2005
Child Labor in Liberia and Sierra Leone
The International Rescue Committee and IIECL recently won the bid to provide an educational program for children at-risk of, engaged in and removed from the worst forms of child labor, particularly child soldiers, in Liberia and Sierra Leone. The project is called CYCLE (Countering Youth and Child Labor through Education) and was funded by the United States Department of Labor. The four-year project began in September 2005 and will continue until September 2009.
IIECL’s role in the project will be to assist IRC CYCLE staff in the conduct of baseline assessments in Liberia and Sierra Leone during the first six months of startup. This will include: designing quantitative and qualitative instruments, training interviewers, providing technical support and assistance throughout the assessment process, and writing the results in two country reports. Additionally, IIECL will be training IRC CYCLE staff on the PAVE methodology, assisting with the design of outreach, intake, assessment, follow-up and monitoring intake, educational development planning, and follow-up forms to be used throughout the project. Additionally, IIECL staff will provide on-going review and technical assistance and training to ensure the appropriate application of the PAVE methodology and monitoring the services provided by CYCLE staff. IIECL will assist the CYCLE project in identifying good practices that yield successful outcomes with program participants, particularly with former child soldiers.
Technical Assistance in Child Labor Program Design – Ecuador
IIECL, working in collaboration with the Academy for Educational Development (AED) staff, provided technical assistance with contacting potential local partners and in the planning and design of an education program for children in Ecuador.
Child Labor Research / Program Evaluation Activity – Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Ethiopia
Working under a consulting contract with the Academy for Educational Development (AED), IIECL’s staff member, Diane Mull, served as the lead technical consultant to assist with the design and implementation of a four country, quantitative and qualitative research project in the countries of Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Ethiopia in Eastern Africa. The purpose the research activity was to establish obtain needed information to assist with the design of intervention strategies and serve as the basis for comparison against program outcomes as part of a four-year, U.S. Department of Labor funded, child labor education program. The program is called Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Ethiopia Together (KURET) and is operated by World Vision, International Rescue Committee, and the Academy for Educational Development. IIECL’s staff are serving as technical child labor expert for the partnership and program.
Specific to the research activity, Ms. Mull designed the baseline study approach and the questionnaires to be used for household and individual child surveys, school facility assessments, and questions for the KAP (Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice Surveys and Focus Group Discussions) survey activities. Additionally, Ms. Mull coordinated and monitored the activitives of the three host national research consulting firms that were hired to assist with the field research in each of the four countries. Ms. Mull conducted training with the research firm personnel on the use of the questionnaires, coordinated the field testing and finalizing of the baseline research instruments, assisted with technical questions or issues that arose during the conduct of the baseline study due to situations of conflict and instability in areas within Uganda and Ethiopia, and worked with the research consulting firm personnel on the analysis of data and writeup of the reports.
As a result of the study, the following was accomplished as part of Ms. Mull’s assistance with the KURET project baseline study:
baseline study instruments and approach was designed;
baseline study conducted in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Ethiopia completed;
over 2,850 households surveyed;
over 5,800 children surveyed;
179 primary, secondary, vocational and non-formal education programs/schools were assessed; and
an assessment of knowledge, attitudes and practices related to child labor, HIV-AIDS, and education were conducted:
71 FGDs with children, including those in-school and out-of-school,
37 FGDs with parents,
35 FGDs with head teachers, and
24 FGDs with employers.