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Technical Cooperation Project Summary

Project Title

COMBATING Child Labor through Education in the Dominican Republic

Region/Country

THE AMERICAS/Dominican Republic

Project Duration

August 6, 2003 – August 31, 2007

Fiscal Year & Funding Level

FY2003 (FY2002 Appropriations): USD 3,004,270

Problem Addressed

According to data from the 2000 National Survey on Child Labor, there are approximately 428,720 working children in the Dominican Republic between the ages of 5 and 17 years. Their main occupations are sales persons (including street vendors), servants, agricultural workers and shoe-shiners. In addition, the commercial sexual exploitation of minors is also a problem.

Results

The project withdrew 3,771 children from exploitive child labor and prevented 1,803 children from entering the worst forms of child labor, specifically informal urban work, commercial sexual exploitation, and hazardous commercial agriculture.

Project Objectives

Development Objective:
To reduce the number of children involved in the worst forms of child labor.

Immediate Objectives:

  • Increase the awareness of the importance of education and the dangers of child labor among parents, educators and leaders in target communities;
  • Strengthen the educational system and improve school attendance and retention; and
  • Disseminate a long-term sustainability plan for project activities.

Summary of Activities
  • Identified children and adolescents involved in hazardous child labor activities;
  • Identified qualified organizations available to undertake work;
  • Withdrew or prevented targeted children from exploitive labor and enrolled them in an appropriate school setting;
  • Determined which schools may have the potential to reach educational outcomes with project support;
  • Determined potential interventions, coordinated resources and implemented project activities; and
  • Held workshops with parents, educators and leaders in target communities as well as with regional and national education officials.

Major accomplishments
  • Developed school enrichment program Espacios para Crecer (EpC) based on Quantum Learning model and materials that have reduced child labor, raised academic achievement, and leadership skills of children;
  • Raised awareness among parents and community leaders of importance of education in lieu of child labor; and
  • Formed consortium of NGOs, academics and business leaders to support expansion of EPC centers.

GRANTEE

DevTech Systems, Inc.

ImplemeNTING PARTNERS

ENTRENA, Ministries of Labor, Education, Health, and Agriculture; Organismo Rector; The Child Protection Council (CONANI); The Institute for Vocational Training (INFOTEP); Local and Municipal Governments; Non-governmental, Faith and/or Community Organizations; and The United National Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

Contact Information

Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking (OCFT)

(202) 693-4843