Color, laughter and joy
Wednesday, October 12 was a happy colorful day for child
laborers. In a friendly atmosphere and a nice weather, children
splashed colors on clothes and created amazing pieces in Saba
Art and Culture Institute.
In this one-day workshop of T-shirt painting, first children
drew sketches on clothes and after lunch, they painted the same
on white T-shirts. The paintings were admired by almost all
visitors and guests because of their amazing colors and
interesting designs.
The Sheen Art Group facilitated the workshop by hanging the
T-shirts and putting them on display. Children proudly showed
off their art works to visitors and explained the designs.
The most interesting aspect of the workshop was the broad smiles
children wore in an amiable and calm ambience where they could
freely manifest their inner thoughts and feelings.
The day ended with presents offered by the Sheen Art Group to
the children and the red apples offered to visitors. Our efforts
for the happiness and joy of child laborers have not ended
though and we need everyone’s aid in this effort.
My Hands are Full of
Dreams
On the occasion of World Children’s Day, Sheen Gallery is to
hold a T-shirt painting workshop in cooperation with the
Association for Protection of Child Labourers.
In the workshop, 40 APCL children accompanied with 4 of
their instructors as well as 7 instructors from Sarzamin
Baran, learn how to paint on T-shirts.
We hope that through this workshop we can make this day a
happy one for children who may draw lines as they wish and
mix colours they adore.
Time: Wednesday, 12.October.2011
Location: Saba Art and Culture Institute
At All the
Children Center :
“ Ms. Will you go to heaven?”
Peyman: “ Ms. Those who beat children go to hell!”
Silence
Peyman: “ Here it really pisses me off, because no one beats
men! Here everyone is so good!”
Silence
Peyman: “ Take me to the State Welfare Organization’s centers.
I’ll be Ok there! Iman will go to hell, because he beats
children. Ms……goes to heaven”
My eyes are filled with tears and this sad story goes on…
Wishing a better tomorrow for all world children
At All the
Children Center
Old Building Plan:
was standing at the staircase looking at the old
building which I stepped in two years ago to start work. There
have been the fig tree, the blue pool, grandpa’s tree, freedom
tree, Arash Borhani’s tree- these were the names given to the
trees by children! It was silence everyone as there was no child
around, but I could hear the joyful voices of children in my
ears. I was staring at the bricks taking deep breaths and I was
happy that I was there! I was happy that I had a chance to play
with children, to experience joy in the midst of all the
bitterness we had to go through. I was happy that we were all
still there to bring a new sense to ‘hope’. In the yard, we
played seek and hide, ate walnuts and climbed the fig tree. Many
people that we loved left us, new ones arrived whom we love; we
sat together on the floral carpet and ate and breathed in the
nice smell of a warm meal. We had had some beautiful days
despite all the hardships. Morteza was there, too! Zabih once
said: ‘they won’t ruin it now. Relax! Attachment to a
building?!’ I smiled. Deep in my heart I was really happy
because the building was to be renovated with the help of some
lovely people and that was a positive development. I wasn’t
staring at the bricks or anything like that. I was thinking
about all the nice experiences we may have in the new building
and thought to myself: ‘Thank God that this time after
destruction there comes hope for a new beginning.’
Renovated Building Plan:
I look at the nice colored bricks. I notice the wonderful blue
pool. I am happy. Morteza is not there anymore. Zabih is leaving
and Shahab is standing by me trying to read the word on the
paper ‘education.’ I take a deep breath and feel thankful to all
those who helped the renovation of the building. I am thankful
because of the everyday presence of children. I am thankful to
all.
Wishing a better tomorrow for all world children
‘Education and entertainment is the right of every child’
- Provision of opportunities for equal access to free
quality education
- Establishment of schools where children enjoy learning
- Expanding education to life skills such as communication
and understanding, peace, acceptance…
Autumn, alleys, waiting, month of Mehr, children’s hustle
and bustle, their joyful voices, school songs… On Monday,
26th of September the Association for Protection of Child
Laborers welcomed its 850 member children so that all can
celebrate the arrival of autumn and the start of the new
academic year.
