PUPILS from St Richard Gwyn Catholic High School, Barry, will have the opportunity to talk to young people from Fairtrade cocoa farms in Ghana tomorrow.

Youngsters will attend the conference in Cardiff organised by Trading Visions, Fair Trade Wales and the Fairtrade Foundation and will learn more about global trade and the part they can play in creating a fairer world.

The highlight will be a live video link with two special guests from Ghana.

Esther and Samuel, both aged 14, are from cocoa growing communities. Their parents are cocoa farmers and are members of Kuapa Kokoo, the Fairtrade co-operative that co-owns Divine Chocolate.

Children attending the conference will have the opportunity to ask questions and hear more about the lives of Esther and Samuel as well as from a cocoa farmer about the difference Fairtrade has made to their community.

Activities on the day include a workshop for teachers on the Fairtrade Schools award scheme and activities for young people on Fairtrade and farming in Ghana and Malawi. There will also be an opportunity to learn how to taste chocolate like a professional and ride a Fairtrade smoothie bike.

Around six million people depend on farming cocoa for their livelihoods around the world, with cocoa farming employing 3.2 million people in Ghana. Despite a high demand, the ever changing global price of cocoa beans in recent years has made it impossible for farmers to know how much they will be paid leaving them unable to plan for the future.

Fairtrade helps to make cocoa farming more sustainable by guaranteeing minimum prices, providing a premium to invest in local communities and providing training to help farmers develop their crop, farm in a more environmentally friendly way and improve working conditions on their farms.

The conference is part of a series of Fairtrade events for young people organised by Trading Visions and Fairtrade Foundation.