As the global community prepares for the VI Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour (Morocco, 2026), one message stands out across regions: lasting solutions emerge when those closest to the challenges help define them. The principle of Nothing for us, without us is a practical requirement for systems that protect rural families and prevent child labour.
In Mole village, deep in Tanzania’s Sikonge district, this principle comes to life through the experience of Amina Mbarasinge, a 64-year-old farmer and member of the PROSPER RESET project. Her journey reflects the structural changes needed across agriculture: stronger rural livelihoods, improved access to finance and technology, and platforms where farmers influence the decisions shaping their future.
Amina joined her village savings and loan association (VSLA) in 2018. Before that, she cultivated maize and sunflower on depleted soils using the limited tools and seeds available to her. The effort was immense, yet the yields remained low. “I was using a lot of effort,” she recalls, “but I was getting poor yield”. Like many rural households, low productivity created financial instability that made her dependent on her husband and grown children.
Through the VSLA, and with training provided by the project, Amina accessed small loans to buy improved seeds and fertilizer. She began applying new planting techniques, from spacing to soil preparation. The results were immediate: her production doubled, and with it, a sense of financial control she had not experienced in years. “Now the production is good because I can access loan to expand crops production and earn enough income per year”.
For Amina, this economic shift translated into broader wellbeing. Regular savings now allow her to seek healthcare when needed and support her elderly husband. She has also become part of a strong social network: “I have made many friends who are my group members. They are ready to give me a helping hand”. This peer support — often overlooked in policy design — is a critical component of community resilience and a reminder that social protection requires more than formal services.
What distinguishes Amina’s story is not only the improvement in her livelihood but her growing confidence to shape her own future. She now plans to expand sunflower production and open a small shop producing cooking oil, responding to local shortages. These ambitions reflect what happens when farmers have the means and the space to define their development pathways, rather than having these pathways imposed externally.
The challenges remain real: unpredictable rainfall and limited access to farm inputs threaten productivity year after year. Yet Amina’s reflection is clear: joining the VSLA and taking part in project training gave her the tools to respond — and the voice to advise others. “Women should join VSLA groups,” she says. “It is where they can save money, access capital and exchange ideas”.
Her perspective underscores a key message for Morocco 2026: rural women, farmers, and workers must have a central seat in shaping global strategies to eliminate child labour. Their lived experience is essential for designing interventions that match local realities and for building systems that reduce the pressures that push children into work.
Amina’s journey shows what is possible when rural people are seen not just as beneficiaries but as partners. It also illustrates the direction global action must take: stronger rural institutions, accessible finance, improved production conditions and inclusive platforms where communities lead the conversation.
Her voice adds to a growing call across regions, a call that will help guide the discussions in Morocco: solutions in agriculture must be built with the people who live and work in it every day. Nothing for us, without us.
