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Technical Cooperation Project Summary

Project Title

Combating Child Labor and Exploitation Through Education in Guinea (CCLEE)

Region/Country

AFRICA/Guinea

Project Duration

September 20, 2004 – September 26, 2008

Fiscal Year & Funding Level

FY 2004: USD 4,000,000

Problem to be Addressed

In 2001, the ILO estimated that 31 percent of children ages 10 to 14 years in Guinea were engaged in labor, with 68 percent of those engaged in the worst forms of child labor. Most children are engaged in agriculture, domestic labor, and informal sectors, while others work in mines, quarries, herding, fishing, and transportation sectors. War-affected refugees from nearby countries make up a portion of children working in Guinea. Guinea is a source, transit, and destination country for trafficking of children.

Obstacles to children receiving education in Guinea include school fees, the cost of school supplies, and the lack of transportation to and from school. The quality of education in Guinea is also negatively affected by limited government resources to provide school supplies and equipment; poor and limited infrastructure and resources, resulting in an insufficient number of schools; poor school facilities; and an inadequate number of teachers.

Results

The project withdrew or prevented 4,800 children from exploitive child labor in agriculture, domestic service, small-scale mining, and commerce sectors by providing formal and non-formal/life-skills education. The project focused on districts Mandiana, Kankan, Kerouane, Macenta, N’Zérékoré, Lola, Gueckedou, Labé, Boke, and Conakry.

Project Objectives

To reduce the engagement of children in the worst forms of child labor (WFCL) by increasing access to quality and relevant education.

Intermediate objectives include:

  • Raise awareness of communities, religious leaders, civil society organizations, and local government about the importance of education and the negative effects of exploitive child labor;
  • Enroll children in areas at risk for exploitive child labor into formal primary and junior secondary school and ensure completion;
  • Increase access to and retention rates within primary schools among girls who are vulnerable to exploitive or abusive situations;
  • Strengthen transitional and non-formal education systems that provide educational opportunities for children in and children vulnerable to exploitive working conditions; and
  • Strengthen the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Social Affairs capacity to combat child labor.

Summary of Activities
  • Conducted awareness-raising campaigns on education and child labor through radio messages, theater, and other innovative techniques;
  • Supported capacity building of Parent Teacher Associations (APEAEs) and trained members to identify and assist vulnerable children;
  • Assisted parents, teachers, religious leaders, community members and local government officials to identify local solutions to combat exploitive child labor, and developed and implemented community action plans;
  • Provided children’s rights and health training to girls at risk of exploitation, and established community-based support systems to protect girls and promote their enrolment and retention;
  • Developed or strengthened existing transitional and non-formal education opportunities for children participating in hazardous labor, including Nafa Centers (benefit/learning centers); and
  • Supported the Government by establishing advisory boards at national and local levels, and held national conferences to share lessons learned.

Grantee

Save the Children (STC) - US

Implementing partners

Association D’Appui au Developpment des Initiatives Communautaires (ADIC); Association of Young Volunteers for Development (AJVD); Association for the Promotion of Guinean Girls (APROFIG); Association of the Friends of Keroune (AJRAK); and SABOU-Guinea.

Contact Information

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

(202) 693-4843