freedom and opportunities to continue developing yourself and achieve tangible results. We value our employees and we fully recognise that flexibility in the amount of working hours might be important for you. To create a beneficial relationship for both parties, we prefer you to work for a minimum of sixteen hours a week for a period of at least three months.

Interested?
If you recognise yourself in this outline and have seen your core qualities detailed above, we would like to meet you. If interested, send your motivation letter and CV to Dusica Naumovska, Manager Business Development dusica.naumovska@fairfood.org or (+31) (0) 627242824.

When: March 2012
Where: Head office (Amsterdam)

Fairfood International’s mission is more important now than ever before. A sustainable world is the only feasible future we have, and to achieve this, a sustainable food and beverage industry is imperative. Every day, the young and energetic staff at Fairfood strives to encourage food and beverage companies to adopt more sustainable practices. Would you like to join our team as an event manager (unpaid) and help us raise awareness of the pressing issues we are addressing and at the same time raise funds?

Are you enthusiastic, well organised, detail and deadline-oriented, with strong verbal and written communication skills and able to manage a budget? Do you have experience with working at a selection of venues, in catering, production, entertainment and/or project management? Are you creative, with a capacity for multi-tasking and taking initiative?

Then we’re looking for you.

The event manager would be responsible for coordinating and organising events scheduled for the first half of the year. An applicant with a bachelor’s or higher degree in hospitality/event management, business administration, marketing, public relations or communications is preferable, but not essential.

The position would be unpaid, and for a term of 3 months (which can be extended) and for a minimum of 16 hours a week.
If you have what it takes to take on this role, and if you are inspired by the thought of making a contribution to a sustainable world, we would love to hear from you.

What’s in it for you?
As a member of our team, you will have a wonderful opportunity to build a strong network within the non-profit sector, to gain first-hand experience in independently organising events for an international NGO, and to make a significant contribution towards sustainability in the food and beverage industry.

In addition, we can feature you on our communication channels.

Get in touch with us!
If you fit the profile and are interested in applying for the position, please send your CV, along with a letter of motivation, indicating your interest in and suitability for the position, to bipasha.dalvi@fairfood.org by the 17th of February.

Image: Kay Gaensler (CC License)

We at Fairfood International, are proud to be beneficiary to the worlds third largest private donor that strives to make the world a greener and fairer place and we look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with them.

You too can support our mission to make the food industry sustainable by donating at http://www.fairfood.org/donate.

The world’s population is estimated to grow to 9 billion people in 2050. In order to support all of us and our environment, we need a sustainable food and beverage industry. That is Fairfood International’s mission.

Fairfood International strives to create a sustainable food and beverage industry with respect for people and the environment. This is a matter of increasing urgency as the worlds population is growing rapidly and our resources to provide food for everyone are fast disappearing. A change in how we produce our food is needed, now.

With your donation, we can achieve this together. Your kind contribution will be appreciated by thousands of people whose lives are influenced by Fairfood International’s work.

With your support, we are able to encourage and advocate food and beverage companies to become sustainable, conduct research on the food industry, and create campaigns that inform and raise awareness on important issues.

Join us in this global movement of passionate people, so together we can improve the lives of people around the world.

Visit www.fairfood.org/donate to make your donation today.

Have you read something we should know about? Please let us know in the comments.

Dirkje Koene is a Copywriter for Fairfood International.

Image: tricky ™ (CC License)