Hendek Social Support Centre concluded its work with a picnic with the students.

Hazelnut harvest season is coming to an end for 2015 in West Black Sea Region following East Black Sea Region. Seasonal Agriculture workers counted in thousands are departing after a tiring work in duration of 4-5 weeks. Teachers of Hendek Social Support Centre in Sakarya Province, which was established within the scope of “Integrated Model for the Elimination of Worst Forms of Child Labour in Seasonal Agriculture in Hazelnut Harvesting in Turkey Project” organised a picnic in the forest to say farewell to their students.


Erhan Sarı, a teacher working for the Project said it was a productive term for them as well as for children. “We had a chance to work with the students from different regions of Turkey and learned a lot from it. We did not realise how the days have passed working with the students during the day and meeting families in the evening. I believe we got important outcomes with the sincere efforts of my fellow teachers. Sincerity enabled families to let their children to social support centre. We have also gained their trust by our transportation system; we were taking the children from their tents and bringing back in the evening. If we go on with this work every year I believe that we can succeed to eliminate the child labour in hazelnut harvesting.” said Erhan Sarı.

Teachers have baked pastries and cakes for the children on this special day and went for a nature walk together.

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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