Over 5,000 children and adults are set to benefit from a $5 million (about Rwf3.4bn) grant put aside for efforts to eradicate child labour in the country.

This will be implemented through Rwanda Education Alternatives for Children in Tea Growing Areas (REACH-T) project that will run from 2014 to 2017.

The grant is an award that Winrock International received from United States Department of Labour (USDOL).

Lamech Nambajimana, the project director, said the project will help 4,090 children in or at risk of child labour get enrolled in schools and provide 1,320 vulnerable households with other means of income-generation to reduce reliance on child labour.

Data from the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) shows that 5,366,968 of the country’s total population (about 49.6 per cent) are children under 18 years of age.

Among them, 367,810 were aged between six and 17 and these were working either in their own households or outside.

The same survey revealed that 110,742 children between six and 17 years were working in economic activities, with the agriculture sector employing the majority of them (40.8 per cent).

Winrock International says 12 districts, namely Rulindo, Gicumbi and Burera in Northern Province, Nyamagabe and Nyaruguru in Southern Province, and Rubavu, Nyabihu, Rutsiro, Ngororero, Karongi, Nyamasheke and Rusizi in Western Province, will benefit from the project.

Nambajimana said the project will involve getting children out of child labour, empowering vulnerable families and sensitising communities on the dangers of child labour.

"For children under 15, we deem it necessary to enroll them in formal schools, but for those aged between 16 and 18, we will just equip them with technical and vocational skills,” he noted.Poverty is hindering children from attending school, according to Zaina Nyiramatama, Executive Secretary of National Commission of Children.

"This project seeks to extend children scholastic materials and other necessities,” Nyiramatama said.

Winrock International say they are currently training labour inspectors and partners in a bid to provide relevant skills to parties that will be involved in the implementation of the project.

Nambajimana said the selection of children and families to be supported is done by local community volunteers and parents during community meetings. He said by January next year, all those eligible for support will have been identified.

Government and Winrock International, on March 4, signed a Memorandum of Understanding allowing the organisation to lead the activities of the REACH-T project and report to the Ministry of Public Service and Labour every year, according to Alexandre Twahirwa, the Director of Labour at the ministry.

Under the agreement, the ministry is responsible for initiating collaboration among the different stakeholders of the project.

The first phase of REACH project (also worth $5 million grant), started in 2009 and ended in March 2013 with 8,500 beneficiaries.

That phase sought to end all forms of child labour in Nyagatare, Kayonza, Gicumbi, Nyarugenge, Nyamasheke, Rubavu and Nyaruguru districts. Monitoring system

Nambajimana said they are designing a comprehensive child labour monitoring system that links community-based monitoring to the ministry. He said the system will be based on mobile phone applications.

"Through this monitoring system, the ministry will be able to manage all the information related to child labour,” he said.

REACH project is one of the partners backing the efforts of the government to comply with the International Labour Convention number 182 of June 17, 1999 concerning the elimination of all forms of child labour.

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