Combating Child Labor Through Education

Very few children of families living in extreme poverty in Guatemala have the luxury to attend school. The majority have to work to contribute to family income and are often subjected to exploitative forms of child labor. Starting in 2004, CRS, in coordination with implementing partners, began supporting an initiative to combat exploitative child labor through improved education.

Many children in Guatemala do not have to opportunity to go to school.

This regional program, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, aims at combating exploitative child labor practices in Central America and the Dominican Republic. In Guatemala, CRS is the lead agency that with the support and collaboration of Cáritas Verapaz, Caritas San Marcos, and CARE. Interventions include awareness-raising and advocacy, primarily at the national policy level, that strengthen government and civil societies' capacity to address the educational needs of working children and those at risk of entering work prematurely.