How is MrBeast working to end child labor in cocoa farms in West Africa?

MrBeast has been working on helping people all around the world. In January, he assisted 2,000 amputees by providing them with new prosthetics. He also criticized the U.S. healthcare system for not making this process accessible. In recent years, he has dedicated significant efforts to addressing major issues in Africa, such as the lack of access to clean water and, more recently, ending child labor in cocoa farms. But how is he doing this?

You might be reading this while enjoying a chocolate bar, but have you ever considered who was involved in its production? Because your chocolate bar was likely produced with the help of child labor.

According to Statista, "about 70 percent of the world's cocoa beans come from four West African countries: Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon." Additionally, as stated by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB), approximately 1.56 million children are working on cocoa farms, with 43% of them engaged in hazardous activities. Children in those conditions are frequently exposed to agrochemicals, sharp tools, burning fields, and heavy loads daily.

On March 20, MrBeast wrote on X about his efforts in helping child labor victims in West Africa. "To help kids out of child labor on cocoa farms in West Africa we started giving away free breakfast at schools," he wrote. According to him, offering food is one way of guaranteeing children's school attendance. In one week, one of the schools had 10% more children turning up.

Many children in the African continent have been denied access to free education since they are forced to work in various areas from a very young age. As reported by the International Labour Organization, 59% of the children in those conditions are between 5 and 11 years old.

MrBeast also mentioned the "greatest minds" who surround him. They have helped him gain a deeper understanding of child labor in Africa. He even joked that he knows more about this topic than he does about YouTube. MrBeast estimated that he has spent between 2,000 and 3,000 hours learning about this issue. How many of the 1.5 million children in child labor can MrBeast mobilize into schools?

According to him, in the next 12 months, he will be devoting his attention to helping solve this problem. This is a structural issue that has happened in West Africa for centuries. "Despite the Portuguese decree in 1876 abolishing slavery, and the release of cocoa plantation slaves, slave labor was quickly reemployed, aided by the exploitation of legal loopholes and government officials willing to turn a blind eye," Marjie Sackett wrote in an article from 2008.

He also stated in response that he has been working with school meals programs on the continent for five days. We can expect to see more of his work in Africa in the coming months.

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