Program Summary

The Alternatives to Combat Child Labor through Education and Sustainable Services in the Middle East and North Africa (ACCESS-MENA) addressed children-at-risk and children-at-work, and the need for innovative approaches in using education to combat the plight of child labor. Funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, the $8.4 million project was managed by the Cooperative Housing Foundation in association with AMIDEAST, the Charitable Society for Social Welfare (Yemen), the Rene Moawad Foundation (Lebanon), and Kidz-on-line. AMIDEAST was responsible for the region-wide component that employs educational and informational tools to empower regional stakeholders to contribute to reducing child labor.

Main Goals

• Disseminate knowledge about child labor and the experience of partners in the field and sharing of success stories that convey the message that something can be done 

• Build capacity of organizations and governmental agencies seeking to reduce child labor in the region

• Bring 8,700 Lebanese and Yemeni at-risk or working children into educational and skills-building programs

• Forge a network of children’s services professionals and other key individuals in the public and private sectors who are positioned to impact national policies that affect working children in MENA countries

Highlights

• AMIDEAST organized workshops in Morocco and Yemen focused on combating child labor in these countries.

• AMIDEAST planned and implemented the first-ever regional conference on child labor and education in the region. Held in Cairo in February 2008, the conference was attended by 100 people, including representatives of 65 international, governmental, and nongovernmental organizations from nine countries in the region.

• AMIDEAST produced the project’s print and electronic newsletters and developed and managed its website.