'Child laborers' finish education
Some 815 children who were once considered as child laborers in the city and the town of Estancia, Iloilo recently finished their education through the ABK Initiative, a special project for combating child labor problem in the country.
The 815 children were previously engaged in pyrotechnics making, prostitution and deep-sea fishing before they availed of the ABK Initiative sponsored by the World Vision Philippines. "ABK Initiative" stands for Pag-aaral ng Bata para sa Kinabukasan (Education for the Children's Future), said Aivon Guanco.
Guanco, OIC project team leader of the Rising Sun Association of Iloilo Inc. and a local partner of World Vision, said of the 815 children, 500 came from Estancia, a northern town in Iloilo which is 135.5 kilometers north of the city. A number of red houses exist in the town because of the presence of a seaport. Some of the children used to work in the red houses. Children from 5 to 17 years old who are supposed to be in school but are already are working are among the recipients of the project.
In Iloilo City the beneficiaries mostly came from Arevalo district working in pyrotechnics factories and some as house helpers.
Guanco felt proud of the determination of the children as they faired well while in school. They are even recommended to take part in the Phase 2 of the project which is Teach Now. Teach Now is like the ABK Initiative though it is more advanced. Those students who graduated from high school with higher grades have the greater chances to get another sponsorship when they want to seek college education.
The ABK Initiative is a $7.8 million project funded by the United States Department of Labor and completed in March 2008. The ABK Initiative has targeted six worst forms of child labor, which are deep-sea fishing, domestic work, mining/quarrying, prostitution, pyrotechnics and sugarcane plantations in the country. Children as young as 5 years old until 17 years old are those engaged in child labor.
Iloilo is one of the priority areas listed by World Vision in the ABK Initiative. The other areas that comprise the list are: Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Cebu, Bulacan, Camarines Norte, Davao and Metro Manila.
For the second phase of the project or Teach Now, they are considering of including children living in the Calajunan dumpsite in Mandurriao. The group is still on the process of gathering information and facts in the area. At the same time, they are having meetings with the barangay officials to firm up whatever projects they intend to put up that will benefit the children, said Guanco.