A Future for Working Children in Afghanistan
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A Future for Working Children in Afghanistan
We need your continued support to expand and create new centers across Afghanistan. Please consider supporting the future of working children in Afghanistan.
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Millions of children around the world have to work to support themselves and their families. These children often become involved in dangerous or exploitative labor that damages their health, affects their development and denies them access to an education. Child labor is part of everyday life in many developing countries; children are often hidden away in domestic homes or scavenging through rubbish.
Afghanistan continues to be one of the poorest countries in the world. After over 20 years of conflict in Afghanistan, instability, food shortages and extreme poverty have forced countless children into the city streets in search of work. In Kandahar City alone, more than 32,000 school aged children are working on the streets, earning less than one dollar a day. Even when these children live with their families, the household income is so low that they are forced to continue working in order to survive.
These children desperately need to have access to the education and vocational training, in order to learn skills for a better future and reclaim their stolen childhoods.
Despite the violence of Afghanistan, ActionAid is proud to maintain a robust set of programs within Afghanistan. This Priority Project aims to help vulnerable children get off the streets by providing them with literacy and vocational skills. The objective of this project is to protect and promote child rights in the community and ensure that children have access to the skills and support needed to grow up as responsible citizens. The project activities involve establishing Child Resource Centers where children have access to literacy and vocational classes as well as recreational activities. It also includes holding awareness raising meetings on child rights amongst community members including parents, elders, mullahs (religious leaders), police authorities and government representatives.
What Your Support Achieved in 2007
The Priority Project in Afghanistan began in 2007 and had a very successful year thanks to the generosity of ActionAid supporters. In 2007, two Child Resource Centers were established helping 100 children access literacy and vocational training. In addition, the center has held trainings on child rights for the whole community attended by 103 people, as well as a peace building course promoting negotiation and reconciliation.
Establishing Child Resource Centers
After initial recruitment of staff and time spent with community members to ensure their active participation and approval of the project, two child resource centers were established in July, 2007. These two centers resulted in 100 children’s enrollment at the center, 52 boys and 48 girls. The centers offer children literacy and life skills classes, vocational training, and awareness sessions to the community on child rights and peace building.
Initially, the classes were planned to be conducted separately for boys and girls to respect the cultural norms of the community. However, through discussion with the community, it was agreed the centers would operate co-educational classes. This is an exceptional step forward considering girls in Afghanistan are customarily not permitted to leave the home without being accompanied by a male relative and are limited to socialize exclusively with other girls. Additionally, mothers have freely visited the center without concern being raised from the male elders in their families. These centers therefore have offered a positive space towards female empowerment and gender equality in the community.
One of the most encouraging successes of the center has been the opportunity of street children to do something they rarely have been able to do: play. The center offers an opportunity for boys and girls to play games and sports together. This is an important part of their development, allowing them to learn value of teamwork and find proactive ways to channel their energy. Additionally, the children are able to explore their creativity through drama and art classes offered at center.
Conducting Life Skills and Vocational Training
The activities conducted at the center were chosen through consultations with community members and aimed to reflect the jobs available.
The literacy and life skills classes include mathematics, Dari and Pashto (local language), English, Islamiat (religious classes) and health and hygiene. The vocational training includes mechanics, carpentry, shop keeping, tailoring, electrician, construction, glass making, iron making, welding, service industry (for hotel workers) and hair dressing.
The life skills training sessions have had a significant impact on building the capacity and confidence of the children. This type of informal education enables children to acquire basic literacy and numeracy skills, as well as learn necessary life skills such as hygiene and proper social etiquettes. These are skills that might otherwise not be learned when working on the streets.
The vocational training is one of the key ways to improve the futures of children. Through these classes, the girls and boys are equipped with a means to provide for themselves and their families and in doing so the children develop self-confidence and a sense of responsibility. The training is provided by community people who are specialized in a given vocation and is given in two forms: The first involves classroom lessons, where children are introduced to the vocation, taught basic principles and appropriate safety measures. The second part is hands-on training with one of the experienced trainers, providing the child with an opportunity to get practical experience and refine his or her skills under the guidance of an experienced professional in the community. At the end of the vocational training, each child is given a start-up kit containing all the necessary material needed to begin working in the labor market.
Table: Age Category and Gender Composition of Children Enrolled at the Child Resource Centers
| Age | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7-10 | 20 | 15 | 35 |
| 11-14 | 23 | 14 | 37 |
| 15-18 | 9 | 19 | 28 |
| Total | 52 | 48 | 100 |
One of the creative aspects of this project is extending the life skills element to children who are already working. Many of the Masters’ (children’s bosses) were refusing to give children time off to participate at the centers. Recognizing the importance of life skills and literacy training, the project staff consulted with the Masters’ to find a solution.
Ultimately, two outreach classes were designed and are now conducted in the marketplace, in a space provided by the Masters, so that working children can easily attend. This solution allows an additional 50 boys to receive literacy and life skills training. Similarly, outreach classes are conducted at a Disabilities Centre and an Orphanage.
Conducting Child Rights Awareness Training
Three very successful Child Rights awareness training sessions have been conducted at the Child Resource Centers. These were attended by 103 participants from all walks of life and included children, parents, representatives from the Department of Labor and Social Affairs and the Department of Education, as well as elders from the community. These trainings have provided community members with the information on how to protect and advocate for the rights of their children.
Peace Building Trainings
We also held a five day training program on peace building at the Child Resource Center attended by 32 people. The topics during the training included conflict avoidance, negotiation, and peaceful resolutions. This is of particular importance given Afghanistan’s history of conflict and the trainings introduced the community to effective ways of conflict resolution as an alternative to violence.
Looking Forward
Your support throughout 2007 has given hundreds of vulnerable children in Kandahar a real chance for a better future, giving them the vocational skills they need to gain a proper job. These children will now have the opportunity to play, interact and learn new skills, allowing them to secure a safer, brighter future.
We need your continued support to expand and create new centers across Afghanistan. Please consider supporting the future of working children in Afghanistan.
With your continued support in 2008 we hope to:
- Continue with the life skills and vocational training and the Child Resource Centers, helping more vulnerable children keep away from dangerous work.
- Organize further Child Rights Awareness Training for other community members to ensure the rights of children are promoted and strengthened. Groups to be approached to attend the training will include the Police, orphanages, the Masters’ of working children, teachers and religious forums.
- Form youth committees to feed into the running of the Child Resource Centers.
- Organize a community wide sports competition.
$25 could provide one sewing machine for a center for working children.
$75 could provide 10 children with enough textbooks for one term.
$250 could provide a session for 25 adults to participate in a session about child rights.
$500 could provide desks and chairs for an entire center.
$1,000 could provide 20 children with enough tailoring materials to start their own business.
$2,000 could set up a sports ground for 600 working children in Afghanistan.
