At the Sanctuary’s centre we’re going off chocolate… well not all chocolate. We like the stuff that’s white. Here’s a prayer from our brand new pack which helps children – and adults – fight dark chocolate through prayer and action at our centre and after they leave. There’s also some info and links about why so much chocolate leaves a bitter taste for us below…
Lord Jesus, it makes me sad and angry that sometimes our chocolate is dark. Not because of its yummy brown colour – but because of how we treat the people who grow it.
It makes you sad and angry too because it means hearts are darkened too. Caring more about money, power or
even their favourite taste, than children like me – who you love like me – who are growing cocoa.
Lord Jesus clean our hearts and the cocoa world. I have a dream of chocolate that’s white – not in its colour – but because it is, as well as tastes, good, true and right.
I think it’s your dream too. So help me to know how I can help you and your other children until all chocolate
is fair.
Amen.
Behind the bar…
Chocolate may taste gorgeous to us, but it’s bitter to cocoa growers who never get to sample it and don’t earn enough to live on despite long and hard labour…
Even more so to more than a quarter of a million children under 12 who work on plantations. And to those teenagers and adults trafficked from Mali and held in slave-labour conditions.
We’re unashamedly asking you quite simply and strongly:
- Please buy Fairtrade. Especially at Easter – but always.
- Please pray and act for change – spread the word to other chocolate-eaters, write to your favourite brands and lobby supermarkets and politicians for change.
- Please find out more about dark chocolate, the benefits of white chocolate and how you can act for change here:
1. Films about Fairtrade chocolate including personal stories from growers: www.fairtrade.org.uk/products/chocolate_products/default.aspx
2. Interactive infographic explaining cocoa-nomics:
http://edition.cnn.com/2014/02/13/world/africa/cocoa-nomics-explained-infographic/index.html
3. Only for adults (or older children whose parents have previewed and decided it would be helpful) – this film highlights trafficking and slave labour on cocoa plantations in the Ivory Coast – where most non-certified UK chocolate comes from… www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Gktid0YO9s
4. More information about trafficking and chocolate is available at http://www.stopthetraffik.org/campaign/chocolate