Since January 2019, ECLT has been working with implementing partners IDE and FAA to fight child labour in Mozambique, a country where 1 in 5 children is in child labour. Building from past success of projects which have been running since 2013 which helped 10,000 children and 14,000 adults, ECLT plans to help 32,000 more people learn about child labour, safer farming, saving and loaning, improve nutrition, and access better education.
Improving income for rural families.
Over half of the population in Mozambique live on less than USD 1.90 per day. Poverty being one of the root causes of child labour, ECLT’s projects in Mozambique aim to fight child labour by supporting rural families increase their incomes. In the past 6 months alone, over 300 smallholder farmers have received training on better farming techniques, for more productive, organic and sustainable methods. The project has also trained 62 community members on finance management and business planning.
Brighter future.
Elisa Peressone dreams of becoming a teacher. Before the project, Elisa could not afford to attend school: “If I had no project´s assistance, I would not be able to keep on studying, because I live with my grandmother, she is very old and is not able to work anymore”. Thanks to the project Elisa is doing well, she has graduated to the next grade “I plan to keep on studying, to graduate, to work and to help my three younger brothers. I would like to become a teacher to teach other children”. ECLT plans to help over 4,000 more children like Elisa to access quality education.
Supporting education.
52% of children in Mozambique do not complete primary education. As a root cause of child labour, ECLT’s project aims to provide children in rural areas with access to quality education. Since January, 112 children have returned to school, receiving school materials such as school bags, books, and pens. Local schools are working with FAA to develop a plan to improve infrastructure and facilities such as running water and toilets. By supporting schools to be a happy, safe and welcoming environment, children are more likely to remain in education and away from dangerous work in fields.
Strengthening child protection committees.
In areas where child labour is a risk, community child protection committees help identify the children and families who need support, withdraw them from child labour and monitor their progress after withdrawal. In the last 3 months, over 30 school staff members have been trained by the community child protection committees. Community child protection committee members also received bicycles to help them travel between villages and reach more community members.
Looking ahead.
Building from the successes of the beginning of the project, ECLT looks forward to continuing support to FAA and IDE in the fight against child labour in rural Mozambique.