ARCH project video
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Approximately 360,000 children between the ages of 5 and 15 (or 33 percent) work in Liberia, primarily in agriculture. A significant number of children are engaged in the production of rubber on smallholder farms and large-scale plantations. Many children involved in the rubber sector are unable to attend school and are engaged in dangerous working conditions. Major factors contributing to child labor in the Liberian rubber sector include household poverty, the existence of worker quota production systems, the high cost of adult labor, a lack of awareness, limited access to education, and limited inspection and enforcement of labor standards.
Using a blended area and sector-based approach, reduce exploitative child labor in areas of rubber production through the following intermediate objectives:
Summary of Activities:
The project is designed to reach these objectives through the following activities:
The project targets 10,100 children engaged in or atrisk of entering exploitative child labor in Liberia with a focus on the rubber sector. In addition, the project targets 3,700 vulnerable households for sustainable livelihoods promotion. The project operates in the counties of Montserrado, Margibi, and Nimba.
As of March 31, 2017, the project has provided education services to 10,126 children and livelihood services to 3,700 households.
Mercy Dahn, 17, had been working on her father’s rubber farm in Karnwee, Liberia since she was nine years old. At first, her job was to dig holes and plant young rubber trees. But as she grew older, the work became more challenging and dangerous.