The Truth About Chocolate by Karen Lara

Dear Candy Lover ,                                                                                                              Imagine a place were there is barely food to eat. A place that is full of cocoa beans which are waiting to be cut down by machetes. Well this is what is happening In the Ivory Coast. How do these kids feel? There is a big problem here.                                                                                What is the role of children? What is their impact on this? The role of children is been as a slave. Welcome to the life of a 7 year old Abdul. According to the article “Child Slavery and Chocolate All easy to find ”Abdul is now 10 years. “He was trafficked from neighboring farms. He can’t leave the farm, can’t go to school, and he isn’t paid. Abdul is been a child slave. The children we spoke to in Ivory Coast weren’t upset. They weren’t chained or locked up. These children know nothing else. They don’t know what freedom is- can’t even imagine it.” This demonstrates that the children don’t know what freedom means so the cocoa farmers are manipulating them.

        Where does the Hershey bar begin it’s life? The Hershey bar starts it’s life by child labor . What could we do raise awareness? We could do this by showing the chocolate factories some videos of child labor and how they have to work really hard.                                                                  Do you think it’s fair for children to be suffering? Why take the freedom of a small kid? Think about it before eating or buying chocolate.                          Sincerely, Karen Lara

We All Love Chocolate, but Not this kind by Jay-son Mena

Dear chocoholic,

 Welcome to the life of 7 year old Abdul,

A life Gathering and cutting cocoa pods. He should be getting paid for his backbreaking Work, but he doesn’t. Child labor is used to make most of your favorite chocolates.

The children play the most important role one farms and cocoa industries. First, cutting of the cocoa pods off the trees. Then, the processes of slitting open the hard shell of the cocoa plant and removing the sticky like substance and dry them out. When dried, banana leaves are laid on the ground and the cocoa beans are put to dry on them. When dried the cocoa beans are bagged and shipped to many chocolate industries.

To help stop this child labor you and many others can buy fare trade chocolate, cocoa gathered by farmers them selves, Limiting the amount of child labor and help rebuild many families.  

Of course, young children are going to get hurt. According to “child slavery and chocolate”, states “he can’t clear grass him without cutting his self.” This proves that children are getting hurt all day. Children s cuts and wounds get extremely infected by dangerous acids from cocoa pods.

In conclusion, people should help reunite families. we people and or concerned citizens should'nt buy fare trade chocolate rather then buying this dreadful chocolate.

Turn Dark Into Light by: Stephanie Lopez 601

 Turn Dark into Light!

           

    Dear Chocolate Lover, J

        

 Did you ever take a look at a chocolate company and see if          it’s fair trade? I’ll tell you what fair trade is. Fair trade is when a chocolate company has farmers working for them but in a less harsh way. The farmers actually get paid in good/fair money. “The farmers from whom this company gets the cocoa, they are paid fairly.” Not all chocolate companies have fair trade, they have child labor. You could be eating chocolate that includes child labor. Life would be better without child labor, kids deserve more freedom.

 Children from child labor have or come up with big and severe injuries. According to the text, “There is an outrageous number of children who are suffering from horrible back pain and other ergonomic neck issues between the ages of 5 and 18 just so we can have chocolate.” This is an example that kids are risking their lives working. They do all this work just to let people around the world to have chocolate. It’s very upsetting to see these kids get hurt for us.

 These children have their ways working on the farms. They use some tools that are very dangerous, like machetes. With the machetes they cut open the cocoa pods they picked. According to the article, “ ‘One of the concerns we’ve seen is that some of the activities children are involved in are inappropriate to their age: carrying heavy loads, using machetes on farms,’ said Billy Guyton.” These are the tools that make the children risk their lives in danger.

 In conclusion, chocolate can be very good yet threatening to children. Child labor has children working very hard, getting injured. Just for the world to have their delicious chocolate.

