January 2005 – December 2009 Overview

Introduction

Before the current ECLT project, ECLT supported two earlier projects in Kyrgyzstan. The first, the “Elimination of Child Labour in Tobacco Growing in Kyrgyzstan” ran from the beginning of 2005 until March 2007. This included a three month transition phase. The second project began in April 2007, immediately after the end of the transition phase, and completed its work at the end of 2009.

Project 1

Project in Brief

Project Name	Elimination of Child Labour in Tobacco Growing in Kyrgysztan
Partners	Working Group in the elimination of Child Labour in the Tobacco Sector of Kyrgyzstan
Duration	1st January 2005 until 31st March 2007 (including transition phase)
Expenditure	$US 161,410
Location	Nookatsky district in the Osh region; Alubinsky district in Jalalabad region
Objective	Develop and introduce a mechanism of child labour elimination in tobacco-growing in two districts in the southern area of Kyrgyzstan: Nookatsky and Alubinsky
Key activities	1. To raise attention and increase the awareness of local communities about child labour 2. To support and develop micro-credit unions and cooperatives 3. To improve farmers’ living conditions 4. To improve access to social services

Background

In 2005, the Kyrgyz Republic underwent political turmoil and for a while could be described as unstable.  Poor governance, absence of a sound economic development policy, frequent reshuffling in the government structure, high external debts, and a lack of qualified manpower at all levels of management due to high migration outflows all contributed to the high poverty suffered by the majority of the population.  As a consequence, children were more likely to become financial supporters of their parents to survive.

The issue of child labour on tobacco farms in Kyrgyzstan was raised for the first time within the framework of the global discussion on Decent Work in Agriculture, carried out by the International Labour Organization (ILO) from 2001 to 2003.  At that time the Agricultural Workers Trade Union (AWU), an affiliate to the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers Associations (IUF), began collecting data on the scale and spheres of the use of child labour in the agricultural sectors of Kyrgyzstan.  Trade Union surveys showed that practically all children living in rural areas were subject to child labour.  In most cases, because of their low income, small-holder farmers used their own children for labour. Thus, the main reason for the use of child labour in agriculture, including tobacco-growing, was poverty.

At the time this project began, child labour was mostly used in poor small-holder farms or by larger farm owners who employed whole families as hired labourers.  In the latter case, young children were working in tobacco fields for most of the day.

Various anti-child labour laws were adopted and ratified in Kyrgyzstan, namely: the laws on the “Protection of minors’ rights, Employment promotion and Youth Policy”; ILO Convention No. 138 “On the minimum employment age”, No. 182 “On the worst forms of child labour”, and No. 184 “On Safety and Health in agriculture”.

For the three years before the project, the Osh region had been a pilot area for developing programmes aimed at training social workers to support vulnerable families and children. Social workers registered families as “groups at risk” and assisted them with filing documents, receiving micro-credits and administering land parcels. They also controlled and ensured access of children to education, public health and social protection services. Usually, families working on tobacco farms were not registered because their income exceeded the guaranteed minimum level. Therefore, and in order to develop a government mechanism of family support at the district level, it was necessary to conduct a baseline survey to gather basic data that would serve as project indicators. These were the number of children employed in tobacco, the dependence of tobacco-growing families on child labour and children’s access to education and social services. It was clear from this survey that the project would need to offer families various options and incentives to eliminate the use of child labour.

Initiated by the Agricultural Workers Union (AWU) of Kyrgyzstan, with the support of the regional office of International Union of Food and Agricultural Workers (IUF), this project responded to issues raised during numerous awareness raising activities and discussions between representatives of unions, local communities, companies, state authorities, school teachers and NGOs, conducted in 2003-2004.  It’s approach and design were supported by fact-finding research sponsored by the ECLT in 2003.

Key achievements

By the close of the project:

• A total of 713 children in 282 households had been removed from any kind of work in tobacco fields.
• In Alabuka district, those children not attending school went down from 1,310 in 2005 to 335 in 2007, out of a total of 3,106.
• In Nookat, those children not attending school went down from 111 in 2005 to just 17 in 2007, out of a total of 3,880.

