Access to education in the effort to combat child labour

Zambia: Many children have to work – day in, day out. They are compelled to do so by poverty and the lack of alternatives. Going to school is something that they can only dream of, so that they remain trapped in poverty.

Help them by sponsoring a child! By paying just one euro per day you can support an impoverished girl or boy in Zambia as a sponsor, and you will receive regular progress reports on them. In this way you can make it possible for a child to attend school so as to build a better future, escaping from poverty.

Zambia has made considerable progress in recent years. Despite this, child labour in the country remains a major challenge. The widespread poverty and unemployment confronting many parentsoften mean that theirchildren are forced to go to work. The spread of HIV/AIDS has led to another problem:the deaths of mothers and fathers have led to some households being headed by young people or grandmothers.

Our work focuses on the two Zambian communities of Soweto and Zambia, both in the district of KapiriMposhi. Only about one child in two in Kapiri Mposhi currently goes to school. Of these, only half attend classes every day.

The other girls and boys work as street vendors, carry heavy loads of stones andcrush them into small pieces, or, like Judith, work in households. Some girls have to makea living as prostitutes. Families are so poor that they have less than €1.50 a day to live on, with nothing left overfor exercise books and uniforms. Most parents and caregivers have never attended school, never learned to read or write.

Through a sponsorship, you are primarily supporting children working in exploitative conditions, orphans, children living on the streets or working as prostitutes and children living inconditions of poverty and oppression. A sponsorship gives a child access to a full and sustainable education.

The children also receive books, jotters, pens and school uniforms. But school is not only about learning: the children can also play, participate in sports, attend craftwork classes, make music and learn life skills. They learn about their rights and how to pass on their know-how to their peers and encourage them to claim their rights.