Regions: Africa   Asia   Latin America


Name of Organization: Students for Rural Youth in Development Club [SRYD Club]

Country: Malawi

Project Title: "University Students against Child Labour in Tobacco Estates"

Project Timeframe: 9 months

Location of Project: Lilongwe

Budget Amount: $40,144

NGO contact and website:
Mr. David Mkwambisi
SRYD Technical Advisor
Mkwambisi@bunda.unima.mw
Mobile: + 265 9 552 400

Professor James Banda (PhD)
SRYD Patron
jwbanda@bunda.unima.mw
Mobile: + 265 8 384 561

NGO PHONE/FAX NUMBER: + 265 1 277 900/226 (Phone)   + 265 1 277 364/361 (Fax)

STREET ADDRESS:
University of Malawi
Bunda College of Agriculture
PO Box 219. Lilongwe
srydclub@bunda.unima.mw

Project's Primary Objective: Strengthen formal, non-formal, and transitional education systems

Description of Organization: SRYD is a non-political, non-profit making students club affiliated to Bunda College of Agriculture operating under the laws and statues of the University of Malawi to address social-economical and environmental issues affecting the youth, women and children. SRYD registered with National Youth Council of Malawi under the National Youth Council Act in 1998.

The core activities undertaken by the club have included introduction of agricultural programs to rural areas, formation of environmental management committee and development of extension materials on various development strategies. With the impact of HIVAIDS, the current work supported by several organization has been on the advocacy and lobbying on issues relating to youth, women and children on HIV/AIDS, human rights and democracy, counseling for behavior change, HIV/AIDS prevention and mitigation, drug and substance abuse; information, education and counseling on HIV/AIDS, community mobilization; care and support for people living with HIV/AIDS, orphans and those affected by HIV/AIDS with comprehensive home based care program; income generating activities and economic empowerment for vulnerable groups to prevent and mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS on children, women and old people; networking, community capacity building (training, leadership development for youth, women groups and community based groups), peer education and health care activities at community level for youth, sex workers, young mothers and teen mothers and workplace , gender and HIV/AIDS awareness for communities and life skills development for youth, women and children at community level.

Description of Project funded by CIRCLE: Historically, University students have been in the forefront in implementing effective programs that alleviate the lives of rural and urban disadvantages societies. Members of Students Club for Rural Youth in Development (SRYD) Club a student run organization affiliated to Bunda College of Agriculture a constituent college of the University of Malawi, and established with technical and financial support from UNICEF- Malawi would like to undertake a 9 months voluntary project in rural areas especially tobacco growing main areas where the level of child labor is still quite high despite several efforts by the government, international agencies and non profit making organizations. Over twenty students will work as volunteers staying with communities while implementing programs that have been designed in line with CIRCLE objectives.

In order to address the second and third CIRCLE project objective, the students for the first time in the history of the country will undertake summer and afternoon primary school sessions to assist children withdrawn from exploitative child labor, retain the number of those going to school and increase the number of children joining and completing primary school. These sessions will also assist the government due to shortage of teaching staff and materials. It will encourage the children to work hard and aim higher for their bright future.

The same primary school sessions will allow university students to identify the needs for children and assist in policy or curriculum formulation/review such that child labor issues (that are still deficient) are incorporated in our education system. The third CIRCLE project objective of raising awareness have also been fully incorporated such that the practice is completely reduced in the agricultural industry which is employing over 52.6 percent of children aged between 5 and 17 years of age especially in the tobacco estate. These campaigns will not only target parents and children, but estate owners, local leaders, education authorities and faith based institution such that children are allowed to attend the summer and afternoon class sessions.

Knowing that poverty and food insecurity is quite high in Malawi’s rural areas, and in such cases parents have no option to involve their children in exploitative work, the project has incorporated sustainable livelihood programs that will not only equip the children with friendly agricultural strategies, but will also increase household income and promote food security and nutrition at household level. This unique project of involving students can be a role model to other sectors that are encouraging child labor and can be an effective policy intervention on other problems currently faced by several developing countries such as HIVAIDS and poverty. As such the students will come up with an implementation manual (tool kit) that shall give guideline to several line ministries and organizations how students and young people can solve their problems facing them with support from the elders. It is expected that by the end of the project period, several if not all the children will be back or remain in school and agricultural programs shall be improved using simple technologies and extension messages from the University students. Through out the project, both the University authorities, the media, international agencies and other NGOs shall be involved for a wider coverage.

Project Targets (Common Indicators):
Enrollment: increase number of children who attend school
Persistence: increase number of children who stay in school
Transition: increase number of children who advance to secondary school
Completion: none listed