“I want all your children to have access to education for a brighter future,” said Kailash Satyarthi, child rights activist and co-winner of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize when he visited cocoa-farming communities in Soubré, Côte d’Ivoire earlier this year.

The website of the Sustainable Cocoa Initiative reports that Satyarthi commended the efforts of the Vision for Change project and its partners (including the World Agroforestry Centre) in improving the livelihoods of communities.

During his visit to communities where the V4C project is working, Satyarthi heard how the project is actively involved in constructing classrooms, erecting canteens and promoting school enrollment to enhance education for children.

Satyarthi received the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize, together with Malala Yousafzai "for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education". In 1980 he founded the Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save the Children Movement) and has acted to protect the rights of more than 83,000 children from 144 countries.

V4C is a non-governmental funded project by MARS Inc. and implemented by the World Agroforestry Centre. The partners of V4C include the Conseil Café Cacao and the World Cocoa Foundation.

Read the full story: Congratulations to Kailash Satyarthi, winner of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize

Find out more about Vision for Change: Building Sustainable Cocoa Communities in Cote d’Ivoire