PREY VENG Province, CAMBODIA. On 27 & 28 October 2008, local NGO Healthcare Center for Children (HCC) will provide scholarship for 469 children aged 6 to 14 years, from Kampong Trabaek District and Preah Sdech District in Prey Veng Province to encourage them to stay at school instead of engaging in hazardous forms of child labor in agriculture, due to poverty and family difficulties.

The scholarship provision is a part of a four year project named ‘Children’s Empowerment through Education Services (CHES): Eliminating the worst forms of child labor in Cambodia’, funded by the United States Department of Labor (USDOL). This is being implemented in Cambodia by Winrock International in partnership with HCC, Wathnakpheap, and in coordination with ILO’s International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor. 

HCC will provide 299 boys and girls, aged 6-14 years, who have been withdrawn from hazardous child labor in agriculture with scholarships consisting of school materials (school uniforms, bags, books, stationery), and bicycles to 170 school girls, aged between 12-14 years, at-risk of dropping out of education in transition from primary to secondary school, and engaging in hazardous child labor in agriculture.

Child labor is widespread in Cambodia, constituting a key obstacle to universal primary education, human resources development and the elimination of poverty.  Three out of four economically active children in Cambodia work in the agriculture sector, with 90% working for their families in unpaid labor. The incidence of work related illness and injury is very high, with 12% more children likely to be injured working in agriculture than manufacturing.  Child laborers in subsistence farming are vulnerable to hazardous working conditions, limited or no access education, strenuous working hours, exploitation through little or no pay, and exposure to other forms of risks.   Addressing the issues of child labor in this sector is a challenging task due to the inherent poverty of villagers and families, migration, social acceptance of child labor, and low awareness of the importance of education (UCW Report on Children’s Work in Cambodia, 2006).

The CHES project aims to make a significant impact by withdrawing and preventing children from hazardous child labor in agriculture in 150 villages in Prey Veng, Siem Reap, Pursat, and Kampong Cham provinces, and by supporting them through formal and non-formal education or vocational skill training courses, for future income generation.  In turn, the project looks to generate community responsibility for the well being and education of child laborers through advocacy and awareness raising activities.