Emily Sandall Memorial Grant Awards for 2011
2011 Awards
North and South America
United States—Aryn Calhoun: Hazardous Work Music Video
Aryn is a professional musician—an independent musician who is a songwriter, performer, demo producer and teacher. Through her gift of music and ability to craft songs, she brings light to ideas and reaches people in a unique and dynamic way. The songs she has written and produced into music videos include “The Harvest” and “Childhood Left Behind,” two music videos featured on IIECL‘s website. Music is a unique way to help rally people around an important social justice issue. When combined with a well-crafted video, it allows people to explore visually the impact of the message of what the impact of child labor can have on children‘s lives—seeing the faces of the children directly affected.
Aryn‘s Emily grant will support the production of a third music video to add visuals to her spring 2010 Emily grant where she‘s written a song that focuses on the hazards of child labor to a child‘s health, safety, morals and education. The music video is called “Hazards.” The video will be posted on IIECL‘s newly created Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube accounts and featured on IIECL‘s website. Aryn will also assist IIECL by establishing IIECL on Wikipedia.
Emily‘s Impression: Emily would love this poignant project that Aryn has chosen—combining the power of music and photos to bring attention to this important issue.
Peru—Teen Association of Domestic Workers (Asociación Mujer Famili): Micro-credit for Domestic Girl Workers
The Teen Association of Domestic Workers in the City of Cajamarca, Peru is proposing to implement a project entitled, ―We want change today and tomorrow!‖ The Teen Association of Domestic Workers will be working under the advice and direction of the Women‘s Family Association, a non-governmental organization operating in Cajamarca, Peru. Due to the current conditions of poverty and limited incomes in peri-urban households, girls and adolescents are forced to work in private households, in order to have money to access education. Often, these girls are forced to work 10 to 12 hours a day—a clear violation of Peru‘s laws that state a maximum of six hours of work per day. The only time these children have to study is at night, where they are exhausted after a long day of labor. This results in their not being able to complete their homework resulting in their having to repeat grades and ultimately dropping out of school.
The objective of the Asociación‘s Emily grant project is to empower child domestic workers through the provision of micro-credit to meet their educational expenses and/or assist them in alternative economic activities, such as handicrafts, toys, jewelry, hand-embroidered linen and other non-hazardous income generating activities. A total of 22 child and adolescent, 18 and under, domestic workers will be assisted.
Emily‘s impression: Emily believed strongly in the idea of empowering young girls with new skills and education to improve their lives.
Africa
Ethiopia—Woliso Youth Development Association (WYDA) Kumsa Deme and Abera Taye: Social Entrepreneurship for OVCs in Woliso Town, Ethiopia through Tree Seedling Project
The Woliso Youth Development Association (WYDA) is a cohesive group of 48 young amateur athletes ranging in age from 14 to 16 years with volunteer support from one coach and two mentors and motivational support from one professional athlete. Woliso is a destination point for most rural-urban and urban-urban migrants, including young people. With its trend of urbanization, there are complex pull and push factors behind migration for employment that add to the problems of Other Vulnerable Children (OCVs) in the town. Although extended family systems establish a social protection mechanism for OVCs, about 230 children are currently estimated to be out of such social support. In response to this, a few institutions have recently provided packages of support for some children, however there are about 130 remaining children estimated to be in critical need. For most of them, carrying (transporting) heavy loads is the common activity, along with street trading and shoe polishing at the expense of schooling. For those attending school, low achievements have been common as they spend little time for reading and home work studies. Although public school is free, expenses for uniform and educational kits are too high for a number of children from poor families but especially orphans with weak social supports. The cumulative problems result in school dropouts. For a boy out of school, there is high probability to be trapped in drug addiction (especially chewing ‘Chat’ leaves) during adolescence. For an orphan girl without support, the primary option is domestic service employment in a private household and the secondary option being street trading; both options offer ingredients of gender-based violence and worst forms of child labor.
