- In Brief
- In Depth
CYCLE: Combat Youth and Child Labour through Education
Following the wars in Sierra Leone and Liberia, both countries have enjoyed relative stability for a number of years now. However, due to the destruction of the educational infrastructure during the wars and due to the extreme poverty faced by many families, sending their children out to work can often seem the only way forward. In some cases, children lack access to educational opportunities and in others, families simply can't afford to send their children to school.
CYCLE aims to reduce child labour and prevent or withdraw 29,000 children from the worst forms of child labour (which can include prostitution, selling alcohol, etc). Through this project, the International Rescue Committee will enrol children into schools or vocational training and provide support to families and communities to improve educational opportunities. This support will include the provision of classroom supplies, the payment of school fees and the provision of educational materials, such as text books, to children.
This project has been designed to get communities to really see the value of education so that families can see schooling their children as a viable alternative to sending them to work and affording better opportunities in the longer term). It also aims to encourage communities to work together to seek creative ways to ensure children have access to the opportunities they so badly need in order that they may grow up to become engaged and productive members of their recovering countries.
This is an ambitious project with huge reach and scope. To reach 29,000 children across two countries costs £4,549,845 but the US government has agreed to fund a significant portion of this as long as £167,929 is matched by non-governmental sources.
Please contact Stefanie Pfeil, Director of Development, on 020 7692 2735 or stefanie.pfeil@ircuk.org for more information.
