- The US Department of Labour has announced nearly $59 million in grants awarded in the fiscal year 2009 to combat exploitive child labour in 19 countries.
Announcing the grants, Secretary of Labour Hilda L. Solis, said the grants will help rescue more than 85,000 children from exploitive labour, and offer them hope for the future through education and training. The grants will also help improve collection and analysis of child labour data and support for the development and implementation of national action plans to address the problem.
"Protecting children from exploitation and ensuring that their education and healthy development is not compromised is our moral duty," said the Secretary of Labour. "With these new funds, we are furthering our commitment to working with the international community to find effective and lasting solutions to this global challenge."
In Africa, the department has awarded $20.4 million in grants to combat exploitive child labour in Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Zambia. Groups such as the International Labour Organisation's International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (ILO-IPEC), the International Rescue Committee, Winrock International and the Forum of African Women Educationalists will implement projects to address exploitive child labor in sectors such as cocoa, coffee, tea and sugar.
The department awarded $15.8 million for projects in Latin America, $15.3 million in Asia while the final $7.4 million in grants will support policy and research projects. In addition, the department awarded a $500,000 contract to the Center for Reflection, Education, and Action (CREA) to assist the department in identifying and disseminating best practices to eliminate child labour and forced labour in supply chains. CREA will work with a variety of stakeholders to develop a framework for evaluating business practices.
Since 1995, the US Congress has appropriated approximately $720 million to the Labour Department to support efforts to combat exploitive child labour internationally. As a result of that funding, the department has rescued approximately 1.3 million children from exploitive child labour.
afrol News - It is called "financial inclusion", and it is a key government policy in Rwanda. The goal is that, by 2020, 90 percent of the population is to have and actively use bank accounts. And in only four years, financial inclusion has doubled in Rwanda.
afrol News - The UN's humanitarian agencies now warn about a devastating famine in Sudan and especially in South Sudan, where the situation is said to be "imploding". Relief officials are appealing to donors to urgently fund life-saving activities in the two countries.
afrol News - Fear is spreading all over West Africa after the health ministry in Guinea confirmed the first Ebola outbreak in this part of Africa. According to official numbers, at least 86 are infected and 59 are dead as a result of this very contagious disease.
afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.
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