The Vision for Change (V4C) team learnt with great pleasure that the children’s rights activist Kailash Satyarthi had been declared the 2014’s Nobel Peace prize winner.

In February 2013, Satyarthi visited the cocoa farming communities in Soubré, South-West Cote d’Ivoire, where ICRAF and parters are working with farmers to build sustainable cocoa communities. There, he interacted with cocoa farmers, and saw V4C project  activities contributing to school enrollment and retention for children to, e.g. through supporting the construction of classrooms and other infrastructure, and building school canteens so children can eat at school.

He was accompanied in his tour by Jeff Morgan, MARS Global Director. Satyarthi expressed satisfaction that the communities’ lives were improving through the interventions of the V4C project. “I want all your children to have access to education for a brighter future” he told the cocoa farmers.

Dr Christophe N. KOUAME, V4C project leader, and ICRAF management and staff join the world in congratulating Mr. Kailash Satyarthi for this great lifetime achievement!

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See photo of his visit Here

See http://www.worldagroforestry.org/events/cocoa-farming

Transforming cocoa with seedlings and services for farmers.

Trees among the trees: Cocoa farmers’ views on agroforestry