ACCEL - LIVES

Livelihoods Enhancement, Education and Skilling as a pathway to eliminating child labour in Uganda (LIVES).

About the project

Project Period: Sep 2021 - Sep 2022 (12.12 Months)

The "Accelerating action for the elimination of child labour in supply chains in Africa (ACCEL Africa)" project seeks to accelerate the elimination of child labour across the continent. It implements targeted, systemic actions within key supply chains, specifically focusing on cocoa, cotton, coffee, tea, and gold sectors. In Uganda, it targets only the tea and coffee sectors.

This innovative project shifts from traditional, isolated interventions to a comprehensive systems-approach, strengthening existing local structures. The strategy is designed to effectively tackle the root causes of child labour by building resilience in communities and enhancing sustainable livelihoods for vulnerable households.

Project Focus

The project is strategically designed to provide direct and holistic support to vulnerable men and women through their existing member-based organizations. A primary goal is to help them diversify and enhance their livelihoods by connecting them with essential productive, welfare, and financial services.

A core component of the intervention is supporting children and young people. This includes direct support for children aged 14–17 to facilitate a smooth school-to-work transition, alongside actively referring all younger children back into the formal education system.

The program's strategic decision is deeply embedded within the Value Chain and Market Systems Approaches, recognizing that child labour is most prevalent at the production level in coffee and tea. It works to improve farm productivity and household incomes, which in turn supports the formal schooling of children aged 5–14.

We complement this with the Integrated Area Based Approach (IABA), which aims to instil a community-wide culture of zero tolerance for child labour. This involves continuous dialogue and engagement with all stakeholders, including teachers, parents, and local authorities, recognizing the collective responsibility in the elimination effort.

A significant innovation is the "Choose to Earn as you Learn" (CHEAL) model for youth skilling. Moving beyond traditional trades, this approach empowers young people to select viable and lucrative skills, ensuring greater ownership and linking them to relevant resource persons for on-the-job mentorship.

The project also employs an enhanced savings and loan approach, utilizing the Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLA) methodology with a unique "Bonus Shares" incentive. To maintain integrity, participating households must sign pledge cards, committing to 'Child Labour Free Groups' (CLFGs).