The ECLT Foundation Board held its fifth Board Meeting in Malawi (23-25 June 2003). 18 Foundation Board members came from the USA, Europe and Japan to observe the implementation of the two child labour projects that the ECLT Foundation has been supporting since 2002. They spent two days visiting the projects' field sites and met with government officials, including representatives of the Ministry of Labour, in the capital, Lilongwe.

Board Members visiting AECL school project site	Board Members conversing with TECS community members

The presence of the ECLT Foundation Board members in Malawi is a clear indication of their interest and commitment to contribute to the elimination of child labour in tobacco-growing.

1) AECL (Association for the Elimination of Child Labour)
Mwansambo, Nkhotakota district
This two-year project started in December 2002. It consists of the building of a junior primary school which will serve 7 villages, which did not possess such facilities before. In order to ensure ownership of the project by local communities, villagers are being actively involved in the school construction. The school should be operational by September 2003.

Construction of school, AECL project site	Community members building school

In parallel, sensitisation and awareness-raising sessions (including drama theatre performances) on child labour are being organised together with the local communities. In a unique partnership, the Tobacco Grower's Association of Malawi (TAMA) and the Tobacco Tenants and Allied Workers' Union of Malawi (TOTAWUM) are organising training sessions on bookkeeping and information on labour regulations to the tobacco farmers and tenants. In order to ensure the sustainability of the project, two village committees have been set up: one on child labour and the other on the school construction and its management.

Drama performances: raising awareness on child labour

2) TECS (Together Ensuring Children's Security)
Dowa district
This four-year project started in July 2002. One year after its start, the project is already having a major impact on the communities. The strong mobilisation and active involvement of local communities have made it possible to dramatically increase the number of beneficiaries of the project, without additional costs:

Irrigation schemes have helped tobacco farmers to diversify their crops and thus increase their own food production and overall income. Topped shallow wells are providing clean water to the communities and thus improve the overall health standards. Both examples have a direct impact on child labour:

+ 22% in the number of children attending school in villages where the project is being implemented. Included in this figure is a 36% increase in the number of tobacco tenants' children attending school;

- 97% in the number of cholera cases. Moreover, in 2002, 11 children died from cholera related illnesses. In 2003, no single death has been registered.

School before rehabilitation	School after rehabilitation

Irrigation	Theatre drama performance

The project implementation is entering its second year. New projects and communities' mobilisation start in July 2003 in Kasungu district.