WYDA plans to use their Emily Grant to improve the livelihood of 50 children (13 to 17) vulnerable children through sustainable social entrepreneurship based on nursery management of 60,000 tree seedlings for use with environmental protection and post harvest labor saving technology services (rental of an adult operated threshing machine), improve self-esteem of 32 orphan children through lifeskills, emotional support, sports therapy and tutorials to applying varying learning styles, and increase awareness on child development for 3,000 people through art shows, testimonies, demonstrated supports and a sports event to occur during the annual World Day Against Child labor in June 2012.
Emily Impression: Emily would love that this project offers both the environmental protection and sustainability with the tree seedlings project and the added self-esteem gained through sports therapy.
Ghana—HOGFE Foundation (HOGFE): Support Cost of Roof for Technical Skill Center for Street Children in Ghana
The HOGFE Foundation is a German non-profit organization that promotes public health purposes, HIV / AIDS preventive education, teenage pregnancy education, youth / adult and vocational education, and development cooperation. HOGFE has made a commitment to build libraries, schools, hospitals, provide books, wells, medical care and other life necessities. Street children are a significant part of the picture in every Ghanaian city. In Accra, according to UNICEF, there are approximately 30,000 street children. Due to economic hardship about 57% of children in Ghana are forced either to work on their own initiative or by pressure from their parents, for their livelihood. They have to drop out of school or cannot attend school at all. The cost to attend school and/or vocational training is such that poor families who can barely provide basic services cannot send their children to any school either a basic school or vocational school. Poverty pushes children towards the street. Families may not be able to provide the money they need to send the children to school, so the children feel the need to go to the streets and try and earn the money they need. Some children are asked by their families to beg during the day to help supplement the family income. The use of drugs, in particular glue, is rife among the street children in Ghana. It is easy to obtain in the markets and surrounding compounds, and is made out of a mix of petrol and jet fuel, which makes for a very potent mix. When asked why they sniff glue, children point out that it suppresses their hunger and takes away the cold in the evenings. It also takes them out of their own reality, a form of escapism from street life.
The objective of HOGFE is to help the most vulnerable children and to enable them to return and to reintegrate into social life and protect them from violence and exploitation. The Technical Skills Centre will give the street children and youth the opportunity for a restart at life away from the street. Many of the street children have been raped and abused by adults. Mistrust and fear of adults are the result. The Technical Skills Centre is aimed at young people between 10 and 25. HOGFE will be using its Emily Grant to support the construction of the roof for the Technical Skill Center for Street Children in Ghana. The diverse programs that the Technical Skills Center offers will give street children a real chance to live away from the street, a school and vocational education, and a future safe job at an appropriate age. At the Technical Skill Center, young people can learn for themselves and others to take responsibility and to manage their own lives. The help offered by the Technical Skill Center can lead to street children fulfilling their vast potential. Street children may be marginalized but many are also ambitious, tough and resilient. They manage to survive in the toughest of environments and they have dreams of getting out of their situation.
Emily Impression: Emily would be so pleased to provide these street children with a safe haven for education and skills training.
Ghana—Lamp for Future Life (LEFL): Community Radio Sensitization on Child Rights and Child Labor
Lamp for Future Life (LEFL) is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization that began as a vision of a volunteer in August 2009 to advocate for the special needs of marginalized segments of the Ghanaian society, particularly disabled people, women, and children. LEFL serves the Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam District in the Central Region of Ghana. Their approach is to work with the targeted community enabling them to advocate for themselves and influence policies and laws that affect them. LEFL‘s objective is to enhance their targeted population’s socio-economic development, human rights, and improve their health and educational status to achieve an ability to live independent lives and productively contribute to society. LEFL‘s project will conduct a district-wide sensitizing campaign using community radio to target key social issues, such as child labor and child rights, particularly for disabled children. Community radio personnel will be targeted for capacity building, developing a radio sensitizing program on child labor and child rights, and holding panel-discussions of key experiences on child labor and child rights, including disability rights, with phone in segments.
Emily‘s impression: Emily would strongly support a project where the vulnerable population could advocate for themselves and “have a voice” in their own policies and laws.
