![Alexis](/images/children/small/alexis_1.jpg)
I think it’s quite normal for a child of 11 to work for his money.
Alexis (15)
![Cathérine](/images/children/small/catherine_1.jpg)
When my father died, his second wife didn’t want me anymore. So, my uncle took me to his farm in Ghana.
Cathérine (16)
![Laeticia](/images/children/small/laeticia_1.jpg)
Don’t ever tell a child they can go to school if you know they never will. If you do, you’ll be shattering a dream.
Laeticia (17)
![Sarata](/images/children/small/sarata_1.jpg)
What I would like to say to the children in the Netherlands is that if they are being treated badly, they can come to us.
Sarata (16)
![Bassirou](/images/children/small/bassirou_1.jpg)
He promised me money but never gave me any. He let me down. Will I ever forgive him? Maybe.
Bassirou (15)
![Augustin](/images/children/small/augustin_1.jpg)
The reason we had so little money was because my father was trying to build a livelihood, but he died before he was able to.
Augustin (16)
![Edyon](/images/children/small/edyon_1.jpg)
If you ask me: what did you actually learn on the plantation? Then I’d say: football.
Edyon (18)
![Issaka](/images/children/small/issaka_1.jpg)
I was hoping to make some money, but that didn’t happen. I earned nothing, even though I had to work really hard.
Issaka (17)
![Ghislain](/images/children/small/ghislain_1.jpg)
When I was 15, I saw some men in my village who had come back from the Ivory Coast on shiny motorbikes. I wanted one too.
Ghislain (17)
![Josias](/images/children/small/josias_1.jpg)
Don’t just go with someone to another country. There are people who will exploit you.
Josias (19)
![Cedric](/images/children/small/cedric_1.jpg)
It’s very important that you swing the machete away from your body. In the beginning, I couldn’t do that very well and would chop my shin.
Cedric (15)
![Bèbè](/images/children/small/bebe_1.jpg)
Sometimes I dream about being a journalist. Then you can travel the world and tell people stories and things they don’t know.
Bèbè (15)
![Valerie](/images/children/small/valerie_1.jpg)
I don’t think a cocoa plantation is any place for children. I think about all the things that could happen to them.
Valerie (18)
![Mohamed](/images/children/small/mohamed_1.jpg)
I was ten when I came to work on the plantation. Four men watched us all day. They beat us if they thought we weren’t working hard enough.
Mohamed (16)
![Kassoum](/images/children/small/kassoum_1.jpg)
I’d like to be able to give my children everything they want. When you ask me if I’m not afraid they’ll become spoiled, I get confused. I don’t know that word.
Kassoum (17)