The 2025 edition of the regional campaign against child labor, “I Take Care of You!”, has concluded with the selection of the winning videos from Central American countries. The campaign was promoted by the Central American Sugar Association (AICA) and its member organizations in each country, with technical support from the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Integrarse Network, and FECAGRO.
Launched in July, the campaign invited sugarcane producers across Central America to conduct workshops, social media and in-person campaigns in communities and cities to raise awareness about saying “No” to child labor. It also encouraged participation in a video contest, where community members from each country created videos to raise awareness on the issue.
The videos, recorded on cell phones, had to include a positive message for preventing child labor in a creative way. The national winner would receive US$500 and qualify for the regional contest. In Guatemala, 77 entries were received. The national winning video was created by participants in the Mejores Familias program from the Nueva Cajolá community in Champerico, Santa Rosa. The overall regional winner was a video from Honduras, submitted by Mrs. Reina Saavedra from the Emanuel School in El Progreso, Yoro.
“At Guatecaña, we are committed every day to protecting children, so they can keep dreaming and have a better present and future,” said Andrea Bolaños, Sustainability Manager at Guatecaña. She added that Guatecaña has a monitoring system in place to certify that child labor does not occur.
She also noted that Guatemala’s efforts included visits to 136 communities, 18 workshops with children and youth in schools, and 146 awareness events with community leaders and participants in the Mejores Familias program. These actions reached a total of 3,513 people, including 1,660 women, 160 men, 842 girls, and 851 boys. Additionally, campaign posts on social media reached 127,176 people.
Internally, the campaign was shared through emails and materials for sugar mill employees, along with a monthly sustainability bulletin and other communications.
Now in its fourth year of implementation, the campaign has received international recognition. In 2022, it was awarded the prestigious “Leader of Change” prize by the International Organisation of Employers (IOE), based in Geneva, Switzerland. “This is a permanent campaign that lives throughout the year at the mills. It has shown us that when we work with purpose, we go far and generate unwavering commitment to children,” said Mario Amador, President of AICA.
Pilar Rodríguez, representing the ILO, emphasized: “This initiative not only strengthens families and communities, but also enhances the sector’s competitiveness. The ‘I Take Care of You!’ campaign shows that it’s possible to join forces around a shared goal. Preventing child labor isn’t just possible—it’s essential for building fairer societies and more sustainable sectors.”
The 2025 “I Take Care of You” Child Labor Prevention Campaign is a coordinated effort by the Central American Sugar Association (AICA), together with its member organizations:
- Guatemalan Sugar Producers Association -Asazgua-
- Sugar Association of El Salvador and Fundazúcar El Salvador
- Sugar Producers Association of Honduras -APAH-
- Sugar Services Company, S.A. – Nicaragua -ESASA-
- Agricultural and Industrial Sugar Cane League of Costa Rica -LAICA-
- Sugar and Alcohol Association of Panama -AZUCALPA-
The campaign is supported technically by the International Labour Organization -ILO-, with the involvement of the Central American Network for Corporate Social Responsibility -Red INTEGRARSE- and the Federation of Agricultural and Agro-Industrial Chambers of Central America -FECAGRO-.
With the close of the 2025 edition, Guatecaña reaffirms its vision of people-centered development and its firm and unwavering commitment to children as the foundation of the future.