                                        Sincerely, Stephanie Lopez 601

Stolen Childhoods by Jeziel Santana

                                                                                                       Dear Chocoholic,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Can you imagine being in a hot place near the Ivory Coast working hard at picking cocoa beans non-stop? This is the sad reality most kids face everyday. Many famous chocolate brands such as Nestle practice child labor although they do deny it.                                                                                                                                               

The kids are exposed to many harmful substances such as pesticides which may even kill them. These kids can be as young as 5yrs old. The kids are brutally beat when they don’t do as told. They work long and hardly get paid. The children hardly have any rest. And they don’t have fun like normal children and don’t even go to school. Surprisingly enough none of the children have ever eaten chocolate.                                                          

  These kids don’t even know what freedom means. These kids think that this is what’s right they think this is what they belong doing. They think that being brutally beat and being used as slaves is correct. Most of the kids family are poor and their parents send them their so they can get money. The kids are not paid and no money is given to the family. This is the sad reality how can someone be so cruel?                                                        

  However not all chocolate has this tragic back story some chocolates are certified Fair Trade which means the chocolate has nothing to do with child labor. The farmers that do work there are paid fairly so they can take care of their family.                                         

We should all help raise awareness about this awful situation. We can send letters to these companies showing how much we care if they see we care they would listen. Tell other people about the truth about chocolate and encourage them to buy Fair Trade chocolate.                                                                                                                                          Before we buy chocolate we should all check if we can find the fair trade chocolate logo. If we do we would be helping the world one step at a time.

Why Blame the Chocolate? by Genesis Alvarez

Dear Chocolate Addicts (Chocoholics),                 

If you are having a hard time staying off of chocolate … Then, I think you will stop if you find out of this shocking fact. Well… here goes the truth: Most chocolate you eat is gotten by child labor. Especially if you eat from the brand “Hershey’s”. The issue is that most chocolate companies are using children.

Ok…you might be thinking now that, “what does children and chocolate have to do with this “. Well … a lot. These poor, innocent children have to dry the beans and also take the cocoa beans out of their pods. Here is some proof from the article “Chocolates Child Slaves“: “Children such as Abdul don’t know anything about protocols or certification. All they know is work. When Abduls mother died, a stranger brought him across the border to the farm. Abdul says all he is given is little food and the torn clothes on his back, and an occasional tip from the farmer. Abdul is a modern child slave “. This shows obvious that child labor does exist

Something’s to do to help avoid this for the future is to write to chocolate companies saying that we don’t like chocolate with child labor in them. If enough people send letters they will listen. Also if you really want to help even further then you can do something that is called reverse Trick or Treating. This is giving chocolate (reverse Trick or Treating doesn’t necessarily have to mean chocolate you want to give to other but in this case it is) to other people instead of receiving chocolate.

This whole entire letter that you are reading right now is to help kids that are going through child labor and how we can stop it from happening for the next generation. Sadly kids my same age and younger instead of going to school and getting an education they instead are doing work that they are not supposed to do. That is very sad. I hope you took this letter in your consideration and time and try to do something today to help avoid child labor for the next generations.

                                        

The DARK side of chocolate Leslie Ramirez 601

            The DARK side of Chocolate

Dear candy craver, J

Can you imagine having to work all day and night and not receiving anything? There are children who are under seven years old and work so hard to make the chocolate we indulge in, but they still don’t get anything in return. We should be grateful for the life we have.

According to the text, “The world’s largest chocolate manufacturers agreed in 2001 to ensure that their products are not grown and processed on farms where the WORST FORMS OF CHILD LABOR, such as trafficking children.” This quote proves that people are trying to make a difference and stop child labor. Most companies recognize the need to take responsibility for child labor standards, but there are some companies that don’t want to try to stop it.

“Abdul holds the yellow cocoa pod lengthwise and gives it two quick cracks.” Abdul is 10 years old and he has never tasted chocolate. Children like Abdul don’t know anything about protocols. All they do is work. One of the roles the children have is that they take a machete and crack the cocoa pod and take the beans and dump them on the ground. Another role is that they dry the seeds.

Children who are a part of child labor don’t know what freedom is. People should be more AWARE of this problem. Children all over the world are beginning to be a part of child labor, but you can change that, you can make a change!!!!

Sincerely,           Leslie Ramirez 601

Do you know the Real Story behind Chocolate? By Christian Firpo

  Have you ever imagined working non-stop with not enough food to eat and receiving no money? This is what some children below 18 are suffering from. Do you want to learn more? Well then read on.

