In the spirit of looking out for rural children in cocoa-producing communities and promoting responsible sourcing, IRDIS-KNUST collaborated with the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI) as an evaluation consultant on the ‘Families Make a Difference’ (FMD) initiative under the Alliance for Change programme. FMD is a paradigm shift away from banning and awareness creation to 1) redirecting the mindset and motives of parents and teachers towards positive messaging; 2) strengthening the protective and nurturing skills of adults; and 3) building local alliances between teachers and parents to reduce child labour. All of these are directed towards enhancing the learning outcomes and well-being of rural children. The initiative was piloted in selected communities in the Adansi North, Adansi Asokwa, Amansie Central, and Amansie West districts under the Nsokote Cocoa District in the Ashanti Region.
On Thursday, 26th February 2026, the lead consultant, Dr. Albert Abraham Arhin, and the evaluation team—Dr. (Mrs.) Monica Addison, Dr. Isaac Bonuedi, Dr. Latif Ibrahim Apaassongo and Nathaniel Mensah Odum—engaged cocoa sector actors, education practitioners (management and teachers), and other stakeholders in rural development in a dissemination workshop organized by the ICI in Kumasi. The highlight of this engagement is the key findings and recommendations emerging from the 18-month-long exercise—that is:
"Improving adult practices at school and at home is a realistic and scalable pathway to better learning outcomes—but well-being and hazardous labour require closer attention.” Thus, FMD’s paradigm shift to adult skill-building calls for the following:
- Repeated training of teachers and caregivers.
- Embedding positive discipline into professional development
- Strengthening parent–teacher alignment through participatory PTA meetings; and
- Integrating psychosocial well-being monitoring alongside academic progress to ensure holistic child development.
Written By:
Nathaniel Mensah Odum