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| National |
| Woman opens school to curb child labour |
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by
Patrick Msowoya, 04 September 2003
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17:50:15
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Concerned with high cases of child labour and long distances to school, a Rumphi woman has opened a community primary school on the outskirts of Rumphi district in the North where children used to cover several kilometres to the nearest school.
About 300 school-going children failed to attend school and were subjected to all sorts of child abuse in tobacco farms as well as homes where they had nothing to do but work all day.
Opening the school, which has so far enrolled over 250 pupils, Bessie Chirambo, who runs a number of retail shops and other businesses, said she was touched by the high cases of child labour in her area where children are used as labourers on tobacco farms and estates.
“It pained me looking at a group of young children toiling in tobacco farms while their colleagues in urban areas go to school. This is why I thought of building a small structure and some toilets as a start to help the children divert their minds from the hard work,” said Chirambo.
Principal village headman Jalira of the area said in an interview there was no school in his area and it was dangerous to let the children travel a long distance to the nearest school.
“This is a deserted place with many poisonous snakes and definitely a caring parent cannot let a six-year-old child travel through the bush to school. That is why people employ children in tobacco estates since they have nothing to do at home,” said Jalira.
Apart from working in farms, the chief said parents use the children to dig up mice and children take hours just to find one mouse.
Apart from the structures, the woman has also promised to pay the teachers from her own coffers and that the children will attend school for free.
She also provided the school with pens, notebooks, blackboards and other learning material to the school.
The school called Kapyolambavi, is situated some 15 kilometres from Bolero along the road leading to Nyika National Park. |
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