Cotton Project: India

COTTON PROJECT:INDIA

PEACE INDIA COMMUNITY PROJECT

CORPORATE

COLLABORATION

PEACE INDIA

PROJECT

AT THE SOURCE

MISSION

ACE launched the PEACE India Project in 2010 to withdraw children from hazardous labour and support their enrolment in school, in partnership with local NGO SPEED (Society for People’s Economic & Educational Development).

Our project is designed to:

1. withdraw children from labour and ensure all school-aged children are attending formal school regularly within improved school environments/

2. change community norms regarding child labour, and train local people to independently monitor and prevent child labour

3. support children's families to improve their

financial situation and income management to ensure their continued investment in their children's education

4. empower adolescent girls to overcome gender biases

BACKGROUND

Cotton is the basic raw material for a number of products we use daily: T-shirts, towels, bed sheets, cotton pads, cotton buds. Much of this cotton comes from India, home to the largest cotton cultivation regions in the world. In these regions, children as young as 5 years-old are found in the farms pollinating flowers and picking cotton.

Around 480,000 children are employed in cottonseed farms in India (India Committee of the Netherlands 2014-15).

Our surveys found that many girls were working without receiving a primary school education, especially in hybrid cottonseed farms in Telangana state, India. During fertilisation and harvesting seasons, they worked long hours and suffered from health issues due to hazardous chemical pesticides and the physical toil of their work.

MAIN ACTIVITIES

Consciousness-changing

through awareness-raising activities about the importance of education, engaging with parents to understand why they do not send their children and how we can support them, engaging with the community and local government.

Bridge Schools

support children who have never gone to school or been absent for a long period to transition back into the public schooling system.

Community

Mobilization

establish child rights protection forum (CRPF) who are trained to continue monitoring for child labour and carry out community engagement activities. CRPFs are formed entirely by local residents and protect village children from labour and violence even after the project completed.

Vocational

Center

are operated for older children who are over the compulsory education age. The centre teaches basic education skills like mathematics, reading and writing in the local language and technical skills to help youth gain employment and be economically independent.

Monitoring

where child labour is happening, checking school attendance and conducting home visits to engage with parents and persuade them to send children to school.

Girls'

Empowerment

by organizing girl groups and workshops focused on gender issues, such as child marriage, and building their knowledge of their rights. Girls are able to voice their opinions and discuss their problems amongst themselves, gaining confidence and a support network.

DONATE TO PEACE

Our impact so far

1,069 children rescued from child labour and 3,500 children benefited from improved school environments

(2009-2019)

A functioning monitoring system mobilized in 5 communities and 90 CRPF members trained to oversee operations

Over 300 villagers provided farmer training

Over 250 households with improved financial management

(including new sources of income)

OUR SERVICES

In 2017 we went back to one of the project areas completed in 2014 to do the assessment and check on the situation. The CRPF was working effectively and child labour had not returned to the community. We seek to continue to expand our project operations to other communities in Telangana state.

"My parents were migrant workers in Hyderabad and I used to go with them to different destinations. I want to be a teacher like Vijerakshmi (a project staff teacher at the school)".

Renuka's older brother dropped out of school in grade 5 to work in the fields but was able to go back to a bridge school. Her other brother and sister are also attending bridge schools, with their family receiving income improvement support. Only Renuka and her brother can read and write in the family. Their grandfather and grandmother can now sign their names as

Renuka and her brother taught them how to write.

PEACE India ensures that their grandparents take care of the children, the whole family stays in the village for a long time, and the children continue attending the bridge school and move back into the public school system.

- Renuka, 10 years old

DOWN THE SUPPLY CHAIN

MISSION

Eliminating child labour and protecting children from exploitation in global supply chains requires cross-sector collaboration. Take a look at our Social Business Acceleration Program here.

CORPORATE

COLLABORATION

PEACE INDIA COTTON (P.I.C)

Japanese fabric wholesaler, Kowa Co. aims to realize sustainable farming in areas that have become child labour-free following completion of ACE’s PEACE India project.

The Peace India Cotton (P.I.C.) programme enables KOWA to continue operating and supporting organic farming as part of their business model. P.I.C. is looking for other corporate collaborators to scale up their CSR activities as well as increase their B2B organic cotton sales.

For more information visit their website:

https://www.kowa.co.jp/eng/company/index.htm