Brief overview of Experience in Child Labor
Child Labor Education remained the prioritized and key focus area of Sudhaar Society
Education and Child Labor remained the prioritized focus of Sudhaar Society as it has implemented the highest number of projects to address the challenges in these areas which made Sudhaar a specialized organization in Pakistan with reference to education and child labor. The prime strategy of Sudhaar to counter child labor was non-formal education in order to equip the working children with educational interests so that they can transform themselves and their interests from labor to education.
Sudhaar started its activities from Kasur working with child labor in leather tanneries, carpet weaving, power looms and street workers. By the year 2003, the work had been expanded to Sialkot, Gujranwala, Toba Tek Singh, Shaikhupura and Nankana Sahib. The new child labor sectors covered included surgical instruments, football stitching, and domestic and factory workers. Starting from NFE, mainstreaming, quality of education in formal schools, school councils activation, and education planning from school to markaz to district level; Sudhaar added literacy and linkages with vocational training in its scope of interventions. Sudhaar also worked briefly in the provision of health services, micro credit and a unique child-focused EMIS program.
Since 1994, Sudhaar established over 780 non-formal education and literacy centers in Punjab. Enrolling of approximately 23800 working children and their younger out of school siblings were admitted and graduated in primary education 64% graduated and 45% were mainstreamed to formal government and private schools.