Focus on chocolate: Young people explore the tedious path of cocoa!

Focus on chocolate: Young people explore the tedious path of cocoa!

Waldenstein, Österreich - The youth education center (JBZ) in Gmünd was recently the scene of an revealing workshop that dealt with the often hidden and critical path of chocolate. The committed young people researched the challenges with which cocoa farmers are faced with the challenges with an expert from the NGO Südwind. According to Südwind , many of these small farmers suffer in the countries of the global south under extreme working conditions and only receive a small part of the sales price, often the only solution represents for the tense financial situation.

But not only the social conditions of the cocoa farmers are alarming. Agriculture in countries such as Ghana and the Ivory Coast, which together deliver 60 percent of the global cocoa harvest, is severely affected by pesticides, which endangers both the health of the workers and the environment. These chemicals lead to serious health problems, such as headaches and rashes, as was emphasized in the discussion in the workshop. The participants were encouraged to think about sustainable practices and to pay attention to Fairtrade and Bio-Siegel when purchasing chocolate in order to change this worrying state.

Enlightenment and options for action

This workshop was not only limited to sensitization, but also geared towards active action. Young people were given the opportunity to reflect on their own purchase decisions and to rethink how every chocolate bar tells a story that is often connected to the suffering of others. The working group aimed to strengthen awareness of the connection between consumer behavior and global conditions, which was of great importance for the workshop participants, so "https://www.ms-traiskirchen.at/suedwind-worktag/"> ms-traiskirchen.at .