ILO gives volunteers bicycles, jackets
international Labour Organisation (ILO) through the Acceleration Action in the Elimination of Child Labour (Accel Africa) project has donated 28 bicycles and 70 reflector vests to community child labour committees in Ntchisi District.
Speaking on Friday after the donation, Accel Africa national project coordinator Misheck Chirwa said they wanted to ease mobility challenges the volunteers face during their work.
He said they implemented the project in the district because it has many children involved in child labour in coffee and tobacco farms.
Chirwa said they hope the volunteers will continue to work hard to ensure children working in tobacco and coffee farms return to school.
“We have donated 100 bicycles and 300 reflector jackets to volunteers in Mulanje, Thyolo, Mzimba, Chitipa and Ntchisi and we hope that the items will motivate the community child labour committee members to go to remote areas to rescue children involved in labour,” he said.
Ministry of Labour regional labour officer (Centre) Lovemore Theu said government with support from different organisations is committed to ending child labour in the country.
He asked community child labour committees to be in the forefront in ending the malpractices in their communities.
Said Theu: “I commended ILO for the gesture and I ask the committees to take good care of the items.
“I also urge the committees, parents and guardians to encourage children to go to school and not let them work in coffee and tobacco farms.”
Chafumbi Community Child Labour Committee chairperson Izikiya Kalengeza said the donation was timely.
“I hope to withdraw more children from coffee and tobacco farms in the district,” he said.
The bicycles and reflector jackets in all the five districts are worth K67 million.