1. Increased awareness about child labour amongst local communities

Historically, Kyrgyzstan children had always helped their parents in growing tobacco – during the Soviet era, children would help at collective and state farms. Child labour in tobacco-growing was therefore ingrained in the culture of rural Kyrgyzstan. As a result:

• 16 workshops were held to raise awareness about the causes and hazards of child labour.
• 1,308 people attended these workshops, which included village governments and farmers, teachers, social and health workers, representatives of the local agriculture department and trades unions.
• Farmers showed particular interest in aspects of the lectures that focused on the negative consequences of child labour on children’s health.
• Interviews with 350 farmers from each district were conducted.
• Articles were published in local newspapers, Osh Janyrygy and Ayil Akyikaty, explaining in detail the dangers of child labour in tobacco-growing, the goals of the project and the action plan for the near future.
• TV spots were broadcast on Jalalabat regional TV and Kyrgyz National Television.

• School teachers discussed the hazards of child labour with parents and reported an improvement in the attendance and performance levels of children.
• Information and Education Communication (IEC) materials – posters and leaflets – were produced in three languages: Kyrgyz, Uzbek and Russian. These were distributed in schools and amongst communities.

2. Support for and development of micro-credit unions and cooperatives

With the collapse of the Soviet Union, all collective and state farms were split. The property was divided into thousands of small farming units.  In the period immediately before the project began, there were no industrial enterprises or cooperative associations in villages. Because of scarce land resources, farmers could not make healthy profits.  Farmers were also hit by the migration of young citizens to larger cities, neighbouring Kazakhstan and Russia for higher earnings and better living standards.   Finally, the absence of specific sales markets meant that agricultural products were grown without forecasts or on market demands.  Frequently, there was an overproduction of one item and underproduction of another.

The main goal of the mutual aid groups, therefore, was not the receipt of a loan.  The goal was to improve the living standards of farmers through unionisation, for them to collectively find ways of replacing child labour in tobacco fields, and to plan together a healthy future for their children.

• In 2005, due to delays by the micro-credit agency Bait-Tushum, only 28% of the total amount set aside for loans was disbursed to mutual aid groups. This equated to 590,000 Kyrgyz Soms to seven mutual aid groups in Nookat district and 450,000 Kyrgyz Soms to six mutual aid groups in Alabuka.
• All 13 groups fulfilled their obligations by repaying the loans in the allotted timeframe.
• Between June to October 2006, with a new micro-credit agency Ak-Maral Yug running the scheme, 2,380,000 Kyrgyz Soms were disbursed to 34 mutual aid groups operating in 17 villages. 18 groups were in Alabuka and 16 in Nookat, and involved 284 families with 713 children of school and pre-school age. Each mutual aid group consisted of between six to ten people.
• The amount disbursed was the equivalent of US$ 2,500 per group – with an annual interest rate of just 8%, compared to a commercial rate of 21-29% . Each member of the group was entitled to receive up to 10,000 Krygz Soms.
• The money was used for the following income-generating activities: trade, alternative agricultural production (potatoes, onions, sunflowers, winter wheat harvesting) and cattle-breeding. Most families (231) chose cattle-breeding because it was less labour intensive and because there had been a sharp increase in the price of fruits and vegetables.
• By the end of December 2006, all debts by each of the groups had been paid off.
• The perception amongst the farmers and the mutual aid groups was that Ak-Maral Yug had established a good rapport with the farmers, processed paperwork speedily, and generally established a client friendly environment for them.

• Groups provided loans internally to further develop their funds.  Some groups, for instance, issued loans to its own members with an interest rate of 5% per month.  This demonstrated that groups did not just expect outside help, but successfully increased capital for themselves.

• An unforeseen positive result of the project intervention was the debate it stimulated among the farmers about how best to organize their work to prevent children from labouring in the fields. In most cases, the farmers agreed to work collectively, bringing all adult family members to work together on each other’s land during peak seasons.

