It is estimated that there are 3.45m working children in Bangladesh despite child labour being against the law and school being compulsory up to age 14. Being an illegal workforce, children as young as 5 years old are exploited by their employers without recourse to labour rights and are denied their right to an education and a childhood free from harm.
Lack of capacity to earn a living is at the root of child labour; adult illness, the loss of a breadwinner or other catastrophe can quickly push families into poverty, forcing children into work to contribute to the household income. To solve the problem we provide education sessions to working children, we support their parents into sustainable income generation so they can afford to send their children to school instead of work and we campaign locally and nationally for an end to child labour.
400 Eid family food packs (£5 each)
400 Eid clothes for working children (£5 per child)
Support for 100 families (£100 each)
Education materials for children (£10 each)
Teachers’ salaries (£100 per month)
Classroom rent (£40 per month)
2021 is the International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour but COVID-19 is threatening to drive more children out of school and into work. Your donations will help us break the cycle of child labour by getting working children back into education as well as helping to address the root causes of child labour by supporting their families.
Since 2013 Education for Change has been educating up to 300 children a year in hazardous jobs and support them away from child labour and into school or vocational training. Every child’s literacy, numeracy and life skills improves as does their levels of health and wellbeing. Our work with the children’s families generates the support they need to rise out of poverty and provide for their household without having to send their children to work.