Kenya—Deaf Outreach Program (DEAFOP) / Ann Gloria Njoki: Reduce Deaf and Albino Child Exploitation through Promotion of Education
Children with disabilities, such as deafness and albinism, are at high risk of exploitation and abuse. In Kenya, an estimated 200,000 children below age 18 are deaf. These children suffer language barriers, low self-esteem, and lack of access to education. Further, their disability is often associated with witchcraft. Deaf girls become easy targets for rape where often by the time they are of age, many girls will have suffered multiple rapes, STDs and early pregnancies. Like deafness, albinism is not understood and accepted in most African culture. In 2010, cases of albino children disappearances was reported in Kenya and Tanzania, where albinos were trafficked into Tanzania for witchcraft purposes with the belief that their body parts can be used to heal diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, and for other rituals. As a result, fear of being abducted has resulted in albino children dropping out of school and the albino community beginning to organize for protection. The DEAFOP will use their Emily Grant to reduce deal and albino child exploitation through education. The primary objectives of their grant funded project will be to raise awareness among parent and communities on the hazards of child labor (particularly in the domestic sector for girls); educate parents, children and communities on child labor policies/laws in the Kenya; spearhead peer education in schools; and to increase sensitivity and understanding among students, teachers, parents and communities about deafness and albinism. Highlights of the project will be the forming of Human Rights Clubs in schools to promote peer education using a child to child approach, building the capacity of an albinism organization, and education and training with the parents of deaf and albinism children.
Emily Impression: Emily would absolutely want to work for access to education and protection of human rights for these vulnerable children.
Kenya—Hequeendo Compassionate Friends Community: Beehive Income Generation
The Hequeendo Friends is a community-based organization that started in 2006 in Kenya‘s Western Province in the Bungoma East District. Their mission is to transform the lives of needy children, give hope to the hopeless, and support and care for the orphans/vulnerable children and people living with HIV in their community. Since its inception, Hequeendo has undertaken projects providing care and support to 115 orphans and other vulnerable children (OVC). These children attend both high school and other primary school levels. Further, Hequeendo provides home-based care to 158 people living with HIV through their PLWHIV (People Living with HIV) program.
Hequeendo‘s Emily grant will be implementing OVC advocacy promoting children‘s rights and income generation to assist with the care and support for orphans, abandoned, street and other poor children. Hequeendo will be implementing a project of train the OVCs in beekeeping. Honey will be harvested and sold three times per year. The income generated from the beekeeping project will be used to support nutrition, medicine and costs associated with attending school. A total of 12 beehives will be purchased, two smokers, protective clothing. IIECL will provide to Hequeendo a beekeeping literacy curriculum that it can use for training with illiterate adults within the community and support education for the children and youth.
Emily‘s impression: Emily would have wanted to be a part of this sustainable beekeeping project to give these children a brighter future.
Tanzania—Mara Widows Development Group: Combating Child Labor in the Gold Mines of Tanzania through a Micro-loan Project
Mara Widows Development Group is a women-led community-based organization dedicated to work for and with underserved children and women. Most children around the mining areas are between the age of 5 and 12 and are engaged in hazardous work due to the prevalence of poverty in the rural communities. With limited knowledge on child development and survival, most parents and families force their children to engage in worst forms of work to supplement household incomes for survival.
Mara Widows plan is to use their Emily Grant to remove children from worst forms of child labor by creating awareness and providing parents / caregivers of children with small business skills training and revolving loans. The micro-loans for small business development will serve as an alternative support to increase household incomes to sustain care and education for the children. By providing knowledge and financial support to parents and families, children will be able to access education and health care. Parents / caregivers will be provided training on small business development and provided a revolving loan that will be repaid within six months.
Emily Impression: Emily would love that this project offers microloans and training to the families as a means of sustainability and that allows them the ability to afford education for their children.
