CARE Ethiopia Launches 225-Million Birr Project to Prevent Child Labor in Ethiopia

Addis Ababa August 30/2021 (ENA) CARE Ethiopia has officially launched a 225 million Birr project that aims at preventing child labor in Ethiopia.

The gender focused project will support vulnerable households engaged in informal agriculture activities.

The project will enable 10,300 individuals vulnerable for labor exploitation, out of which 85 percent are women and adolescent girls, to find ways of income generation so that children will remain in schools for better future.

The project is funded by United States Department of Labor and will remain active for 50 months in Oromia and Southern Peoples, Nations and Nationalities regions.

Ministry of Women, Children and Youth State Minister Alemitu Umed on the occasion underscored the projects significance and partners’ contribution to reduce child labor in the country.

She said the project will have paramount importance to reduce child labor and enhance schooling.

Children will be relieved from physical and psychological harms in vulnerable households and requires continued integration of partners.

CARE Ethiopia Interim Country Director, Caitlin Gogin expressed CARE Ethiopia’s commitment to reduce child labor in the informal agriculture and to apply gender transformative approach in implementing the project.

The ‘She Thrive’ project “applies gender transformative approach to its core outcome and activities. That’s why 85 percent of the participants of this project are women and adolescent girls,” she said.

“Our prime focus will be on the policy and regulatory revision to further improve the landscape for prevention of child labor,” Caitlin Gogin added.

She further stressed the need for robust child labor policy and enforcing of preventive mechanisms against child labor in Ethiopia.

CARE Ethiopia Interim Country Director, Caitlin Gogin signed the launching agreement to implement the project with Ministry of Women, Children and Youth State Minister Alemitu Umed and Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs Labor Department Representative Mesfin Yilma.