Bringing hope to children is foundational to the mental and emotional health of a society.
Brick factories are not an ideal place for children to survive, learn, or be protected. Yet, seeing unpaid child laborers in brick factories is common practice. These children serve as an extension to their parent’s labor. Education is a vital part of breaking the generational cycle of slavery.
There are several challenges when it comes to providing education for children working in the Kilns. Some challenges include:
- distance to public school is to far and no transportation is available
- the family needs the child to work in order to survive
- the kiln owners require children to work
- the child is a minority and not treated equally
- parents don't value education
- medical issues
In order to overcome these obstacles we've found it best to locate a school in or near brick kilns. The school is required to operate a minimum of 3 hours a day allowing the children to continue with work. At times we have to persuade brick kiln owners by paying rent or involving a lawyer to insist that education be made available. Our brick kiln school model provides education for children ages 3yrs+ and tops out at the 5th grade. At that point they have to transfer to a nearby private or public school until they reach grade 10. We test twice a year.
For children over the age of 14 yrs+ we offer an intensified 1 year training. We've found that the older kids can learn much more quickly and often pass their 8th grade test within their first year. This allows them to move into metric school or a trade school.
Brick factories are not an ideal place for children to survive, learn, or be protected. Yet, seeing unpaid child laborers in brick factories is common practice. These children serve as an extension to their parent’s labor. Education is a vital part of breaking the generational cycle of slavery.
There are several challenges when it comes to providing education for children working in the Kilns. Some challenges include:
- distance to public school is to far and no transportation is available
- the family needs the child to work in order to survive
- the kiln owners require children to work
- the child is a minority and not treated equally
- parents don't value education
- medical issues
In order to overcome these obstacles we've found it best to locate a school in or near brick kilns. The school is required to operate a minimum of 3 hours a day allowing the children to continue with work. At times we have to persuade brick kiln owners by paying rent or involving a lawyer to insist that education be made available. Our brick kiln school model provides education for children ages 3yrs+ and tops out at the 5th grade. At that point they have to transfer to a nearby private or public school until they reach grade 10. We test twice a year.
For children over the age of 14 yrs+ we offer an intensified 1 year training. We've found that the older kids can learn much more quickly and often pass their 8th grade test within their first year. This allows them to move into metric school or a trade school.