Tanzania—Christian Youth Network: Combating Hazardous Child Labor in Tobacco Farming
The Christian Youth Network (CYN) is a faith-based, youth-led, not-for-profit, non-governmental organization formed in 2004 by young people and registered in 2008. CYN is headquartered in the Tabor Region in western Tanzania. The mission is to be a catalyst of positive change spiritually, physically and economically for youth; bring youth groups together; work with youth committed to fight against poverty, spread of HIV/AIDS and drug abuse; and promote general youth ethics irrespective of race, ethnicity, sex or age. CYN‘s project will focus on children working in tobacco in the Urambo District. Children often work 12 hour days with only 30 to 60 minutes of rest, no protective equipment, clothing or worker safety training. They are exposed to toxic pesticides, carrying heavy loads, exposed to tobacco sickness from the nicotine, and repetitive motion, including bending and kneeling. Of particular risk are HIV/AIDS orphans. The average pay for these children can be as low as $12 per month.
With the support of the Emily grant, the CYN will train 50 Village Child Labor Committees, organize a public campaign and activities in observance of the World Day Against Child Labor in June 2011, provide counseling and alternative vocational skills training for youth, and referral of younger children to regular schools. CYN estimates that 300 children will be withdrawn from hazardous child labor and re-integrated into education. Further, that public awareness regarding child labor will be raised with 50,000 people in the Urambo District of Tanzania.
Emily‘s impression: Emily would smile so broadly that 300 children were given the chance for education and not child labor.
Uganda—Social Enterprise Africa CIC and Chrysalis Limited: Chickens for Change for Quarry Workers
Social Enterprise Africa CIC is a not-for-profit, Community Interest Company (CIC), registered in Birmingham, United Kingdom (UK). It is focused on awareness-raising and proactical implementation of social enterprise and social entrepreneurship in Africa. Operating as a CIC, it allows people to setup businesses specifically for a social purpose (in a community) and trade to achieve that purpose. SEA achieves its aim through 1) agricultural development, 2) consulting with NGOs and capacity-building to support the sustainability of those organizations interested in developing social businesses or youth micro-enterprises, and 3) the implementation of specific projects that support the development of social enterprise in Africa. SEC is closely linked with Chrysalis Limited, a school which it helped to found that works to empower gifted and talented Ugandan youth as young social entrepreneurs to become change makers. SEC partners with the Boy‘s Brigade in the UK. SEA is proposing to work with children working in hazardous work in the stone quarries in Kireka within the Acholi Quarter. The Acholi Quarter is a small hill where Ugandans from the Acholi tribe (roughly 3,500 households) were encouraged to relocate during the war in Northern Uganda. While land was allocated, no other facilities—water, sanitation, housing—was provided. Nearby is Kinawataka, known as the ―dust bowl‖ of Kampala, as the factories and lorries have decimated the vegetation leaving red dust subject to the blowing winds. Despite the end of war, there are very limited, meaningful work opportunities for the families living in the area. Many adults and children are forced to work in the stone quarries. If too injured or unable to work with stone, scavenging through garbage is another area where children can be found in labor. Prostitution is also rife in the area, as teenage girls are sometimes pressed into this work. Other inhuman activities also occur in the Quarter, such as child sacrifices by witchdoctors and the selling of children into slavery abroad. No work offers sufficient funds to pay for the costs of school for the children.
To address these challenges and with the support of the Emily grant, the SEC is proposing to setup two sustainable small business ventures: 1) Chickens for Change – a chick rearing project, which will grow to include incubation, egg sales and broiler sales; and 2) Liquid Soap Production – the production and sale of soap for families, factories and the school. Training will be provided on how to be an effective young entrepreneur at the Chrysalis Center, which works with gifted and talented children from the Acholi Quarter and has some young entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs amongst its members. With the chick rearing project, SEC will be working closed with Katende Harambe, a specialist training facility for small farmers, where best practices are taught. Training will include awareness-raising of children‘s rights and ‗money integrity. ‘The SEA is proposing a long-term sustainable approach, growing over time, starting initially with 4 to 6 members, aged 11 to 14, participating in both businesses. To participate as an entrepreneur, this will require the youth to forego working in the quarry.