 Children play a critical role in the making of chocolate. Their role is to cut down cocoa beans with a weapon. This weapon can also be used as a tool in this case. The name of this weapon is a machete. Anyhow, to produce chocolate they have to go through a certain process. You cut down the cocoa beans and send it to the factory. According to the article” Child Slavery and Chocolate”, it states information about a young child working hard.

  Children might play a certain role in the making of chocolate but they are also impacted by the amount of work done. A certain work that impacts them is working with a machete which affects them because they might get badly injured and cut due to sharpness of the blade.

  Companies that don't use children print a little tag in the back of the wrapper  symbolizing that it was made with Fair-Trade chocolate. Fair trade Chocolate means that they pay farmers a fair amount of money because they work and cut down cocoa beans and it also means that they don't use children.

   In conclusion, we have all learned a bit about child Labor and about their struggle but we shall support people trying to stop child labor. This is a serious case and hope you understand that.

Dark Side of Chocolate by Yeidy Diaz

Dark Side of Chocolate

Dear fellow chocoholic,

Do you know where the awesome taste of chocolate that everyone loves and enjoy comes from? Well I guess you ask the factories. The sweet taste of chocolate is made from child labor.

In cocoa plantations kids play a role. While we are enjoying our chocolate, kids are starving in Africa. According to the article ‘child slavery and chocolate’. Kids can’t keep the grass clean without cutting themselves. This shows the impact it has on kids. Sometimes the chemicals get into their cuts and it gets really infected .In addition the chemicals that burn your skin plus the sun that beams on you that burns your skin as well. The kids don’t really get enough sleep and if they do they don’t get enough, it’s like 2 hours. Do you think that’s enough for a person that works non-stop all day? Do you think is fair?

The courses of actions we could take are buying fair trade chocolate. Fair trade chocolate is chocolate that’s not made by child labor. According to the article “Don’t be Tricked by Halloween Treats’’ Times have changed in the U.S but yet children around the globe still work under unconscionable conditions to satisfy our sweet tooth. We are all wrong! we supposed to love people and use money, but right now we are loving money and using people.

Most of the chocolate we enjoy comes from pain. Kids in Africa are working around cocoa plantations with heavy machetes that are almost their size, cutting down cocoa pots that are the size of a football. Just to make the milky delicious chocolate we all love to eat. We have to make a change the government hasn't taken full interest in this case. Let us spread the word about the real story behind the chocolate we eat.

sincerely,

Yeidy Diaz

Little Chocolate Victims by Nerissa Morillo

      Dear chocolate admirer,

          Welcome to the life of 7 year old Abdul. Abdul is a little child whose mother passed away. When Abdul’s mother died, a stranger brought him across the border to the cocoa farm. He says that all he gets is little food, torn clothes, and an occasional tip from the farmer. Abdul is not the only kid in this nightmare.

      Yacou says he is 16 but looks younger and works as to cleaning grass. He says that he can’t clear grass in the cocoa fields without cutting himself. “I wish I could go to school.” These are the words of Yacou who dreams of going to school but can’t due to child labor. Children also have other roles on the farm. Some kids help dry the beans, pick the cocoa pods from the cocoa plantations and take the cocoa beans out of the cocoa pods. Due to working on the farms, the get very hurt. Many kids don’t get any healing supply when they get hurt, they get no sleep, no food, no money, and they get threatened if they don’t work. This has gone on for many years and we have to raise awareness of the problem.

                 We can raise awareness by sending letters to the chocolate companies telling them how hard the kids on the cocoa farms, the roles each of them take and how child labor has consequences on the farmers and vendors. We can also do the Fair Trade Movement in many cities and states to let them know about this madness. According to the article “Reverse Trick-or-Treaters”, it states, “Fair Trade standards guarantee that farmers receive a premium of $150 on top of market prices for each ton of cocoa they produce as long as their field workers are not younger than 15 unless they do not perform particularly hazardous tasks.” This shows that farmers will get paid to not use child labor against children under 15.

                    Do you think children deserve to be little slaves or little students with an education? All children deserve to have an education and we all have voices so lets use them to help the  “Little Chocolate Victims”.

