Village banks can end child labour?

The Child Labour Elimination Actions for Real Change (Clear) Project is using village savings and loans (VSL) groups in the tobacco growing districts of Mchinji, Ntchisi and Rumphi to fight child labour.

The project—being implemented by the Youth Net and Counselling (Yoneco), Total Land Care (TLC), the Creative Centre for Social Mobilisation (Creccom) and Save the Children as a coordinating partner— identified poverty as a major driver of child labour. VSL group members established a basket fund which in turn is loaned out to each member to start small-scale businesses. The idea is to use the proceeds from their enterprises to support their children so that they do not fall prey to child labour. The photograph captures one of the meetings of VSL groups in Ntchisi.—BRIGHT KUMWENDA