Emily‘s impression: Emily would be so excited that these child laborers are given a “second chance” by learning sustainable skills and business opportunities.
Asia / Near East
Bangladesh—Madame Imran Khan/Change through Research and Communication (CRC): Child News by Child Journalist Project
Situated on the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh shares large borders with India and a small southern boundary with Myanmar. The Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers meet in Bangladesh to form the world’s largest delta. Children comprise 41% of the over 159 million population in Bangladesh. Three-quarters of the population live in rural areas where families rely primarily on agriculture and fishing for their livelihood. Over half of these families and their children live below poverty. Bangladesh has made significant strides forward in reducing poverty, but many children are still forced to work to supplement family income. It is estimated that 7.4 million children are engaged in some form of work. Most of them work in the informal sector (agriculture, fishing and street selling), many in hazardous conditions. By working at such a young age, these children miss out on an education. Emily Grantee, Md. Khan, has been working and studying child rights, child labor and law in Bangladesh for three years and conducting research on child labor in rural Bangladesh. She has a Masters in Social Science (MSS) and worked as a journalist in local, national and international media. Md. Khan through the CRC (newly formed NGO), will work in child labor and law with the objective to change rural society by conducting effective research and communication.
Md. Khan/CRC will use the Emily Grant to raise awareness by increasing child labor and related law news in local newspapers reported by child journalists trained by Md. Khan. Specifically, the project will establish a Voluntary Child Journalist Association (VCJA) comprised of child journalists to report about child labor and law in local newspapers in Tangail; increase knowledge of children interested in journalism on child labor and laws; increase awareness about child labor among local newspaper editors and publishers; and develop relationship between the VCJA and local newspapers and publishers. The result will be a 45% increase in the number of news stories and reports published during the project period and improve the quality of the reporting.
Emily Impression: Emily would feel passionate about this project of giving children a “voice” through journalism.
Cambodia—Sustainable Cambodia: Using Education to Prevent Child Labor and Encourage School Participation for Rural Children and Youth in Kravanh, Cambodia
Sustainable Cambodia is a grass-roots, volunteer-based, Rotary-supported not-for-profit organization working with the residents of rural Cambodian villages to help them achieve sustainability and self-sufficiency through Education, Jobs and Skills Training, Clean Water Projects, Food Security and Health and Sanitation. Children in Cambodia work in exploitive conditions, in garment factories, restaurants, as domestic servants. Most child domestics are girls 14 to 17 years old, though it is not uncommon to find workers as young as 6 or 7 years; they typically work 12 to 16 hour days, 7 days a week. Cambodia is a country of origin, transit, and destination for trafficking in children. Children are trafficked internally for purposes of commercial sexual exploitation, work in garment factories, begging, in construction, as domestics, and porters.
Sustainable Cambodia will use its Emily Grant to provide supplemental classes, such as computer, physics, chemistry, math, Cambodian language and English to 150 students in the Kravanh Bright Future Center (KBFC); build awareness with parents in six villages on children’s rights, child labor and advantages to children attending school; and provide study materials to 150 students at risk of dropping out of schools in six villages in Kravanh, Cambodia.
Emily Impression: Emily would be excited about this project as she had worked tirelessly in the education of street children and vulnerable teens in Mexico, Nepal and the US.
India—Women and Child Development Charitable Trust (WCDCT): Releasing Children from Work by Supporting Their Mothers with Rearing of Sheep
Women and Child Development Charitable Trust (WCDCT) is a registered, nongovernmental organization. WCDCT’s major activities are operation of nursery & primary school, child development, promotion and protection of child rights, school enrollment campaigns, income generation programs, training and counseling for self-employment, school for child laborers, free uniforms and education materials for disabled children, and maintaining rapport with banks for financial micro-loan sources. In addition, the WCDCT is involved in health, environment, prevention and control of HIV/ AIDS; child health promotion; reproductive and breast feeding education; promotion of naturopathy and yoga awareness; animal welfare and plant-based diet, vegetable food promotion campaign, and integrated rural development activities in Salem and Namakkal districts of Tamilnadu, India.
