Project to Combat Exploitative Child Labor in Sugarcane Growing Areas of the Philippines
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The Problem
Over 1.2 million children are estimated to work in agriculture in the Philippines, a sector recognized as one of the most dangerous for children to work. Many of these children work in the sugarcane industry, and experience work-related illnesses and injuries, and many drop out of school. Major factors contributing to child labor include household poverty and limited education access and quality.
Our Strategy
Reduce exploitative child labor in sugarcane growing areas through the following intermediate objectives:
- Provide direct educational services to targeted children and sustainable livelihood services to members of their households;
- Support national institutions to improve policies, programs, and delivery of education, social protection, and sustainable livelihood services;
- Raise awareness of exploitative child labor and its root causes and the importance of education for all children;
- Mobilize stakeholders to improve and expand educational opportunities;
- Support research and the collection of reliable data on child labor and its root causes, as well as effective strategies to address it; and
- Ensure long-term sustainability of these efforts.
Summary of Activities:
The project is designed to reach these objectives through the following activities:
- Expand and enhance formal schools and alternative learning opportunities, including vocational education for targeted children;
- Strengthen educational services, through teacher training, curriculum improvement, and infrastructure repairs;
- Provide educational support services to help children succeed and stay in school, including tutoring and mentoring, provision of school supplies, and establishment of community-based learning resource centers;
- Offer livelihood support and social protection programs to working and at-risk children and targeted household members that will alleviate the root causes of child labor by increasing agricultural productivity, diversifying income through nonagricultural activities, and linking to microfinance options and social protection programs;
- Provide technical support, advocacy, and capacitybuilding initiatives to governmental institutions to improve policies, legislation, and service delivery;
- Raise awareness on child labor and the importance of education throughout the sugarcane industry and across all levels of project stakeholders; and
- Strengthen the capacity of sugar industry entities to combat child labor.
Targets:
The project targets 54,000 children engaged in and atrisk of entering exploitative child labor in sugarcane growing areas of the Philippines. In addition, the project will target 28,090 households of targeted children to promote sustainable livelihoods. The project will operate in 11 provinces, mostly in the Visayas regions and on Mindanão
Results
As of March 31, 2016, the project provided education services to 54,479 children engaged in or at-high risk of worst forms of child labor in the sugarcane growing areas and provided livelihoods services to 30,348 households.
- Grantee:
- World Vision
- Implementing Partners:
- and the University of the Philippines Social Action and Research for Development Foundation, ChildFund International, Community Economic Ventures, Educational Research Development Assistance Group, Sugar Industry Foundation
- Contact Information:
- (202) 693-4843 / Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking (OCFT)
- Tags:
- Child Labor
- Sugar Cane Plantations
