Chocolate can come at a cost—not to our waistline but to our global health. On Saturday, December 6, a small group of activists and friends hope to raise local awareness of human trafficking in the cocoa industry and fair trade products through the World’s Largest Chocolate Fondue Party.

“I love chocolate and there’s no reason to stop eating it! We just have to channel our purchasing power from sources that don’t take advantage of, hurt, or abuse the lives of others,” says Elisabeth Barahona, co-organizer with her sister in-law, Anita Oliver. As she grew up in Ivory Coast in West Africa, one of the world’s leading producers of cocoa, Barahona feels especially compelled to the cause.

Charlottesville’s satellite event is one among many around the world, but the only host in Virginia. The World Wide Chocolate Fondue Party starts at 7:30 pm on Saturday, December 6 at Rapture on the Downtown Mall. Tickets are only $5, and fair trade products will be available for sale, too.

Oliver says that chocolate makes her “very happy,” but once she learned about the human slave trade, she wondered, “at what cost?”

“It is something I had previously done with coffee, and I know I can feel good about supporting farmers and their families. We heard about Stop the Traffik’s fondue party and we wanted to take part,” Oliver explains. “ At first we were just going to do a home party with a few friends, but that didn’t feel like enough, so here we are trying to put together a huge event - hopefully to get more people on board to help change the world one chocolate bar at a time.”

Stop the Traffik is an organization that monitors slavery and hopes to infiltrate industries that still practice it with a mission of education, advocacy for victims, and philanthropy for large-scale action.

Questions? Email or call 434-242-4982.