WCDCT is a prior recipient of an Emily Grant in the spring of 2011 assisting 30 families with micro-loans to raise rams and providing mothers with training on animal raising and azola production to improve their overall income. Their first Emily Grant was a very successful project and is being awarded a second Emily Grant to assist 30 additional families with sheep rearing for income generation and azola production. The objectives of the second Emily Grant will be to provide orientations to parents of child laborers on alternative sources of livelihood, such as sheep rearing (including sheep management, disease control and azola cultivation); to distribute revolving load funds for the families with child laborers to purchase and rear a pair of sheep each; and to orient them on the need for the enrollment of their working children and the importance of education and risks of child labor.
Emily Impression: Emily would strongly support the sustainability of microloans for sheep and education on crops to help these families achieve a better life and educational opportunities for their children.
India—Rural People Development Society (RPDS): Micro-enterprise and Skills Training in Poultry Rearing for Mothers of to Promote Access to Education for Child Laborers
RPDS is a non-governmental organization founded and serving the Valapadi block of Salem District in Tamilnadu in India. Since 2003, RPDS has been engaged in child development, child labor elimination, coaching classes for slow learners, working with school dropouts, school enrollment campaigns, income generation through micro-enterprise and skill development trainings, promoting child and women rights, health development, and integrated village development. RPDS will be using their Emily Grant to conduct a project to ensure the children’s rights and opportunity to experience a childhood through creating self-employment for parents of the child laborers. The activities to be conducted include orientations for mothers of child laborers educating them about their child’s rights, offering “Evening Bridge” course classes to child laborers and school dropouts (one center with 30 students), school enrollment campaigns combined with active participation in Parent Teacher Associations at schools, income generation through poultry rearing for parents of child laborers (30 mothers), and education and motivation of mothers to provide health food (protein in the form of eggs for children daily).
Emily Impression: Emily would be very happy that this project includes microloans, education on nutrition and human rights, and opportunities for children to return to school. These were all issues that she cared about deeply.
India—Society for Community Development Project (SCDP): Puppetry Shows and Bicycle Rally
The Society for Community Development Project (SCDP) has been serving the Salem, Tamilnadu, India area for the past 15 years. It is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization. It is targeting services using its Emily grant to five villages, including Chinnagoundapuram, Ramalingapuram, Udayapatty, Sastri nagar and Athikaripatty village of Ayothiyapatinam block of Salem district, to end child labor. The SCDP Emily grant project will involve former child laborers, who are trained in puppetry and awareness-raising techniques, to educate communities, parents, current child laborers, and local leaders in the five villages about the impact that child labor has on children and their education, legal provisions on child labor, and the need for change. SCDP will build upon its recent successful project using art as a means of creative action to influence social change. SCDP will use the bicycle rally as the means of transportation between communities and to draw attention to their puppetry shows and street corner meetings.
Emily‘s impression: Emily would love the active and creative ideas involving former child laborers for this project. She had always hoped to work in India.
Philippines— Diocese of Masbate Social Action Foundation, Inc. (DIMASAFI): Child Rights Intervention Alleviating Child Labor
The Social Action Center of Masbate (SAC-Masbate), popularly known as Diocese of Masbate Social Action Foundation, Inc. (DIMASAFI) was established four years after Diocese of Masbate was founded. It is considered as the implementing social arm of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines. DIMASAFI’s mission is to provide social and support services to the poorest of the poor and the marginalized sectors; promote the core values of Christian orientation, solidarity and accountability; advocate environmental-friendly, child-caring and gender sensitive development programs; and advocate peaceful and healthy communities with respect for human dignity. DIMASAFI currently operates a program entitled, CHRIST IN with funding assistance from Kindernothilfe of Germany. This program focuses on championing children’s rights.
