Plan UK has reported a great success story in Egypt with a large – scale training program helping young people to gain marketable skills that will allow them to break the present, all too common cycle of poverty.

CHILDREN WORKING TO LIVE

Too often, news reaches our ears of children in developing and third world nations laboring in harsh conditions simply to earn enough to eat and live, with no way out of this life. Without alternate skills to offer employers and with school fees excluding many poor children from education, there are few choices for those who are fighting for survival. Their families are often forced to send them off to work as they are unable to keep them themselves in their low – income positions.

Large factories producing everything from clothing and candies to phones and toys operate in these impoverished places where there are few rules that limit hours, regulate fair wages or enforce age minimums. The large amount of people competing for work means that wages are often below subsistence and exploitive, as goallover recently reported in this story about ASDA.

LARGE TRAINING PROJECTS

In response to the high instance of young people being forced into a life of low-paying factory work, Plan has coordinated with a group of Community Development Associations in Cairo to begin a large-scale vocational training movement. Every weekend, mothers are offered daycare services and, along with youth and children, are invited to learn and improve such skills as reading and writing. The more practical side teaches handicrafts that steer children toward less harmful labour markets. Examples include lace and tablecloth making which children can then sell in local markets.

SUCCESS

One of the girls enrolled in the classes, 11-year-old Astra, said:

“I used to work in a stainless steel factory making teapots. I used to work from 8 in the morning to 11 at night and not get home before midnight. The owner of the factory also used to treat us very bad. I used to earn about £30 a week. I would take what I needed for my expenses and then give the rest of the money to my family. Nowadays I take part in the project and I sell handicrafts to get an income. I am much happier now.”

Neyama, 14 years old, said: “This is a good project – I have learnt a lot of good things. I know the importance of education now. I dropped out of school to work, but I made sure that I carried on working at home and sat my exams.”

When asked what she wished for, Neyama said: “I wish to stop working and return to school. And I want to be an engineer.”

You can help children like Neyama now by Sponsoring a child today.