A partnership in action: addressing child labour with a private company

How a unique collaboration between a palm oil business and two NGOs, one in the UK, the other in Sierra Leone, has seen child labour plummet.

Over the past three years, APT Action on Poverty (APT), a UK‐based NGO with extensive experience in addressing rural poverty, has worked in partnership with Planting Naturals, a Dutch palm oil company, and MAPCO, a local civil society organisation, to tackle child labour in Sierra Leone’s palm oil sector.

Planting Naturals has shown a strong commitment to ethical practices, as reflected in its RSPO certification and progress towards fairtrade accreditation. Keen to eliminate child labour from its supply chain, it enforces a strict “no child labour” policy on its own plantation. But it sources most of its palm oil from around 7,000 smallholder farmers in various communities – a model that poses unique monitoring and support challenges.

Our combined efforts have enabled us to address child labour in a truly comprehensive way. Through an initial project with 40 local communities, child labour has reduced by 70%, and school attendance among children (ages 5–15) has risen from 67% to 93%. We are now planning to extend our work to all 10,000 smallholder farmers linked to Planting Naturals in Sierra Leone. Here are the lessons we will take with us as we move onto the next phase of this impactful work.

Complementarity and sustainability

A key insight from our project is that private sector involvement can greatly enhance development efforts. Planting Naturals’ dedication to sustainable palm oil production and its openness to new ideas have been crucial in engaging smallholder farmers directly. The company has helped us to access local communities by providing essential logistical support. It also provided experienced field staff for ongoing child labour monitoring, training and community engagement.

APT contributed its expertise in livelihood and market system development to ensure that the initiative was community-led and tackled poverty as a root cause of child labour. MAPCO drew on its deep local knowledge to support Village Savings and Loan Associations, deliver vocational training and promote community sensitisation, keeping our work closely aligned with local needs.

Together, we supported smallholder farmers – particularly women – by offering revolving loans, literacy training and new income opportunities. This comprehensive approach raised household incomes, allowing families to invest in education and essentials, while also increasing awareness of child rights and encouraging paid staff to be hired instead of relying on child labour. We further strengthened community systems through by-laws, seed banks and voluntary rights initiatives, creating a solid foundation for sustained progress.

Stepping outside our comfort zone

Working with Planting Naturals meant adapting to a business environment, which operates on a faster, more profit-driven timeline than the NGO sector. Unlike our long-term, mission-driven projects, the private sector’s focus on immediate results sometimes led to differing expectations and operational challenges.

Communication was sometimes slower than expected, with occasional delays in decision making. Frequent follow-ups were needed to maintain momentum. Financial constraints and staff turnover at Planting Naturals occasionally shifted priorities, creating an imbalance within our consortium. Although Planting Naturals was the lead partner responsible for donor reporting, it was not always involved in day-to-day operations which added further strain.

These challenges have taught us the importance of establishing robust communication channels and setting realistic, mutually agreed timelines from the outset. Equally, we learnt that mutual accountability – ensuring each partner has a clearly defined role and shares responsibility for outcomes – and early investment in trust building (through regular meetings, transparent reporting and collaborative decision making) are essential for creating a balanced, horizontal partnership where all partners are on an equal footing from the start.

Working together for sustainable change

A critical first step was rebuilding confidence with smallholder farmers, which had been weakened by earlier top‐down programmes that had lacked genuine community ownership. By using clear pricing displays, comprehensive weighing training supported by functional literacy, and drawing on MAPCO’s strong local reputation, farmers gained a clear understanding of how Planting Naturals operates, paving the way for greater transparency and trust.

This integrated approach enhanced economic stability in local communities and significantly reduced child labour. The loan schemes also helped farmers avoid debt traps based on harvest promises, enabling them to sell their produce directly to Planting Naturals.

This has strengthened Planting Natural’s relationships with smallholder farmers, resulting in higher fruit volumes being sold directly to the company. In turn, this has improved supplier loyalty, . boosted supply chain efficiency and streamlined compliance processes. Due to its rigorous approach to child labour prevention, Planting Naturals is now on track to certify an extra 3,000 farmers under RSPO standards by 2025.

A particularly important outcome has been the adoption of a clearer definition of child labour in the palm oil sector, tailored to Planting Natural’s context. All project partners have validated this new definition, which is now part of Planting Natural’s policies. It covers child labour not only in palm oil plantations but in related economic activities, backyard gardens and households, providing a clearer picture of children’s involvement. This refinement has enabled Planting Naturals to reinforce its commitment to ethical supply chain management and set higher industry standards.

At APT, we have learned the importance of transparent communication, balanced partnerships and aligning corporate priorities with social impact goals. This experience has boosted our reputation in promoting responsible business practices and influenced policies that integrate social impact. Moreover, our collaboration has extended our impact beyond donor funding by establishing a sustainable model in which positive changes become a permanent part of the company’s operations.

MAPCO’s contributions have been equally essential. Its deep local knowledge and strong community connections have been crucial in restoring trust and ensuring that our interventions meet local needs. Recognised for its expertise, MAPCO has now been commissioned by Planting Naturals to deliver training on Village Savings and Loan Associations for its staff.

Moving forward

As this phase of our project draws to a close, we are preparing for an external evaluation to help refine our strategies and address any gaps. The trust and mutual learning developed throughout this collaboration will set a strong foundation as we rollout the initiative to all  smallholder farmers linked to Planting Naturals in Sierra Leone.

We are keen to share our expertise and experiences further, confident that deeper partnerships with the private sector will enable us to tackle child labour at its roots  – even in the most remote areas. Together, we can achieve lasting change where it is needed most.

This project is funded by the FBK Fund, managed by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), which supports sustainable, inclusive economic growth in emerging markets and encourages partnerships between the private sector and CSOs to promote responsible business practices and environmental sustainability.