WATCH THE OCTOBER 7, 2009 PBS WORLDFOCUS REPORT ABOUT CONCERN'S DROP-IN CENTERS IN PAKISTAN.
CLICK THE "PLAY" BUTTON ON THE PHOTO AT RIGHT TO WATCH OUR NEW VIDEO ABOUT WORKING CHILDREN IN PAKISTAN.
At age fifteen, Raza Mohammed made his living by selling fruit from a push-cart that he wheeled through the streets of his hometown of Quetta, Pakistan. One day, he heard about a drop-in center for working children run by Concern and decided to pay a visit.
“This was the best thing that ever happened to me,” he says. “I was among the regular attendees. The friendly environment was wonderful. It encouraged me to learn and to improve my reading and writing skills. I loved English the most.”
 |
Watch our video about Concern’s Drop-in Centers in Pakistan |
Poverty is rife in Pakistan, with almost 74 percent of the population surviving on less than two dollars a day. As a result, millions of children like Raza are forced to leave school at an early age help support their families.
In Quetta, the situation is even more dire. Its proximity to Afghanistan has made it an attractive haven for hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing conflict across the border. For their children, education is simply not an option, not only because they are contributing to family income, but also because they are undocumented and unwelcome. Affordable private schools or “madrassas” (religious schools) that would welcome these children are also ruled out because school hours conflict with the best times to pick garbage.
In all, an estimated 32 percent of primary school-aged children in Pakistan are not enrolled in school and only 21 percent of children go on to attend secondary school.
Reaching the Most Vulnerable
Concern Worldwide is working in partnership with WESS, a local organization, to improve the lives of working children in Quetta and help them gain basic literacy and numeracy skills. The program reaches 4,000 children, 70 percent of whom have never had the chance to go to school.
Many of these children work as “garbage pickers,” who sift through garbage dumps and pick up anything that can be recycled or resold. Garbage picking is dangerous, as the dumps can contain needles and other medical waste, putting them at risk of diseases like hepatitis and HIV. Girls usually work as domestic servants, weavers, or garment workers, putting in the same long hours as boys. All of them live and do business in the adult world, walking a tightrope between the ‘informal economy’ and the black market, exposing them to physical abuse, drug addiction and other forms of exploitation criminal behavior. Their reward? On a very good day, maybe a dollar. Most days, far less.
As a result of their occupation, these children are at risk of physical and sexual abuse, drug addiction, and diseases like hepatitis and HIV. Very few of them are able to attend affordable schools or “madrassas” (religious schools) because school hours conflict with the best times to pick garbage.
A Safe Space to Rest, Play and Learn
Concern is currently supporting three drop-in centers in Quetta, where garbage pickers and other working children have the opportunity to rest, play and take part in classes. The children also receive free snacks, access to washing facilities, and basic medical care.
To reach children who cannot attend the drop-in centers, we have established eight outreach learning centers outside the biggest garbage dumps. We are also running a vocational skills center, where older girls and boys can learn a trade, such as tailoring, plumbing, carpentry and electrical wiring. The goal is to provide these children with skills that will enable them to earn a decent living in the future.
“I knew straight away he would be somebody one day”
Raza is one of the program’s success stories. When Saeda, one of the teachers at the drop-in center, saw how much Raza enjoyed learning English, she encouraged him to enroll at a local English language center. “He was so keen and always asking questions,” explains Saeda. “I knew straight away he would be somebody one day. I really pushed him to take admission in the English language center and he came top of his class after finishing the course in three years.”
Today, Raza is 20 years old and runs his own English language center in the town of Shikarpur. But he hasn’t forgotten his humble beginnings and always waives the fees for his poorest students. “
My mother is always fighting with me because I let the poor students study for free,” he laughs.
“But how can I charge them? I remember my days at the drop-in center. WESS and Concern never asked us to pay anything because they knew we couldn’t afford to.”
More Help is Needed
Although thousands of children like Raza are realizing happier, healthier futures thanks to the drop-in centers, the need in Quetta is still immense. Accurate figures are impossible to come by, but Concern and WESS conservatively estimate that there are well over 10,000 working children in Quetta – likely closer to 20,000. The first step in expanding our reach is the establishment of the eight new outreach learning centers, but it is an incremental step. Concern and WESS are the only organizations doing this work in Quetta, and we are urgently seeking support so that we can mount a response that will meet the need.
To donate please send a check of whatever you can afford to Concern Worldwide US, 104 East 40th Street, Suite 903, New York, NY 10016 OR call 1-800-59-CONCERN. You can also make a donation online by clicking on the “donate now” button above.