Call for Proposals from Tea Sector Organizations to Implement Child Labour Prevention and Elimination Programmes in Kenya

Kenya Call for Proposals from Tea Sector Organizations to Implement Child Labour Prevention and Elimination Programmes in Kenya Organization International Labour Organization Posted 26 Jun 2026 Closing date 3 Jul 2026 Background Information Child labour continues to be a pervasive global challenge. According to the latest joint estimates released by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNICEF, approximately 138 million children were engaged in child labour in 2024, including around 54 million in hazardous work that jeopardizes their health, safety, and development. Despite this representing a reduction of over 20 million children since 2020, the world has missed the target of eliminating child labour by 2025. Sub-Saharan Africa remains the region most affected, accounting for nearly two-thirds of children in child labour globally. Agriculture continues to be the dominant sector for child labour, underscoring the ongoing challenges in rural economies and the urgent need for sustained action to safeguard children’s rights and futures. Child labour robs children of their fundamental rights, including access to education, healthcare, and opportunities for personal growth. It often exposes children to hazardous and exploitative conditions, causing long-term physical, psychological, and social harm. Beyond its impact on children, child labour also presents human rights, legal, and reputational risks for businesses and is a major concern for governments, consumers, and international markets. Eliminating child labour requires more than workplace monitoring. Addressing its root causes particularly in the lower tiers of supply chains demands coordinated, well-resourced, and sustainable interventions. Evidence from the International Labour Organization (ILO) shows that effective elimination depends on strong public policies, inclusive economic systems, and community-level action that tackles poverty, vulnerability, weak labour protections, and limited access to social services. To respond to these challenges, the ILO launched the ACCEL Africa Project, which accelerates the elimination of child labour through targeted interventions in priority supply chains. The project adopts a systems-based approach, moving beyond isolated actions to strengthen the institutional, social, and economic structures that address the root causes of child labour. ACCEL Africa is aligned with the ILO’s 8.7 Accelerator Lab, which promotes innovative and scalable solutions to eradicate child and forced labour. Building on successful interventions in supply chains such as cocoa, gold, cotton, tea, and coffee across countries including Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Mali, Malawi, Nigeria, and Uganda, Phase II of ACCEL Africa, launched in June 2023, focuses on consolidating gains and institutionalising best practices. This phase targets supply chains in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, and Uganda, including cocoa, coffee, cotton, gold, and tea. In Kenya, the project focuses on the tea and coffee value chains, vital sources of livelihood for rural communities in Kisii, Kericho, Meru, and Nyeri counties. Kenya is the world’s largest tea exporter and the third-largest tea producer, supporting about 5 million people, including 650,000 smallholder farmers. Coffee, also largely produced by smallholders, remains a critical export crop. Both Kenyan tea and coffee are listed by the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) as goods produced with child labour, highlighting the urgent need for targeted and innovative interventions. Under Outcome 2 of the ACCEL Africa Project, the focus is on institutionalising evidence-based solutions to address child labour at the local level. This includes tackling the root causes, such as poverty, lack of social protection, unsafe working conditions, limited livelihood opportunities, weak worker and producer organisation, and harmful social norms. Organisations working directly in the tea value chain are key partners in this effort, given their community reach, organisational capacity, and ability to influence practices within the supply chain. The International Labour Organization (ILO) emphasises that these organisations play a unique and critical role in eliminating child labour, particularly in agricultural and rural supply chains. By addressing household vulnerability and limited access to education, these organisations can improve incomes, create alternative work opportunities, and provide social services, reducing the economic pressures that push children into labour. Beyond their business functions, these organisations act as community development actors, and when they adopt child-labour-free policies and practices in governance, operations, and services, they can deliver sustainable, local-level interventions that prevent and withdraw children from child labour. Against this backdrop, the ILO seeks to work with organisations that can support and strengthen actors in the tea value chain, enabling them to implement effective, community-level interventions to prevent child labour and promote safe and decent work. Objective of the Call for Proposals The overall objective of this Call for Proposals is to identify and engage eligible organisations operating within the tea value chains to implement direct action programmes aimed at preventing and eliminating child labour in Kisii, Kericho, Meru, and Nyeri counties. Specifically, the call seeks proposals from cooperative unions to implement interventions under the following four technical focus areas: Social Protection Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Livelihoods Youth Employment These interventions are expected to address the root causes of child labour and contribute to sustainable improvements in the well-being of children, families, and communities. Click here for the Call for Proposal with more details How to apply Organisations should follow these instructions when submitting applications: Prepare a Full Proposal, budget, and all relevant supporting documents. All submissions must be typed in English; handwritten applications will not be accepted. Ensure the proposal includes all necessary project details, as major errors or discrepancies may lead to disqualification. Submit applications via email only to: nboprocurement@ilo.org , accompanied by the Checklist and Declaration. Applicants must be a organisations, duly registered under Kenyan law. Deadline: 03 July 2026, 4:30 PM (Kenya Time) Click to Download Application Form Job details Country Kenya Source International Labour Organization Type Consultancy Career category Program/Project Management Years of experience 0-2 years Share Share this on Facebook Share this on X Post this on LinkedIn Share job link How to apply: Organisations should follow these instructions when submitting applications: Prepare a Full Proposal, budget, and all relevant supporting documents. All submissions must be typed in English; handwritten applications will not be accepted. Ensure the proposal includes all necessary project details, as major errors or discrepancies may lead to disqualification. Submit applications via email only to: nboprocurement@ilo.org , accompanied by the Checklist and Declaration. Applicants must be a organisations, duly registered under Kenyan law. Deadline: 03 July 2026, 4:30 PM (Kenya Time) Click to Download Application Form