Though they attended school on weekdays, their weekends were spent on labor-intensive farm work. However, Musah’s perspective began to change after participating in a series of workshops organized by Solidaridad under the RECLAIM Sustainability! programme.
From “Opposition leader” to Advocate
Musah’s transformation was not instantaneous. Initially, he resisted lessons on child labor presented during training sessions, earning the nickname “Opposition Leader” among his peers.
In 2022, Solidaridad began meeting with members of various cocoa cooperative unions across Ghana, including Musah’s Nwomaso Cocoa Cooperative Union, on child labor-related issues, such as permissible and non-permissible child work, the impact of child labor and prevention strategies.
These engagements provided a platform to educate members and address misconceptions. As the president of the Nwomaso Union, Musah was always present at the sessions, but he often attended mostly to challenge the trainers. For many farmers, the distinction between child work, or helping out on the farm in a safe way, and exploitative child labor where they may be taken out of school or engaged in hazardous work, can be hard to discern.
Eventually, between the training sessions and interactions with other cooperative members, the lessons began to resonate. Musah gradually understood and challenged his perceptions on child labor, especially around potentially hazardous work.
Even though his children are now 21 and 18, and have aged out of working on the farm, Musah has become a staunch anti-child labor campaigner and is promoting the concept within his community.
“I am committed to preventing similar practices among other families.”
Musah Kalamdulai
So far, he has engaged about 100 members of his community through group and one-on-one interactions. He educates parents and farmers about the importance of limiting children’s work to permissible tasks and ensuring their education remains a priority.
“My engagements with parents and farmers have led to positive outcomes. More parents now understand the dangers of child labor and are refraining from taking them out of school to work,” he says. “This has significantly reduced child labor in my community.”
Musah and his union members now act as guardians in their community, ensuring that no child is found on farms during school hours.
Meet Victoria Asiedu – One of Musah’s “converts”
Victoria Aseidu, a 37-year-old widow and mother of three, worked on Musah’s orange farm with her children to provide for her family. Besides working on Musah’s farm, she is also a cocoa farmer and trader. According to her, she needed her children to help the family make ends meet.
“The work had a detrimental impact on their academic performance, eventually leading to their dismissal from school. It took some time to reinstate them,” she recalls.
Kofi Awuah, Victoria’s 14-year-old son, recounts his harrowing ordeal as a child laborer:
“During school hours, my siblings and I often accompanied our mother to the farm. After harvesting the oranges, we carried them to the roadside to be transported; we also weeded the farm,” he said.
“This routine would often leave us completely exhausted, which occasionally required hospitalization. As a result, I performed poorly in school and often failed my examinations.”
Changing perspectives, finding help
Musah’s initial meeting with Victoria about her children’s work on the farm was unsuccessful. However, they continued the conversation and after further discussion, she began to understand the harmful effects that excessive work can have on her children and decided to follow his advice.
“Since I fully enrolled my children in school again and reduced their work and time spent on the farm, I have noticed a significant improvement in their academic performance,” she said. Kofi confirms that his performance in school has significantly improved.
Now her children only help on Saturdays for two hours picking oranges or cocoa. She was also able to save enough money to start a food vending business that supports her family.
“Breaking the cycle of child labor starts with empowering farmers to prioritize their children’s education over exploitation to ensure every child has the opportunity to grow and thrive,” says Seth Kankan Nuamah, Programme Coordinator for RECLAIM Sustainability! programme in West Africa.
“The true harvest of a farmer is not just in crops, but in the future they cultivate when children’s right to learn is protected.”
Seth Kankan Nuamah, Programme Coordinator for RECLAIM Sustainability! programme in West Africa
Solidaridad continues to enhance the capacity of farmers, like Musah Kalamdul, to address the root causes of child labor. This can include showing farmers ways to access skilled labor to supplant the need for child labor or the creation of Village Savings and Loan Associations to access low interest loans to cover labor until they are paid for their produce. This effort is part of Solidaridad’s work in supporting Small and Medium Enterprises to establish rural service centres that provide farmers with the needed support to manage their farms more effectively.
The RECLAIM Sustainability! Programme
This work has been made possible under the RECLAIM Sustainability! Programme, a five-year programme that seeks to promote an inclusive, sustainable trade and value chain in which the interests, voices and rights of farmers, workers and citizens are represented and heard in decision-making. The programme advocates for fair value for producers, safe conditions devoid of child labor, and protection of land rights and forests.