World Vision: Child labor in sugarcane farms drops

THE World Vision Development Foundation Inc. (WVDFI) has reported an 86 percent decline in child labor cases in the country specifically those working in sugarcane plantations.

Jason Befus, operations manager of ABK3 LEAP, said they were now nearing the end of their five-year project in the country.

Befus said that through the project, 54,479 children stopped working as child laborers in sugarcane plantations after interventions were put in place.

The project, which covers 11 provinces all over the country including Cebu, has been able to help 2,125 children from 890 households in Bogo City and Medellin town in northern Cebu, areas in the province that have vast sugarcane fields.

Since the Philippines has an existing bilateral agreement in sugar, Befus said WVFDI was chosen as a recipient for the $16.5-million funding by the United States Department of Labor under Cooperative No. IL-22508-11-75-K.

ABK3 LEAP or Livelihoods, Education, Advocacy and Protection to Reduce Child Labor in Sugarcane Areas is a program that adapts the best practices developed from two previous programs- ABK1 and ABK2- to reduce child labor in sugarcane areas.

ABK are three letters from alibata which means “Pag-aaral ng Bata para sa Kinabukasan.” The program has two major components, namely, livelihood and education. Under these components, interventions were introduced to help the communities especially parents to provide them alternative livelihoods.

Livelihood projects like hog raising, animal raising, and sari-sari store were provided to the parents of these child workers.

The parents were also taught how to save their income.

The Community Managed Savings and Credit Association was adopted by ABK3 LEAP as one of the most relevant interventions.

On education, the program has given school supplies to the children while it also offered a catch-up program dubbed as “Habol Juan!”, which helps them to catch up with their lessons through the help of their l community volunteers and volunteer teachers.

Recto Toring, head teacher of the Combado Elementary School in Bogo City, said in his testimony that the program has helped him teach the children to have the determination to succeed in life.