An average number of more than 110 children have been reached in Ünye Social Support Centre with the intensive work of 9 teachers in duration of exceeding one month. Support centre is based in Ünye Temporary Settlement Area where approximately 1100 seasonal workers stopped over for hazelnut harvest who mainly from Adıyaman, Şanlıurfa and Gaziantep Provinces. Ahmet Aydın working as a teacher in the project claims that numbers of the workers were increased on the last days due to different harvesting techniques between Ordu province and Ünye Disctict. Hazelnut is picked from trees in other districts of Ordu but field owners wait until the hazelnut drops of the tree that calls for a late start in harvesting time. Aydın says, “Hazelnut harvest starts late in Ünye, so that workers in gather here when they finish the harvest in other districts of Ordu Province. That means an increase in the number of students for us. We have reached over 110 children as an average this year. We have organised flower-growing workshops and nature walks with our students in addition to basic education programme. It was emotional to see the students go away in the end after such period. It was an important experience for us.”

Ahmet Aydın shares information with Onur Torun, Education Coordinator of Uzunisa Social Support Center. Ünye Social Support Centre.

Ahmet Aydın is also pointing out to social aids through the project. “There were heavy rains in the region. We have observed that some of the students do not eat all the food served in the school and take some to their tents. When we investigated this we have realised the dry food supply of the families were ruined due to heavy rain. One of our stakeholders from private sector, Sabır Gıda, has sent a truckload of dry food to be distributed to families. We were very happy with this support which helped families and also strengthen their relations with the project” concludes Aydın.

Sabır Fındık Ltd. distributing dry food boxes to the families affected by the heavy rains. Ünye Social Support Centre

Preschool students are enjoying a break for snacks after the handcrafts class in Ünye Social Support Centre.

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The overall objective of this project is to contribute elimination of worst forms of child labour (WFCL) in seasonal agriculture in line with the Turkish Government’s strategy drawn by the National Employment Strategy 2014-2023. A model has been developed through the Dutch Government and CAOBISCO* funded “Elimination of Worst Forms of Child Labour in Seasonal Commercial Agriculture in Hazelnut Harvesting in Ordu” project 2013 and 2014. The project aims contributing to the withdrawal of children from work and prevention of at-risk children to be engaged in seasonal hazelnut agriculture. It will bring added value through the replication of the strategic intervention model in the different regions and contribute to a sustainable child labour monitoring mechanism in seasonal agriculture. The project will step up efforts to attain the goal of contributing to the policy making and efficient implementation on the elimination of WFCL in seasonal agriculture.

*Contributing members of CAOBISCO to the ILO PPP Project: Ferrero, Nestlé, August Storck KG, Barry Callebaut, Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co. KG, Mars incorporated, Chocosuisse, NATRA S.A., Griesson - de Beukelaer GmbH & Co., Cémoi chocolatier, Gebr. Jancke GmbH, Neuhaus NV, Stollwerck GmbH, Koenig Backmittel GmbH