3. Improved farmers’ living conditions

The micro-credit and mutual aid groups successfully addressed the primary cause of child labour – poverty. Adult beneficiaries saw this as an opportunity to help them break the poverty cycle. Farmers realised that the project would help them to reduce child labour in tobacco-growing and give their children a chance for rehabilitation and integration into normal social life.

Furthermore, children began to understand that they have rights and, conversely, parents came to see that their children have the right to attend school instead of working.

• Social workers helped to establish a database on the households in the region.
• The project lifted most families out of extreme poverty. Of the 283 families in the project, 49 were to be found in category 1 (extremely poor), 161 in category 2 (very poor) and 73 – in category 3 (poor).

4. Improved access to social services

Research was undertaken at the start of the project to help determine the neediest beneficiaries, in terms of those requiring medical aid or financial support.  The survey was also designed to help children from low-income or single-parent families with the purchase of school accessories.   The survey covered the following topics:

1. The family earnings of children working in tobacco farming;
2. Accessibility to social services;
3. Children’s school attendance;
4. Sickness rates among children;
5. Awareness of families about the harm to children’s health caused by working in tobacco fields;
6. Reasons for children working in tobacco farming;
7. Wage rate, number of working hours, conditions of work, leisure time and the way children spent their vacations;
8. The general health of children, including the number and type of vaccine inoculations, and if they  ate a balanced, healthy diet.

Over the course of the project:

• School furniture was purchased for two secondary schools – Osmonov in Alabuka and Dodon in Nookat.  The total amount spent was US$ 2,500 divided equally between the two schools and each school received 20 desks, 42 chairs, one bookshelf, and one teacher’s table.
• Slate tiles and repairs were provided for the roof of Arlanbob children’s camp in Alabuka, at a cost of $1,250;
• 52 orphans from Alabuka were provided with winter clothes, shoes and books at a cost of US$ 1,560;

• Social workers issued a one-time grant to low-income families with several children;

• 77 sick children (37 in Nookat district and 40 in Alabuka) attended a summer camp, during the tobacco harvesting and stringing season.  The list of these children was compiled by village administrations, the social security offices, trade unions and the children were drawn from the Chyngaraeva health centre in Nookat’s and Zhoogazyn in Alabuka.

 

Project 2

Project in Brief

Project Name	Elimination of Child Labour in Tobacco Growing in Kyrgysztan
Partners	Working Group in the elimination of Child Labour in the Tobacco Sector of Kyrgyzstan
Duration	1st April 2007 until 31st December 2009 (including transition phase)
Expenditure	US$146,623
Location	Nookatsky and Uzgensky districts in the Osh region; Alubinsky district in Jalalabad region
Objective	Sustain and expand a mechanism of child labour elimination in tobacco-growing in three districts of the southern area of the Republic (Nookatsky and Uzgensky districts of Osh region and Alabukinsky district of Jalalabad region).

Key achievements

1. Increased awareness about child labour amongst local communities

• The World Day Against Child Labour (WDACL) on 12^th June was successfully exploited for awareness-raising opportunities in each of the three years of the project.
• Workshops raising awareness about child labour were held for farmers. They focused on the dangers of child labour and ways to tackle it. These sessions also discussed successful strategies in other countries, with particular emphasis on the creation of public associations.
• Two items were broadcast on Kyrgyzstan national radio with a description of the aims and intended outcomes of the project.
• Project staff undertook visits to farmers that had not yet become involved in the project.

