An eager student

Little hands -- craving a pen

These small and vulnerable children working in the carpet weaving industry have hope for their future. Since 2002, thanks to the intervention of Plan and a local partner organisation, these children now have one of the basic rights of Children, that of education.

The background

The children in Hazara town in Quetta are employed from an early age, sometimes as early as four years old.  Typically they weave carpets, as their nimble fingers can get around wool easily and thus create the delicate designs provided to them. A visit to the area will reveal countless workplaces where four or five children work from early morning to late evening, just to earn a few rupees for their families.

Plan's need assessment revealed that the children were eager to learn and attend school if they had the opportunity. Parents were motivated, and most employers were made aware of the children's rights to an education.

Little hands craving a pen

The strategy -- and result 

Once made aware of the necessity for education, and the childrens' desire to receive it, employers were persuaded to allow several hours of schooling each day with no wage deduction. Parents' consents were obtained after they understood the benefits of education,and that employers supported the initiative. Today there are six schools up and running with a student enrolment of around three hundred. A visit to the centre will reveal strongly confident and eager students, who now have a future to look to.