ILO Trains Ugandan Coffee Sector Leaders to Tackle Child Labour Through Safer Workplaces

In September 2025, the International Labour Organization (ILO) carried out a Workplace Improvement in Neighbourhood Development (WIND) training of trainers in Uganda, marking a significant step in promoting safe, healthy, and child-labour-free supply chains in the country’s vital coffee industry.

The training, organized under the CLEAR Supply Chains project, gathered 56 participants from across Uganda’s coffee ecosystem — including private companies, cooperatives, government agencies, and development partners — all united by a common goal: to improve working conditions and strengthen occupational safety and health (OSH) as a means to combat child labour in agricultural production.

A Broad Coalition for Decent Work in Coffee Supply Chains

Participants included 17 agronomists representing Child Labour Platform (CLP) members such as Volcafe (Kyagalanyi), Neumann Kaffee Gruppe (NKG/Ibero), and Ofi/Olam; 28 local government officials from six districts; four national officials from the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD) and the Ministry of Agriculture; and seven representatives from coffee cooperatives and implementing partners.

This diverse group reflected the multi-stakeholder approach that lies at the heart of the CLEAR Supply Chains project — an initiative funded by the Government of the Netherlands and implemented by the ILO to help governments, employers, and workers’ organizations address child labour in global supply chains through sustainable, systemic change.

The WIND Methodology: Local Solutions for Safer Work

The training was based on the WIND methodology, a participatory learning model that forms part of the ILO’s Participatory Action-Oriented Training (PAOT) approach. Designed to make occupational safety and health (OSH) training accessible and actionable, WIND empowers communities to find practical, low-cost solutions to workplace challenges using their own knowledge, experience, and creativity.

Using visual tools such as the WIND action checklist, local illustrations, and examples of good practices, participants learned to identify hazards, assess risks, and develop improvements that could be implemented immediately — from reorganizing storage areas and improving lighting to ensuring safer handling of tools, fuels, and chemicals.

“The WIND training has opened my eyes to practical ways we can make our farms safer without huge investments,” said one participant. “The action checklist is something I can use with farmers straight away — it helps us find solutions together.”

Building Capacity Through Hands-On Learning

Over several days of intensive sessions, participants engaged in interactive exercises, group discussions, and field visits to coffee farms and processing facilities. The focus was on learning by doing — applying the WIND checklist to real-world situations and co-developing solutions with local workers.

The training concentrated on five key areas critical to agricultural OSH:

1. Material handling and storage – reducing injuries from lifting and carrying heavy loads.

2. Workstations and tools – improving posture, tool safety, and ergonomics.

3. Safe use of agricultural and electrical equipment – preventing electrocution and mechanical injuries.

4. Work environment and hazardous agents – mitigating exposure to dust, chemicals, and poor ventilation.

5. Welfare facilities, gender-based violence, and community cooperation – ensuring sanitation, rest, and dignity at work.

Field exercises illustrated how even small, inexpensive interventions — such as securing fuel containers, improving shade, or maintaining tools — could prevent accidents and increase productivity.

“WIND training goes beyond technical safety,” explained an ILO trainer. “It strengthens cooperation among farmers, families, and local institutions, helping communities see that safe work and child labour prevention are two sides of the same coin.”

Empowering Local Leaders to Drive Change

By the end of the training, participants had developed individual and institutional action plans to replicate WIND in their respective communities. Agronomists committed to integrating OSH practices into farmer training programs, while district officials pledged to strengthen local inspection, awareness campaigns, and reporting systems for unsafe working conditions.

The plans aim to reach hundreds of coffee-growing households and processing units across Uganda’s key coffee-producing districts. Follow-up support from the ILO will include refined training materials, mentorship, and technical guidance to ensure that improvements are sustained and scaled up.

OSH as a Strategy to Eliminate Child Labour

Uganda is Africa’s second-largest coffee producer, and the sector employs millions across its value chain — from smallholder farmers to processing plant workers. Yet, like many agricultural industries globally, coffee production has faced persistent challenges linked to informal labour, unsafe working conditions, and child labour.

The ILO emphasizes that occupational safety and health (OSH) is a cornerstone of the fight against child labour. Unsafe, low-paying jobs drive families into poverty, forcing children to work. By improving working conditions for adults, families achieve more stable incomes, allowing children to stay in school.

“When we make work safer for parents, we make school possible for children,” said an ILO official. “Decent work and the elimination of child labour are inseparable goals.”

Collaboration Across Sectors: From Policy to Practice

The WIND training aligns with Uganda’s national efforts under the National Action Plan on the Elimination of Child Labour (2021–2025), led by the MGLSD. The plan prioritizes supply chain interventions, especially in agriculture, where child labour is most prevalent.

By training agronomists, local government officers, and cooperative leaders, the ILO is bridging the gap between national policy and community-level implementation. The approach ensures that reforms are rooted in local realities and driven by people who understand their communities best.

The CLEAR Supply Chains project also promotes collaboration with the private sector — encouraging companies to embed due diligence and child labour prevention measures in their sourcing policies, and to align with international labour standards such as the ILO’s Minimum Age Convention (No. 138) and the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (No. 182).

A Model for Replication Across Africa

The success of the WIND training in Uganda builds on similar achievements in Honduras, Côte d’Ivoire, and the Philippines, where the methodology has proven effective in mobilizing local communities toward safer workplaces and stronger child labour prevention.

In Uganda, the ILO plans to expand WIND to other agricultural sectors, including tea and cocoa, while integrating lessons from the coffee value chain into national OSH and child labour policies.

“Our goal is not just to train individuals,” said a project coordinator. “It’s to build a movement of local champions who believe that decent work and child labour-free production are possible — and who have the tools to make it happen.”

Looking Ahead: Sustaining the Momentum

As participants return to their communities, they carry with them a shared commitment to transform their workplaces, empower workers, and protect children’s futures. Their success will be measured not only in safer farms and fewer accidents, but in children who stay in school and families who thrive on dignified work.

The ILO will continue to monitor progress, document lessons learned, and facilitate exchanges among participants to maintain momentum. In doing so, it aims to ensure that the spirit of WIND — local action, collective ownership, and lasting impact — becomes embedded in Uganda’s coffee culture.

“Safety and dignity at work are not luxuries,” said one participant at the closing ceremony. “They are the roots of a better harvest — for our farms and for our children.”