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.