 Sincerely,                                                                        Nerissa Morillo    

REAL SIDE OF CHOCOLATE by Juana Almanzar

 Dear Chocolate lover:

        

              Umm….. Chocolate! Sounds good right? But do really know the process of making chocolate? Do you know the dark side of chocolate? Well get ready because the real side of chocolate is not that pretty.

              Children have to deal a lot with chocolates. Not only do they make chocolates but it is against their will. Children’s role on farms is they dried up beans and cut the cocoa beans and cut the cocoa pods with very dangerous machete, which could harm the children. Children get many injuries from working in cocoa fields. In the passage, “ Child slavery and chocolate: All too easy to find,” it says, “Scars crisscross Yacou’s legs from a machete. He can’t clear grass in the cocoa fields without cutting himself.” This shows how ruthless people can be giving little kids machetes.

              There many ways to stop child labor. One of them   is by not eating chocolate made from child labor or eat Fair Trade chocolate. Fair Trade chocolate is a program that guarantees farmers a minimum price for heir output. In the passage, “Reverse Trick-or-Treaters,” it says, “The world’s largest chocolate manufactures agreed in 2001 to ensure that their products are not grown and processed on farms where the “worst farms of child labor,” such as trafficking children are compulsory labor, persist.” This shows how they made an agreement but they're not following it.

              So how do you feel about chocolate now? Can you imagine these children making chocolate and not getting paid just for you to buy them?

Let’s continue to put the pressure on these companies and spread the word.

“Chocolate’s Truth” by Jullian Bennett

                                                         

Dear Candy Craver,

       You know the delectable taste of chocolate almost

every one loves? Well where does it come from? The factories right? Wrong. Think deeper into chocolate. This sweet treat is slave made. Child labor. Children are stolen, trafficked, and forced to work on cocoa farms. This is the truth for you as seen in the documentary "The Dark Side of Chocolate"

       Can you imagine being a child stolen from home took to work on plantations? Down in Africa, the Ivory Coast holds many trafficked children. Child trafficking is importing or moving a child from one place to another illegally. This is a vicious problem  situation with child labor. According to Abdul, a victim of child labor it was very painful. He had cuts spread around his body. Many of the kids felt as if freedom was not a thing. They did neither experience nor know what it was.According to,'' Child slavery and chocolate : All too easy to find '',by CNN'S Freedom Project '' .... scars crisscross Yacou's legs from a machete. He can't clear grass in the cocoa fields without cutting himself.''

       The children play most roles in collecting and cropping the cocoa pods. They use machetes to cut the branches dropping the cocoa pods. This is a very dangerous environment for kids. They also lay the cocoa beans to dry in the very hot sun. In spite of being very unfair is still performed.

       In conclusion, when will this end? I’ll tell you. Caring. People have to make a bigger effort. Buy fair trade chocolate, raise awareness among the public about the cost of chocolate, write letters to chocolate companies, raise pay to farmers, arrest the bad people who do this, and re-unite these children with their families. Make chocolate companies’ child labor free.

Violent Chocolate by Ryan Martinez

Dear Chocoholic:

‘‘Five-Six-Seven years old hands slaved to make my candy bar I can’t live without’’. Cocoa Beans’ is a poem made by Frieda Dennis Cooper and this line from the poem is saying that little children suffer heart breaking cruelty to make our juicy chocolate.

  Cocoa comes from Cocoa trees in the Ivory Coast. This is where chocolate mostly comes from the kids who cut the cocoa down using machetes. Then the kids cut open the cocoa beans with the machetes. Then the cocoa beans are harvested and the cocoa beans left outside in the sun to be dried. Before that the seeds will be taken out. This is the role children play in the farms. If they deny they will get beaten brutally. Traffickers are people who kidnap children and drive them to the Ivory Coast in a secret path. These kids then become victims of child labor. ‘One of the major players in the Ivory Coast cocoa trade is not surprisingly, the Ivorian government’’. This is from the text Child Slavery and Chocolate by CNN.

  We need to help children because it’s not fair to take away kids' childhood. One way is Reverse Trick or Treating. Another way is buying Fair Trade Chocolate. With this farmers get paid a fair amount . Companies are working to stop the increase of child labor – Mars, Nestle and Cargill- but it is not enough.