DIMASAFI will utilize its Emily Grant in support of this project activity to conduct a Youth Workshop on Child Rights by producing materials on child rights and child labor, printing posters, tarpaulin, leaflets and distribution and cost of mats, and coordination expenses of staff to handle such activities. This will support advocacy to create awareness on the negative effects of child labor to the well being of the family, particularly the children.
Emily Impressions: Emily would really like that this organization is trying to raise awareness of the effects of child labor.
Sri Lanka—Coalition for Educational Development: ’No children for sale here!’ Campaign in the Tea Plantations
Founded in 2004, the Coalition for Educational Development (CED) is a non-profit organization funded by the Commonwealth Education Fund and established for the promotion of education in the commonwealth countries in Asia and Africa. The CED enshrines the idea that linkages among policy makers, researchers and civil society groups are essential to formulate steadfast and viable educational policies with wide application and insightful decisions. Advocacy is the main mechanism employed by the Coalition to effect change and reform through informed and evidenced based decision making. It seeks the cooperation of civil society and other stakeholders to act as advocates and informed critics that present a coherent and unified voice. The CED is working in partnership with 51 provincial level organizations. There is a long history of family labor in the plantation sector, with little regard for the human rights and dignity of children and an educational system lagging far behind the national norm. Less than one percent of students who enter the universities are from the plantation worker families. Girls are especially vulnerable as they are often groomed for domestic service outside their home and plantation community. ‘Child brokers‘, also known as ‘employment brokers,‘ have a strong base in the plantations. Plantation children, especially girls who are sent for domestic work, are ‘virtually sold‘ as many of them do not come back home.
CED will use its Emily grant to support its work to contribute to the elimination of child labor in the central parts of Sri Lanka, especially focusing on the tea plantation sector. CED, working through its coalition members‘ children‘s clubs, will conduct child rights awareness workshops with selected members from the children‘s clubs, print leaflets and banners, and publish news items, feature stories and articles to create public opinion against child labor. Expected outcomes include empowering children club members to influence community against child labor and raise awareness about their rights; full-time employment of children is rejected by the community and part-time work regulated in a socially-acceptable way; curtail/restrict the free movement of child brokers; and child protection committees are established in selected plantations.
Emily‘s impression: Emily would love the idea of working towards a better future for these children.
Vietnam—Research and Communication Centre for Sustainable Development (CSD): Faster Project
Research and Community Center for Sustainable Development (CSD) is a Vietnamese non-profit, non-governmental organization established in October 2010 under the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Association (VUSTA). The agency is based in Hanoi. The ‗Faster‘ is a project initiated by CSD, Mr. Nazri Nasir (former Captain of Singapore‘s National Football team in the late 1990‘s and early 2000‘s) and Mr. Dang Phuong Nam (former National football player of Vietnam). The project’s objective is to support disadvantaged children, including street children and orphans and other vulnerable children (OVCs) to have the opportunity for a rich spiritual life and explore their potentials by participating in football. The project aims to: 1) design short-term courses to teach football with a world-standardized curriculum for disadvantaged children who are under the care of various charity organizations and the social center in the Hanoi area; and 2) partner with social organizations which provide aid for disadvantaged children to organize a football tournament for them. Disadvantaged children, 9 to 15 years, are targeted, in particular street children. Six classes of disadvantaged children will be provided football training and football matches. Each class will have 12 sessions, covering the three months of summer. This will result in 90-100 children being taught skills such as physical training, solidarity, teamwork skills and courage building—all leading to the development of healthy physical and psycho-social development. The curriculum is comprised of five versions for five age groups, less than 8, years, 8-10 years, 10-12 years, 12-14 year, and 15-16 years. Other extracurricular activities to build social interaction and communication skills will also be provided. The Emily grant will be a part of a collaboration of agencies supporting the Faster Project. The Emily grant will be used to support the cost of training clothing, shirt and shorts, for the 90 disadvantaged children.
Emily‘s impression: Emily strongly believed that sports participation promotes self-esteem and a brighter future for children.
