ECLT Foundation e-News March 2015
Twitter
Facebook
ECLT Foundation
Making a Better Life for Children in Tobacco-Growing Communities
Message from the Executive Director
Women's Leadership Is Key to Addressing Child Labour in Agricultural Communities

International Women's Day 2015 prompts us to look with a new perspective at the lives of women in agricultural communities. The ECLT Foundation's work provides numerous examples of women fulfilling critical leadership roles and making economic improvements for themselves, their children, and their communities. You can read some of these examples here.

 

All partners and stakeholders in the work to eliminate child labour are encouraged to engage in the social media dialogue occurring in honor of International Women's Day 2015. Here are some sample tweets to share:  

  • Improving the lives of women in tobacco-growing communities is essential to removing the root causes of child labour #makeithappen Click to tweet >
  • 76% of VSLA members have achieved financial independence #womensday  Click to tweet >
  • Women reinvest up to 90% of their income in their families, helping men match that #womensday Click to tweet > 
  • A major obstacle for women in agriculture is the income disparity between men and women #makeithappen  Click to tweet >
  • Women's Leadership Is Key to Addressing Child Labour in Agricultural Communities #womensday Click to tweet >

Today at the ECLT Foundation
News From the Field

Success Story: VSLA Helps Kevin Nyakezi Protect and Provide for Her Grandchildren

Kevin Nyakezi is a 71 year old widow from Uganda who looks after her 8 orphaned grandchildren. In December 2013, she joined a Village Saving and Loan Association (VSLA) group. Before joining, Kevin lacked access to healthcare and couldn't pay for basic school requirements. Her granddaughters were married young, and the boys were sent to work in tobacco and rice farms.

 

After eight months of saving with the VSLA, she was able to build a home for her family and purchase a goat. She received training in protecting children's rights as well as business, and she now plans to start her own business. Kevin's grandchildren are now able to concentrate on their studies and are performing better in school.

 

 

Global Progress to End Child Labour
UN Forum Records Enhanced Participation and Business Commitment

In December 2014, the ECLT Foundation attended the third annual UN Forum on Business and Human Rights, featuring a more significant presence and involvement of business. Officials and key speakers called upon governments, businesses and civil society to secure that human rights are fully respected and realized, and that investors take responsibility to ensure that the businesses they invest in respects human rights.

 

On the topic of businesses and human rights, Day 1 of the forum covered:

  • Achievements, challenges and good practices
  • Ensuring access to help for business-related abuse victims  
  • Integrating the Guiding Principles in corporate governance structures  
  • Good practices and challenges to ensure stakeholder engagement
 Read More


ECLT Foundation in Action
Targeted Youth Employment Initiatives in Malawi, Zambia and Guatemala

The ECLT Foundation initiated pilot Key Intervention Projects in Malawi, Zambia, and Guatemala. To address decent youth employment and enforce occupational safety and health laws, the ECLT Foundation is providing training to farmers in safety and health risk assessment techniquesAs result of a baseline study, stakeholders are creating a localized blueprint to:

  • Identify resources and create conditions to identify opportunities for formal employment 
  • Promote successful rural models and training curricula
  • Collectively discern what the key economic drivers are (and will be) in the local community
  • Target vocational training to youth to acquire skill-sets that are "in-demand" and marketable
  • Identify sustainable resources to provide training, directly benefitting the workforce and local employers.

 Read More 

Thank you for your support -
together we can make a better life for children in tobacco-growing communities!
ECLT Foundation
14 rue Jacques-Dalphin
1227 Carouge
Geneva, Switzerland
+41 22 306 14 44
www.eclt.org