 Slavery will one day be stopped. Until that day we must spread awareness and help kids who suffer from child labor.

Sincerely

 Ryan Martinez

The Story of the chocolate by:elvis perdomo

Dear fellow chocoholic,

    Eating chocolate is probably a huge part of your life. You might not be able to go a month!!! Without your favorite Hershy, M&MS ,or other chocolate treat. But do you know how the chocolate you eat is made or who makes it? Oblivious you are of the children who get beaten and threatened to make your favorite chocolate treat that you will die with out. The worst forms of child labor mixed in with the ingredients of the chocolate treat and/or beverage that you eat and /or drink.

  According to the article “Child Savory and Chocolate,” estimations are made that “a half million children work on farms across the Ivory Coast, which produces nearly 40% of the worlds supply of cocoa.” But that’s just the half of it. “Hundreds of thousands of children, many of them trafficked across the borders, are engaged in the worst forms of child labor.”

   Children involved in child labor are forced to work all day in precarious environments and are beaten and worked to death. Child labor can damage a child’s self esteem and cause traumas that can affect them for any sort of future references. It can effect them in future jobs and get them fired , or cause them not to get any job at all. So instead of embracing their true potential, these children can only embrace their sadness.

   But this monstrous act can be stopped and children won’t have to suffer any longer. There is something we can all do together as a community. We can raise awareness and vanquish the act of child labor for good. To raise awareness we can reverse trick or treat, which means on Halloween night, children hand back fare trade chocolate instead of receiving chocolate supported by child labor. We can also simply just send letters like this one to the heads of the chocolate companies in the Ivory Coast convincing them to quit child labor. Child labor is a madness that need to be stopped. But if we make the effort to help the children who get beaten and abused to death, this madness can soon be stopped.

                                     Sincerely,

                                 Elvis .A Perdomo 

Jeanette Perez 601 The addicted lover

                                  The Addicted Lover


Dear chocoholic,
                                                                                                              Industries around the world don't know the dark side of chocolate. Industries that sell chocolate are blinded by the money. People around the world are trying to stop these blinded people and child abuse. In ,'' Child slavery and chocolate : all too easy to find '', they show the truth.


     Can you imagine the harsh pain children have to go through to get cocoa? Children are forced to work in farms working dangerous roles. One of the roles for the children in the farms is to collect cocoa beans from the trees. Children get injured all over their bodies because of the large machetes. According to,'' Child slavery and chocolate : all too easy to find '','' .... scars crisscross Yacou's legs from a machete. He cant clear grass in the cocoa fields without cutting himself.''

     Ther're  many ways to avoid eating child labor chocolate. Reverse trick or treating is one way to avoid chocolate made from child labor. Reverse trick or treating is when kids give out fair trade chocolate for Halloween. Fair trade chocolate is chocolate that is not made from child labor. According to,'' In 2001 to ensure that their products are not grown and processed on farms where the       '' worst forms of child labor.'' Such as trafficking children and compulsory labor, persist.

         In conclusion, children are suffering around the world because of chocolate lovers. Making a change about child labor is just the beginning. Governments haven't taken full effect over the cause. But making a little change can be a big difference. 



                                                                                                                            Sincerely,
                                                                                                                 Jeanette Perez

"The Madness of Chocolate" by: Brandon Soto

                                                                              

  Dear chocolate cravers,

   

   “Swoosh” goes the machete while it vigorously cuts down the cocoa pods off the cocoa trees. Their masters yelling, “No lollygagging!” Then all of a sudden you hear “whip” as the men beat the children with whips. Harmful chemicals splatter on their wounds while they crack open cocoa pods. While we devour the chocolate we can’t live without, children in West Africa are starving left, right, and center. Most popular chocolate brands use child labor to get their chocolate. We think that companies should be fair, make adults work, make adults, and pat them fairly.

  

   According to the text “Child Slavery and Chocolate” “Yacou can’t clear grass in the cocoa fields without cutting himself.” This sentence represents how child labor impacts the health of the children. When the children cut the grass to clear the way they sometimes cut their legs. Since some of them are 5-8 years of age, it’s difficult for the children to hold and use the machetes. When they go to open the cocoa pods the chemicals splatter on their face and cuts. When the chemicals gets on their cuts it burns and it gets really infected. They also get whipped by the adults if they slack off.

