Labor Department Funds Education Program in Zambia to Combat Child Labor

9/12/2002

From: Bob Zachariasiewicz of the Labor Dept., 202-693-4686

WASHINGTON, Sept. 12 -- Access to quality education will be the centerpiece of a $2 million U. S. Labor Department grant to fund a Child Labor Education Initiative project in Zambia. The project, undertaken to help eliminate exploitative child labor, will complement and expand upon existing activities to improve quality education in select rural and exurban communities.

Deputy Under Secretary for International Affairs Tom Moorhead, in Lusaka to sign a letter of agreement with the Zambian Ministry of Education, announced the grant today. He pointed out, "The Child Labor Program takes a holistic approach. We look not only to remove the child workers from abusive labor situations but also to address the underlying causes of child labor. Moreover, we know we need to provide these young people with the opportunity for a better future. That alternative is education."

The education program will work to reduce child labor in Zambia through: improved community awareness on the importance of education for children engaged in the worst forms of child labor; strengthened quality of educational opportunities in government and alternative schools; increased ministerial and NGO capacity and inter-institutional coordination; and improved resource mobilization.

American Institutes of Research and Jesus Cares Ministries were selected by an independent panel at the department to implement the project after a competitive bid process undertaken this summer. These organizations will work in close coordination with the Zambian Ministry of Education. The project will complement existing programs of the Labor Department and other entities in Zambia that combat child labor and promote education. The U.S. Embassy, Lusaka, has played an important role from the inception to the design of the project, and will continue to be involved during project implementation.

U.S. Labor Department releases are accessible on the Internet at http://www.dol.gov. The information in this news release will be made available in alternate format upon request (large print, Braille, audio tape or disc) from the COAST office. Please specify which news release when placing your request. Call 202-693-7773 or TTY 202-693-7755.