SOHAY also runs sessions for parents and employers to discourage child labor and offers skills training to increase family income. “Getting working children into formal education is really very challenging,” says SOHAY’s program manager, Mohammed al-Mamun. “Their psychological and physical condition is not like other children in society. After they leave work, they sometimes find it difficult to make friends and adapt to school.” It is also very challenging to ensure they stay in school – the dropout rate is very high for these children. Seven-year-old Zhorna Akter Sumayya has two older brothers, both of whom are in work (one at a restaurant, one at a local club). But, after being introduced to education at one of SOHAY’s centers, she now goes to a state primary school. Her parents can’t survive without the income their sons bring home, but they were keen for their daughter to go to school.
What do Zhorna’s brothers do?
They are both employed so that they can make money for their parents One works at a restaurant and a club, and the other goes to school They try their best to not drop out of school before finishing They help Zhorna with her homework after school