• In 2007, an essay-writing contest was held on the theme of “No Child Labour in Tobacco-growing”. Prizes of a TV set, a DVD player and disks and a tape recorder were awarded.  Prize-giving was attended by the head of the local Education department, the head of Social Protection, directors from eight schools and representatives from the project. T-shirts were also produced with the slogan “No child labour in tobacco” and a documentary film about child labour made by ILO-IPEC was also shown.
• In 2008, a drawing competition was held and 102 drawings were submitted by children. Prizes of school bags and writing materials totalling 10,000 KG Soms were awarded to the winning pupils.
• In 2009, 110 schools in Nookat held competitions for the best writing composition, best drawing and best drama representation of “No child labour in tobacco growing”. There was also a competition for the best work amongst school parliaments on the same theme. 125 writing compositions from 75 schools were submitted, and 16 pupils awarded prizes; 159 drawings from 16 schools were submitted and 10 pupils were awarded prizes. Six schools were awarded prizes for organising a dedicated area in their school to display promotional materials about the hazards of children working in tobacco-growing. Furthermore, a biology teacher conducted a lesson on the dangers children face when working in tobacco-growing.  A ceremony was held, attended by senior dignitaries, on 12th June itself in Culture House in Nookat at which 600 pupils from 110 schools attended.

• At Usalieva school there was a roundtable meeting and seminar for schoolchildren. Children themselves identified reasons for the prevalence of child labour – low living standards, unemployment, outflow of human resources abroad and elsewhere in the country. Children also noted that adults had begun to observe the right of children to attend school;
• Further seminars were also conducted to encourage children to deliver the messages about child labour for themselves. Children themselves decided to:

• Hold sessions of school parliaments on the theme “No child labour in tobacco growing”;
• Designate a room in each school to publish and display a newspaper on child labour;
• Undertake spot-checks of children working in tobacco fields instead of attending school;
• Organise meetings with parents whose children work in tobacco;
• Organise competitions and drama sketches for village communities;
• Carve the letters “ECLT” – each letter being six metres high and four metres wide – on the mountainside near to Nookat’s main road

• Awareness-raising sessions for all stakeholders were held with representatives of state local governments, public health services, trade unions NGOs, tobacco companies and farmers, the commission on family and women’s affairs, and the committee on youth affairs and minors;
• In each village, committees of public health services were created. On average, in a village with 1,000 farms, committees consisted of 7-8 members. Committee members raised awareness among the community at public events about the health hazards of child labour in tobacco-growing.

2. Support for and development of  micro-credit unions and cooperatives

• A new micro-credit agency “Jamaattar Kireshesi” was contracted by the project.
• The main criteria for issuing the microcredit was that the families were economically vulnerable and relied on child labour in the family.
• Families were selected by social workers, representatives of trade unions of rural Boards.
• The agency carried out training on credit applications, the writing of business plans and the collation of necessary documents.

• In 2008, 40 Mutual Aid Groups (MAGs) consisting of 307 families received microcredits totalling 3,070,000 KG Soms. All the families repaid the loans without any delay at the end of the year.
• In 2009, the project expanded to cover seven more “aiyl okmotu” (rural administration areas).

• In the first quarter of 2009, Nookat  therefore selected a further 180 families who were awarded 2,160,000 KG Soms with an interest rate of 10%.
• In Alabuka in the same period, 100 families received microcredits, totalling 1,200,000 KG Soms, with the same interest rate.
• This amounted to 12,000 KGS per family and included 1,003 children.  As with the previous project, the loan was granted to them on the condition that child labour was not used for tobacco-growing.

• At the end of 2009, the entire credit capital had been repaid by farmers.

3. Improved farmers’ living conditions

• 109 families – including 335 children – were  lifted out of poverty by the project.
• A further 171 families also achieved higher living standards and were raised from the poorest category.

4. Improved access to social services

• In 2008, a total of US$ 9,335 was spent organising summer medical camps for 150 children (76 from Nookat and 74 in Alabuka).
• Farmers from every MAG met to decide which children should attend the camp.

• In 2009, 202 children (122 children in Nookat and 80 in Alabuka) were sent for medical rehabilitation at the summer camp.
• The project team undertook an awareness-raising activity in the form of a quiz – prizes of a photo-album, an album with pencils and cases, writing books and felt-tip pens were awarded. Each child received a file with material about the project and information on child labour. Two films about child labour made by the ILO were screened. On the official closing day of their holiday, musical and theatrical shows were held for the children. This was shown on national TV news.