Who we are
A collaborative approach
Our flagship program ARISE – Achieving Reduction of Child Labor in Support of Education is a collaborative and long‑standing approach to tackling the presence of child labor in tobacco-growing communities.
ARISE was originally developed in 2011 by JTI together with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and Winrock International, with these partnerships concluding in 2018. Today, ARISE is fully led and implemented by JTI in collaboration with local partners, building on the foundations established in its early years.
Since its inception, ARISE has focused on preventing child labor and supporting community-led solutions that help children stay in school and thrive. We recognize that lasting progress requires coordinated action, shared responsibility, and an understanding of the economic, social, and cultural factors that shape children’s lives.
We believe that child labor cannot be eliminated by removing children from work alone. Instead, we must address the conditions that allow it to persist and offer viable alternatives for families and farming communities. This means improving access to education, strengthening household resilience, shifting harmful norms, and ensuring that children and families have real pathways to opportunity.
Through ARISE, we work with children, families, farmers, and communities to raise awareness of the need to end child labor. We listen to local priorities, promote the long‑term benefits of education, and provide families with opportunities to build skills and diversify their income. We support farmers and communities to adopt safer, more sustainable practices and collaborate with schools and governments by sharing information and capacity‑building resources. Our activities align with national, regional, and local government policies to strengthen regulatory frameworks and improve labor practices, particularly those affecting children.
In addition to its long‑standing focus on prevention, ARISE also supports remediation when cases of child labor are identified. Building on years of community‑level experience, we are strengthening this work through a unified global remediation system that ensures that each case is evaluated and receives the appropriate and timely support that is needed.
This structured approach includes clear identification and assessment processes, formal referral pathways, defined roles and responsibilities, standardized documentation, and consistent follow‑up. By reinforcing remediation alongside prevention, ARISE enhances child protection, strengthens due‑diligence systems, and ensures accountability across all countries where the program operates.
Shared responsibility with local partners
Our community‑based model brings together diverse and complementary expertise. ARISE is built on shared ownership, collective decision‑making, and long‑term partnership with local community. We work jointly at community and management levels, with each partner focusing on their strengths to design, deliver, and scale solutions that create lasting change.
