A staffer with UNICEF USA visits a school in Toumodi-Sakassou, Côte d’Ivoire, to tell CKI members about the work being done with plastic bricks.

Karly Porter with UNICEF USA shares an update on a school made with plastic bricks in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, that provides an education to students who are deaf.

Magda from the Côte d’Ivoire UNICEF office thanks CKI members and gives an update about schools that are being built with plastic bricks.

The money you raise will help support UNICEF to stimulate a recycling economy in Côte d’Ivoire by and for women. The plastic waste they collect will be manufactured into bricks at a Conceptos Plasticos factory in Africa. These bricks will be used to build classrooms for some of the 1.6 million children – mostly girls – who are currently out of school. It doesn’t stop there. You will also help UNICEF train teachers, provide school supplies, and support improved hygiene and infection prevention and control. All of this will have immediate and transformative impact on the lives of children and women in Côte d’Ivoire.

As the WASH project neared its conclusion, the Circle K International Board of Trustees reviewed ideas for our next partnership with UNICEF USA. The Brick x Brick project correlates with three of our existing service initiatives – childhood development, environmental justice and alleviating food insecurity and homelessness – making it a perfect fit.

• Childhood development: Safe, comfortable spaces for children to learn and play are crucial for their development. Studies show that one year out of school can impact a child’s future earnings by as much as 10 percent. However, in Côte d’Ivoire, 1.6 million children are currently out of school and most of them are girls. In many existing classrooms, over 90 children are taught by a single teacher who does not have the appropriate training.
• Environmental justice: In Côte d’Ivoire, the capital city of Abidjan produces 288 tons of plastic waste each day, 90 percent of which is found polluting low-income communities. Only 5 percent of plastic waste is recycled in Côte d’Ivoire, mostly informally by women and for very low prices. Plastic and other garbage contributes to poor health conditions, especially for young children.
• Food insecurity and homelessness: In Côte d’Ivoire, 46 percent of the families live in poverty and most of them are headed by mothers and women. Women, especially mothers, will have greater access to income and employment through self-organized recycling networks that oversee an entire green supply chain of plastic waste collection and processing prior to final sale to the Plastic Brick factory. More than 3,500 women will be empowered in the informal recycling sector to own the full supply chain of recycled plastic, cutting out the middlemen who often take a large percentage of earnings. This will help lift entire families out of poverty.

Located on the southern coast of West Africa between Liberia and Ghana, also referred to as the Ivory Coast, Cote d’Ivoire achieved independence from France in 1960. The country suffered more than a decade of civil conflict that ended in 2011. During this time, many children — especially girls — didn’t have access to education. As of 2015, only 53% of men and 33% of women were literate, contributing to Côte d’Ivoire’s high rates of unskilled labor, adolescent pregnancy and HIV/AIDS. Pollution and improper waste management also contribute to poor health conditions such as malaria, diarrhea and pneumonia, especially among young children.

Côte d’Ivoire is the world’s largest exporter of cocoa beans and is a significant producer of coffee and palm oil, but its dependence on agricultural exports leaves it vulnerable to price fluctuations and climate conditions. Its forests — once the largest in West Africa — have been heavily logged, and the country’s water sources are polluted from sewage and industrial and mining waste. We encourage your club to learn more about Cote d’Ivoire, UNICEF and Conceptos Plasticos through the following articles:

• UNICEF: “From Plastic Waste to Real Change for Communities”
• New York Times: “Less Trash, More Schools – One Plastic Brick at a Time”
• UNICEF: “From Classrooms Made of Recycled Plastic Bricks to Green Initiatives”
• UNICEF: “Back to School in a New Eco-friendly Classroom”

We’re counting on you to spread awareness and raise money! We’ll be rolling out resources, but we want your ideas, too!

Here are some examples of the impact your gift could provide:

• U$5 could provide 25 bars of soap to support improved hygiene and infection prevention and control.
• US$10.80 could provide three students a UNICEF backpack to organize and carry their school supplies.
• US$24 could provide five plastic bricks for school construction as part of the Conceptos Plasticos project.
• US$110 could support the construction of a latrine stall at a school.
• US$48,000 could support the cost of building one classroom from plastic bricks as part of the Conceptos Plasticos project, as well as help provide textbooks, latrines, teacher training and much more.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) works in more than 190 countries and territories to put children first. UNICEF has helped save more children’s lives than any other humanitarian organization by providing health care and immunizations, clean water and sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief and more.

UNICEF USA advances the global mission of UNICEF by rallying the American public to support the world’s most vulnerable children. UNICEF USA’s mission is to relentlessly pursue an equitable world for every child.