Each year the Lions of MD 19 select a CARE project to be supported from donations by Lions Clubs and individuals from British Columbia, Washington and Northern Idaho. This year the Council of Governors approved an initiative to fight against the use of Child Labor in Bolivia. The rationale for selection of this project is detailed below.
In the highland city of Potosí, Bolivia, mining is a central and harsh aspect of daily life for many poor families. Men, women and children who depend on the mines for survival endure perilous and often short lives. Miners work without safety equipment or food for up to 12 hours a day in the dark, cramped and sweltering tunnels of Cerro Rico[1]. Lack of alternative higher-paying economic opportunities, access to quality schooling, and the need for children to subsidize their family income, all conspire to force children into the labor force. In many mines, therefore, children work long hours, in very poor and dangerous conditions, and at low pay. They are unable to attend school full time, or if they do, are always very tired. By its nature, mining is one of the worst forms of child labor due to high risk of death, injury or work-related disease, such as silicosis and skin conditions. In addition to these factors, children endure psycho-social traumas caused by an environment that hinders their overall development.
CARE started working in Bolivia in 1976, and we currently have programs in alternative and intercultural education, HIV prevention, disaster preparedness, emergency relief, conservation, food security, income generation, primary health care, family planning, community organization, women’s empowerment, child labor prevention and natural resource management.
In Potosí, CARE has been working since 2002 to fight child labor, improve household economic security and keep children in school. Our Sustainable Social Actions for Children and Mining Families project (ASOSMIN) works to improve the quality of education and increase student enrollment and attendance rates as a means to prevent children from entering the mines. As part of the project, CARE has established an education center on Cerro Rico, called La Plata, which offers preschool education to young children and tutoring, extracurricular activities and meals for primary school students. Mothers of the students also come to the center to learn new trades that provide additional sources of income, thus reducing the need for children to contribute to household earnings. In addition, ASOSMIN is working with teachers and administrators to improve the quality of education in schools around Cerro Rico. The project also offers vocational training to older adolescents and works with policymakers and community leaders to raise awareness at the local and national levels about the dangers of child labor. The program has benefited nearly 6,800 children since its inception.
The Lions of MD19 Lions are now committed to continue ASOSMIN’s work to prevent child labor, equip youth with a high quality education and help mothers expand their income-generating work. This multi-pronged project has achieved significant results to date, and additional funding from MD19 will continue the trend of keeping children in school and out of the mines. In addition, funding from MD19 Lions will provide youth in Potosí with a valuable education and the opportunity to escape the vicious cycle of poverty.
How can we achieve success with this important project? If parents are provided with alternative work opportunities to garner sufficient income to support their families, children can go to school, receive an education, develop vocational options, and break the cycle of child labor in the mines. The MD-19 Lions CARE project for 2009-2010 will allow us to undertake a powerful charitable program that holds promise of positive changes in the opportunities for productive lives of young children in Bolivia. Last year the Lions of MD19 raised $47,568.27 toward our goal of helping these very poor families. Our goal in 2009-2010 is to raise at least $50,000 in MD-19 to support this project.
Each Lions Club in MD 19 should consider whether it is willing to match or exceed the amount given to the Lions CARE project last year by that club. In the past many Lions Clubs and Individual Lions have chosen to receive Gordon Smith Fellowships for donations of $500 to the Lions Care Project in a given year. That is a good option for this year. Gordon Smith Fellowship application forms are available on the MD19 website.