Eastern Europe
Moldova—Cătălina Iucal and Mathew Rellaford: One-week Camp ’For the sake of childhood’ Preventing Child Labor through Recreation in June 2011
Cătălina Iucal is the project coordinator of Ester House (a day care center for children), and Mathew Rellaford is a Fulbright Fellow with a BYU degree in Recreation Therapy currently serving in Moldova. Ester House was established in June 2009 to provide social and educational assistance. The program makes constant evaluation of the progress of the children served. It is financially supported by two humanitarian organizations in Moldova that cover the children‘s physical needs (food and clothing) and the costs for running the center. The center regularly serves 50 children, but many are regularly absent during the summer and autumn months due to their work in agriculture. This results in these children missing the special summertime program that consists of interesting interactive activities. Based on assessments of the children, similar symptoms are exhibited, including poor or inappropriate use of free time; isolate themselves; poor self-image; lack of interest in hobbies, leisure or social activities; and inability to participate in education or complete tasks.
Focused during the week of World Day against Child Labor, June 12th-18th, 2011, Cătălina Iucal and Mathew Rellaford will oversee the implementation of a week-long camp that will provide educational assistance to children; psychological support and social assistance for those experiencing trauma; and opportunities for children to experience success, control, creativity, and self-expression. Recreation therapy, a ‘hands-on‘ technique that uses recreation and active play activities to help children learn to communicate openly, work together in teams, develop social skills, and learn the importance of taking time away from work to participate in meaningful recreation. Activities will be used to help children develop their talents, communicate about obstacles in their lives (particularly concerning child labor), develop their leadership skills, and create social bonds with peers. Ester House center staff will be trained on how to effectively apply these methods so that children are afforded intensive, small group hands-on support by facilitators. Activities will include sports, arts, crafts, drama, and participation in nature, music, etc. Fifty children will be targeted to participate in the camp. The Emily grant will be used to support the costs associated with the children‘s participation. Other partnering agencies include: PROPLUS, ORA international Moldova, and Love and Care for Moldova.
Emily‘s impression: Emily would have loved to be a part of this very active and positive project to help these children towards a more hopeful future.
Middle East
Pakistan—FARZ Association of Rehabilitation and Development (FARZ): Rag Pickers’ Video
Formed by youth, FARZ (meaning “obligation or responsibility” in Urdo) envisions “an equitable society for children and youth where they avail equal opportunities to harness their full potential to become socially responsible citizens who fulfill their rights and obligations.” Farz strives for the development of youth and children through building capacities, creating a supportive environment for growth and development, proactively involving stakeholders to mutually decide and share their roles and responsibilities, and building gaps between public community and private institutions.
FARZ will be using their Emily Grant for the writing, recording and production of a brief five minute video that provides an overview of the nature and extent of the problem of children engaged in rag picking in Pakistan, their health and safety risks, and their need for education and other interventions. According to an ILO rapid assessment of rag pickers in 2003, there is an estimated 89,500 to 106,500 children engaged in rag picking in five major cities in the country. An occupational safety and health study conducted by ILO and rapid assessments by some other organizations transpired that children working outside their homes to earn livelihood for their families are exposed to serious physical and mental health hazards. These include sexual abuse, disturbed sleep, malnutrition, excess loads, long and odd working hours). Children involved in rag-picking are facing problems of anemia, palpable lymph nodes, and parasitic infections. FARZ will implement an advocacy and social mobilization campaign with all key stakeholders through seminars, using electronic media to show the documentary with parents/families, contractors of rag-picking sector, auto workshop owners, municipal administration, district health offices, hospitals’ management, Department of Labor, NGOs, CBOs and others.
Emily Impression: Emily would love the use of video as an educational tool to depict the hazards for these children. She felt photos were a very poignant way to show the vulnerable children’s lives.
Congratulations to the 2011 grantees. We courage all interested individuals, especially youth, and organizations to develop your project concepts and submit an application. To download application instructions, see the “Application Process” under the Emily Grant section on the webpage.