01 August 2008
U.S. Department of Labor Education Initiative Grants
Since fiscal year 2001, U.S. Department of Labor's (USDOL) has awarded about $148 million in Education Initiative (EI) grants to promote education as a means of combating child labor. Grants are awarded through an open, competitive bidding process to a variety of local and international organizations.
EI projects are aimed at increasing access to basic education for child laborers and at-risk children, as well as improving the quality and relevance of education. Many countries with a high incidence of child labor also face resource constraints that impact educational access and quality. Not only are many families in such countries unable to afford school uniforms or books for their children, but certain regions also suffer from a lack of schools in remote areas, high student-to-teacher ratios, a high percentage of unqualified or under-qualified teachers, and a poor physical environment at schools. EI projects support improvements in educational access and quality by funding school meals, teacher training, school materials, vocational education, and other needs.
One of the USDOL’s International Child Labor Program’s Education Initiative grants funds the U.S.-based nongovernmental organization Winrock International to implement its Community-based Innovations to Reduce Child Labor Through Education (CIRCLE) project. Through the CIRCLE project, Winrock works with local organizations that propose innovative strategies aimed at preventing or eliminating child labor through education. In Cajamarca, Peru, CIRCLE collaborates with the Asociación Mujer Familia (AMF, Woman Family Association), a nonprofit institution that advocates for the rights of women and children.
With support from CIRCLE, AMF is implementing the Reduccion del Trabajo Infantil Domestico (Reducing Child Domestic Work) Project, which aims to eliminate the incidence of children working as household domestics. In Cajamarca, child domestic workers often labor for more than 14 hours a day, seven days a week, in exchange for food and shelter or a minimal salary. These children are vulnerable to abuse and rarely attend school.
The AMF project employs several interventions in order to achieve its objectives, including public awareness activities to educate the community about child domestic work; workshops for teachers and school staff to improve the quality of education; vocational training and tutoring; and monitoring systems in schools and communities to keep children out of domestic work.
The project's public awareness activities are particularly innovative. For example, to inform authorities, parents, employers, and other community members about the hazards of child labor and the advantages of educating children, the project broadcasts a radio program twice a week. The program allows children to speak for themselves about their experiences and perspectives on domestic work. After the program began to air, the project noted a large increase in community members' concerns over child domestic work.
From the May 2005 edition of eJournal USA
