All-Star Workers of the Gifts World

In this series of activities, participants explore the consequences of child labor.

InTended For grades 6-8 TIme reqUIred: 30-40 mInUTes

MATERIALS NEEDED
Copies of Handout One, Worker Descriptions, one for each participant Copies of Handout Two, Child Labor or Child Work?, one for each participant Pens or pencils, one for each participant Newsprint and markers

ACTIVITY STEPS
1
Conduct a quick survey by asking participants the following questions: How many of you help with household chores? How many of you get paid by your parents for certain chores? How many of you do not have any chores? For those of you who have chores, what happens if you dont do them? the resource. Ask the groups to read and then discuss the kind of work that their assigned children do and why. Ask them to consider what would happen if their assigned child did not work.

Invite the groups to share with each other about their assigned child. Share the following key points: Child labor is defined as any work done by children that is hazardous, prevents them from getting an education, or is harmful to their health or to their physical, mental, or social well-being. Child laborers work in a variety of jobs. They are employed as domestic workers in homes, as laborers on farms, or as workers in industries such as garment-making or fireworks assembly. They may create their own employment by performing tasks such as shoe-shining, salvaging garbage from rubbish dumps, or hawking goods.

Begin a discussion about the kinds of jobs and chores that children and young people in the U.S. typically do at the following ages: Under 11 11 to 15 16 and older

Divide the participants into eight groups. Give each group a copy of Handout One. Then assign each group one of the children shown on

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Workers of the World

ACTIVITY STEPS

(continued)
Freeing children who are being forced to work because their parents owe money. Helping children who have been working long hours in unhealthy conditions to build a new, healthier life. Providing families with new ways to make money by training them and giving them resources like farm animals and small loans to start businesses. setting up clubs that help children learn about their own rights, speak out and help others learn about those rights, and support each other.

In conflict situations, children may be voluntarily or forcibly recruited to join armed groups. most child laborers are not protected by laws and regulations. some work carried out by children and young people is not considered child labor. These tasks include helping with appropriate tasks on the family farm after school, assisting with chores around the house, or engaging in paid part-time employment once they are legally old enough to do so. rather than being abusive, such work can be a valuable way for children to develop responsibility, learn how to manage money, and experience the work environment in preparation for future employment and participation in society. Worldwide, there are an estimated 215 million child laborers ages 5 to 17. some 115 million of these children work in hazardous conditions like: In mines With agricultural chemicals and pesticides With dangerous machinery all of these forms of labor are harmful to a childs safety, health, and development. around the world, nearly one of every five children between the ages of 5 and 14 work full-time. more than one of every seven children work part-time, which can still impact their efforts to get a basic education. every year, more than a million children are taken from their families and moved to another country where they are forced to work without being paid. World Vision is an organization that works to help people around the world to break free from poverty. They are working to try to overcome the practice of child labor by:

Give each participant a copy of Handout Two and a pen or pencil. Ask them to take a few minutes to complete the handout. Take some time as a large group to discuss some of the ways that World Vision might help child laborers. Also discuss what the participants might do to help child laborers. Invite participants to gather back into their groups of eight. Give each group a sheet of newsprint and a marker. Ask them to discuss what they might include in a brochure that could be used to educate teenagers in a campaign against child labor. Allow a few minutes for them to create an outline for the brochure. Invite all of the groups to present their ideas, and then ask for a few participants to volunteer to actually create a brochure using the best ideas. They can do this work on their own and bring the final product to a future session. Conclude by inviting participants to join you in praying for an end to forced child labor.
(Adapted from the resource titled Stitched Up, produced by World Vision United Kingdom. Used with permission.)

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Workers of the World

Worker Descriptions
Handout One

sarITa

Eleven-year-old Sarita collects water from the neighborhood well for her family. She makes several trips each day to get enough for drinking, cooking, and washing. Some days she doesnt go to school because shes too busy.

matt is 14 and lives in the United states. every weekend he delivers a local paper to houses in a neighborhood near him. It takes him about two hours and he enjoys it because it means he is active rather than just sitting around watching television or playing video games. He also likes having extra pocket money to spend.

maTT

Kubendran uses a sewing machine in the World Vision center in his town. He is 14 years old and is learning tailoring skills. When he was younger, he used to make beedis (hand-rolled cigarettes) to pay back a loan that his parents had taken out. World Vision paid off the loan, and with his new skills Kubendran will earn twice as much as before.

KUBendran

eleven-year-old robert helps his family every day after school by chopping firewood or washing clothes. During the rice harvest, he tramples rice stalks on a mat to separate the grains. Once his chores are done, robert enjoys playing marbles with his friends.

roBerT

SHANTHI

Shanthi and her family work in a quarry. They have to pay back a large sum of money that her parents borrowed. They break large rocks into stone chips, filling a tractor load each day. shanthi is 10 and cannot go to school because she has to work all day.

amman is 11 and works in a lock factory with his father and brother. He works 10 hours a day, polishing locks with emery powder to make them shiny. Amman gets one day off a week. He loves to play cricket with his friends but is often so tired from his long workdays that he cant play for very long.

amman

HarI Ten-year-old Hari works in a match factory, packing matches into boxes. He fills more than

1,000 boxes a day, but all of his earnings go to pay back a loan that his parents borrowed. There is a constant risk of fire in the factory and Hari inhales toxic fumes while he works. He often has headaches and stomachaches.

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Workers of the World

Child Labor or Child Work?

Handout Two

Write down the difference between child labor and child work.

List the factors that make work abusive or wrong for children.

Choose two examples of child work and two of child labor.

Complete this char t for those four children. Childs name Child work or child labor? risks (involved in this work) Benefits (for child and family) Critical factors (what makes this labor or work?)

Choose one of the child laborers on resource 1. What three things might World Vision do to help them?
name: 1. 2. 3.

What needs to happen immediately?

Page 4 Permission to reproduce is granted. 2012 World Vision, Inc.

About World Vision

WHO WE ARE
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. motivated by our faith in Jesus Christ, World Vision serves alongside the poor and oppressed as a demonstration of Gods unconditional love for all people. We envision a world in which each child experiences fullness of life as described in John 10:10, and we know this can be achieved only by addressing the problems of poverty and injustice in a holistic way. Thats how World Vision is unique. We bring 60 years of experience in three key areas needed to help children and families thrive: emergency relief, long-term development, and advocacy. And we bring all of our skills across many areas of expertise to each community we work in, enabling us to help care for childrens physical, social, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Partnering with World Vision provides tangible ways to honor god and put faith into action. By working together, we can make a lasting difference in the lives of children and families who are struggling to overcome poverty. To find out more about how you can help, visit www.worldvision.org.

ABOUT WORLD VISION RESOURCES

Ending global poverty and injustice begins with education: understanding the magnitude and causes of poverty, its impact on human dignity, and our connection to those in need around the world. World Vision resources is the publishing ministry of World Vision. World Vision resources educates Christians about global poverty, inspires them to respond, and equips them with innovative resources to make a difference in the world.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

World Vision Resources
mail stop 321 P.o. Box 9716 Federal Way, Wa 98063-9716 Email: wvresources@worldvision.org Web: www.worldvisionresources.com

CC124372_0512 2012 World Vision, Inc.