Central Branch:
After a month of silence and waiting for the joyful presence
of children, APCL celebrated the joining of more than 400
newcomers in its central branch with music, games…
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All the Children
Center:
9:00 a.m., Monday, 26th of September:
Children are too excited to wait for the doors to open! Up
until 12:00 when the feast was to start, children knocked on
the door a thousand times to celebrate the joy of month of
Mehr with us. Having children waiting in lines at the
center’s door to enter and join the crowd was an amazing
scene. Let’s hope that they always wait in queues to get a
share of enjoyment. Happy autumn.
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Khavaran Center:
When I got out of home in the morning, the marvelous autumn
weather brought tears to my eyes. And while I was plunged in
my childhood memories, I headed toward the Khavaran center
to celebrate the start of the new academic year with
children. They may remember these days in 25,26 years when
on their way to get to a center for celebrating another
academic year.
Monday, 26th of September, 10a.m-12a.m.
The following activities were arranged in the amphitheatre
of the social department of District 15 Municipality.
150-200 children participated:
- Verses from the Holy Qoran and the Iranian national anthem
- Congratulations to all on the start of the new academic
year by APCL Managing Director (Ms. Banasaz)
- Musical performances
- Competition between the elementary and middle school
children
- A song by APCL children
- Applauding for the top three students in each grade
- Refreshments
It is good to note that the children of the Bazaar center
were also present in this event.
Bam Center:
Concurrent with the two other centers’ celebration, children
of Bam also celebrated the month of Mehr in their center.
- Verses from Holy Qoran recited by Atefeh Lakzaee
- Greeting and congratulating the participants
- Reciting poems accompanied with music by children
- A musical theatrical performance with the theme of school
re-opening by Mohammad Poursalehi and his crew
- Applauding top students (both in academic and disciplinary
terms)
- Thanking teachers and all those who contributed
Farewell to Kabir…
With tears in our eyes
and a heavy heart we said farewell to our beloved child and
saw Kabir off to his endless journey. We left his fragile
body to the dark soil so that he rests in peace forever.
Association for
Protection of Child Laborers
In Memory of Iqbal Masih
By: Parisa Yaghoobi
June 12 is the World Day against Child Labor. This is
piece in memory of Iqbal Masih, a child who was born with
little hands and little feet, but with eyes full of hope in
poverty.
He grew up and experienced the bitter taste of life in his
family. He didn’t know yet what the fate had in store for
him, though. He lived a tough life, but still played and
laughed. One day he got tired of playing and headed back
home. His father was not there…and this was the beginning of
a new life.
The father left; now the mother played his role. The
children were no more children. It didn’t end there; there
was more bitterness to come. His elder brother decided to
marry. To pay the expenses, he got loans and soon the time
of repayment came.
The family decided to offer a child as a warrantee. The
child was sold to a weaving workshop……
The young child had now to play the role of father. It was a
bitter experience, a draining experience of being left
alone, the experience of injustice, oppression…..so much of
an experience…
Days of sitting at the carpet weaving machine, no rest, no
food, no childlike moment and this was the end of childhood.
Once when he was hanged from the ceiling upside down, he
wondered
And he remembered…. He talked to a coworker (another child)
and that was the punishment. He forgot all about childhood,
he didn’t grow an inch in three years. He was a child
outside and an old man inside.
Little by little he forgot what laugher was.
He could remember his eyes though which were filled with
hope. He had heard about somewhere, a shelter. So he escaped
toward freedom; not only for himself but for all children
like him. He didn’t want them to be poisoned by a bitter
life.
He visited many lands and took part in seminars. He made
amazing remarks. At the age of 13 and illiterate he was more
eloquent than any lecturer. He told the untold and fought.