    

   Cocoa comes from different parts of the world but we are going to be focusing on the Ivory Coast in Africa. Children are shipped there from other countries. On farms, the children take machetes and cut down cocoa pods from cocoa trees. After that they cut the pods open to expose the sticky cocoa beans. According to the video, “The Dark Side of Chocolate” the children take the cocoa beans and dry them up on banana leaves. When people ship children illegally it’s called trafficking. Like what I said earlier this paragraph, they ship kids country to country usually with land vehicles like cars, buses, and motorcycles. Even though trafficking is illegal we still sell products that use trafficking. According to the text “Child Slavery and Chocolate” UNICEF estimates nearly half-million children work on farms across Ivory Coast.

   

   There are some things we can do to stop or prevent child labor. For example, in the article “Reverse Trick-or-Treat” children give out fair trade chocolate to raise awareness of child labor. Instead of Chocolate being given to children, the children give chocolate out. This shows how fair trade chocolate is better than child labor chocolate. Fair trade is when there is no child labor to make the chocolate and that the farmers are getting paid fairly. In “Reverse Trick-or-Treaters” Gaurav Noronha said, “The farmers from whom this company gets the cocoa, they are paid fairly. Usually farmers are not paid well enough.” This quote explains how fair trade cocoa farmers are paid more than other farmers. This is only one way how you can raise awareness.

   

   In conclusion, children get cuts on their legs that get extremely infected by the chemicals. They also get whipped from the adults. One way to raise awareness is to reverse trick-or-treat. You can also advertise like make a stand around the corner and sell fair trade chocolate and say what children go through to make us chocolate.

                                                                                                

                                                                                                 Yours Sincerely,

                                                                                                Brandon Soto

                    

                                                                                                                  

                                                                                                                                                                                            

The chocolate we eat is not what you think! by Michael Rodriguez

Dear chocoholic,

Have you ever thought of many children suffering child labor? Would you spread the word about it? Would you help them? Think about it. Kids risk lives just to make chocolate. The chocolate we enjoy is the chocolate that the children suffer farming all day all night.

Kids suffer while just trying to farm cocoa pods. Kids chop down the cocoa pods. Suppose the kids that are suffering child labor are your kids. What would you do? According to “Child Labor and Chocolate” it states that he(Abdul) squats with a gang of a dozen harvesters on an ivory cost farm.” This means that these kids have started from a young age just like Abdul (from the CNN chocolate child slaves ) he has been trafficked.

People have been warned about child labor. People try doing something about it but there’re still

over half a million children

forced into child labor in the Ivory Coast. Kids suffer every second, for example right now kids are suffering from injuries.

 Would you try your best to help kids like this that are suffering from child labor?

  

Where does your chocolate come from? Jaylin Morillo 601

 Where does your chocolate come from?

Dear chocoholic, 

Put the chocolate down!! You eat chocolate everyday but yet you don’t know where it comes from. Some children’s have never had a child hood because guess what they’re doing, there making chocolate for others. They make chocolate everyday but they have never tasted chocolate. They suffer a lot. They get cut with machetes and they get burned with the chemicals form the plants, and all of this isn’t even the beginning. According to the article child slavery and chocolate: all too easy to find, “scars crisscross yacous legs from a machete.”

 There are a lot of INSANE people in this world, especially people that own child labor businesses. Children are sent out to cut cocoa pods with machetes. The plants have a chemical that burns your skin plus the sun beams on their skin as well. These kids don’t even get to sleep and if they do it’s like 2 hours. Do you think that’s enough sleep for a child?

The courses of actions you could take are buying fair trade chocolate. Fair trade chocolate is chocolate that isn’t made by child labor. According to the article “Don’t be tricked by Halloween treats “, “…times have changed in the United States ,yet children across the globe still work under unconscionable conditions to satisfy our sweet tooth”

All the chocolate we enjoy is made from pain. Little children suffering to pick the football sized cocoa beans. Just for their milky white cocoa beans, to make chocolate we eat.                                                                                                                                                          Sincerely,                                                                                                                      Jaylin Morillo