ORIA Sponsors School in Pakistan
For the past several years, the Oriental Rug Importers Association (ORIA) has sought ways and supported programs designed to eliminate illegal child labor in the handmade rug industry. After study, the Association concluded that the most effective and only certain means to that end was to target the underlying problems of poverty and lack of educational opportunities in rug weaving regions.
Now, the Association has moved into action. On May 25, its General Membership overwhelmingly approved sponsorship of a school in a district on the outskirts of Lahore, Pakistan. The region contains one of the highest concentrations of carpet weaving factories in that country. By approving sponsorship, the ORIA committed itself to developing and maintaining a school for a period of three years. The school has been established through the Child Care Foundation of Pakistan (CCF) an International non-profit organization.
At the same May 25th meeting, the Association also endorsed a long-term commitment to participating in other ongoing programs for the establishment of schools in rug weaving countries, through the CCF and other similar organizations.
In addition to the ORIA initiative, several individual members of the ORIA have established or underwritten schools, hospitals, day-care centers and other facilities in Pakistan and India. David Harounian, President of the ORIA and one of the companies sponsoring additional schools, observed: "Collectively, these efforts serve as examples of what can and should be done by our industry to ameliorate the conditions of children in the poorest areas of rug weaving countries."
ABOUT CCF
The Child Care Foundation of Pakistan (CCF) is an international non-profit organization based in Lahore. Recognizing that child labor is rooted in the socio-economic conditions that prevail in most Third World countries, its goal is to reclaim and rehabilitate working children as an alternative to outright bans on child labor that can result in driving them into more dangerous industries, crime or prostitution.
CCF has developed a non-formal educational program for Pakistani children in the carpet industry with a view to educating and training them while they continue to work with their families, thus preparing them to join the mainstream education system or adopt an occupation of their choice in later life. The course is three years long but covers almost the same ground as the five year normal course for primary grades in the mainstream Pakistani educational system.
Hours and class schedules are flexible and can be adjusted to the child’s availability. While the emphasis of the program is on math, reading and writing, subjects include Urdu, English, Math, Social Studies, Islamiyat and Personal and Community Hygiene. There is also a vocational component of the program that includes the teaching of skills such as dressmaking (for the girls) and tailoring (for the boys). Equipment for games is provided by the program as are regular medical checkups.
Established only a few years ago, CCF has already established over a dozen schools in Pakistan and reports that within the communities served by the program there is a growing awareness that child labor is undesirable and that education is important. Throughout the villages, workplaces are becoming better lit and better ventilated. Children in the program are more conscious of the need to maintain hygienic conditions and a clean environment and—most importantly—now talk about becoming teachers, doctors and officers after completing their education.
For more information about CCF, please contact Nasim Ahmed, Chief Executive, Child Care Foundation of Pakistan, 22/3 Miran Khan Rd., St. John’s Park, Lahore Cantt. Tel: 6669939, 9220682 Fax: 92-42-6669939 E-mail: CCF@nexlinx.net.pk.