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Reducing Child Labor through Education (CIRCLE 1) Empowerment & Civic Engagement Brazil, Mali, Sierra Leone, Cote d`Ivoire, Nepal 2002 - 2007 US Dept. of Labor |
Reducing Child Labor through Education
RATIONALEAn estimated 211 million children around the world work in situations that put their lives at risk, violate international core labor standards, and negatively impact their futures. While factors contributing to child labor vary from country to country and region to region, Winrock International works to provide to families and employers economic and social alternatives that will reduce the rate of child labor and increase educational participation of children.
OBJECTIVES
Reduce and prevent the incidence of children working in harmful conditions; increase educational alternatives and school retention; and document best practices and replicable strategies.
ACTIVITIES
The CIRCLE project is a global initiative found in Africa, Asia, and Latin America - with regional staff located in Winrock offices in Mali, Nepal, Philippines and Brazil. The project administers subcontracts to fund local programs to reduce child labor through innovative educational initiatives targeted to children, employers, and families. Funded projects are documented in a participatory way to form a resource base of best practices. Winrock implemented a separate two-year pilot project to address child labor primarily relating to cocoa production in Mali and Côte d'Ivoire; the Child Labor Alternatives through Sustainable Systems in Education (CLASSE) project promoted training and educational alternatives for children. CIRCLE activities include public awareness campaigns, community focus groups, and interaction with government officials, worker groups, and faith-based organizations to build support for child labor prevention. Alternative curricula and training for teachers, vocational education with an emphasis on agriculture, and youth mentoring are vital project components.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
From over 1200 proposals submitted, CIRCLE I and II has awarded 96 sub-contracts in 24 countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. In addition, CIRCLE is working with 4 partners in Sierra Leone to examine and address the intersections of child labor and child trafficking. Regional launch meetings have been conducted to build the capacity of local partner NGOs, providing them with practical information on project development, procedures, and policies as well as technical information on combating child labor through education.
Between the efforts of CIRCLE 1 and 2, over 22,000 children have been provide with direct educational services, such as scholarships, books, and materials, and vocational training.
CIRCLE staff has collected data and developed a methodology to identify Best Practices within the CIRCLE partner projects. The Best Practices, which will be produced by December 2007, will be a program "how to" tool for practitioners and organizations working in the field of child labor prevention and elimination.
The CIRCLE website and regional newsletters are important sources of project information and networking. For more information on CIRCLE, please visit http://circle.winrock.org.