US Department of Labor awards $10 million to International Rescue Committee to combat child labor in Tanzania

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs today awarded $10 million for a cooperative agreement with the International Rescue Committee to combat child labor in Tanzania. The project will target regions where there is a prevalence of child labor in agriculture and domestic service.

The International Rescue Committee will partner on this project with World Vision, the Foundation for Civil Society, Kiota Women's Health Development, the Tanga Youth Development Association and The Institute for Development Studies at the University of Dar es Salaam.

These organizations will help provide services to protect children from the worst forms of child labor. The project will get children into school, train youths in business and entrepreneurial skills, help raise household income, and link families to existing village community banks and social protection services. It also will work with local and national government to build their capacity to implement policies to eliminate child labor.

Since 1995, ILAB projects have rescued approximately 1.5 million children from exploitive child labor. The Labor Department has funded 260 such projects implemented by more than 65 organizations in 91 countries. ILAB currently oversees more than $210 million of active programming to combat the worst forms of child labor. More information is available at http://www.dol.gov/ilab/.