He talked of pains that were called experience; he talked of
his delicate hands which had to weave carpets in dim, damp
underground workshops. He disclosed physical and sexual
abuses…
He talked about the fine designs on the carpets and the
share of children which was nothing but a damp and dark
place.
His words, his eloquence and his sincerity fascinated all.
So many people stood for him and formed a movement.
The child began to grow up again, a robust tree was sending
its roots down in him with its leaves getting bigger and
bigger every day.
Alas……who cut the trunk of the tree?
Didn’t he know that the roots will be always there?!
Association for Protection of Child
Laborers’ Statement on World Day against Child Labor
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The Association for Protection of Child Laborers (APCL)
commemorates June , the World Day against Child Labor.
The Day is an opportunity for contemplating and speaking out
about the pains of those children whose childhood has been
stolen by unrelenting exploitation caused by poverty and
social inequality. The consequences of this loss, not only
ruin their today, but raze their tomorrow. The World Day
against Child Labor is a chance to rethink our human
responsibilities in the face of children, ponder upon our
negligence and shortcomings, and realize the necessity to
put an end to the inhumane phenomenon of ‘child labor’.
Child laborers are the silent and defenseless victims of
negligence, inequality, poverty and other social disorders.
No doubt, their pain would be eased only through solidarity
and efficient humane efforts by all societies for the sake
of children.
"child labour exists because we allow it to exist"
Let them go…
This little bird which is confined in your cage today
tomorrow
will be a swift-winged eagle
which wouldn't be even gratified by the famous Ghaaf peak
Let them go…
- seyyed Ali Salehi –
See how Easy
We Are Cheered up….
By: Faezeh Agha Miri
Child labor
at the first glance is a nice combination of words…It is
nice when uttered out loud …it is nice when seen in
real…thanks God that a machine has been invited in which we
sit and whenever we wish not see something pushing just one
button, create a wall between ourselves and unhappiness.
Pushing another button, we can listen to our favorite music,
not bothered the least with any sorrowful music outside. You
see how easy we are cheered up…?
We have placed so many borders in our life
over the years that we are lost now…. We are lost and we
have lost the way….woman, man, old, young, Iranian,
foreigner, rich, poor, …What is going on with us? Where have
we been trapped all these years? What good have these
invisible bonds have done us that we do not get away with
them? Let’s have a good look at our hands….a deep
look….there are plenty of scars. What has happened to us
after years of carrying the burden of these treads
generation after generation? ….
Let’s for a second put the treads aside:
He gets up in the morning, has her simple
breakfast patiently or impatiently. In the
name of God gets out of
home, stands at the first junction, looks around and finds
nothing! Stays there for a while, but the driver of the car
at the back is in a hurry as if a crowd is awaiting him
somewhere; he stops at the next junction, here is a familiar
face. Thanks God…so she is here…the girl runs toward the
car…as if she was more impatient
- Hi Mehdi
- Hi little
Raha, you have been
wandering around, you naughty girl!
- I have come to see my friends; I
have kept the pink fortune paper for you today.
- You know that it’s always the same,
pink or red.
- Take it; it’s being the same means
that everything is in place as always.
- Ok, go to your place.
- Ok, by the way I
guess they will serve Ghorme Sabzi at your work today. You
will see.
Mehdi leaves. Without opening the fortune
paper, he know what awaits him…He wonders if when things are
the same, does that mean that everything is in place? Does
that mean that Raha should be on the street? Mehdi in a
small room of a small office? Wish we could never get used
to this routine…Wish Raha never suffered from getting used
to routines. Wish there was a remedy to this plague so that
Raha was not placed on the street, Mehdi in the office,…
Thank you for putting aside the treads for a
few seconds. You can now have them again.
Spring
It feels great as soon as I step out of
the room. The birds’ chirping inspires me with a new spirit.
Everything, the blossoms, the gold fish in the pool smell of
freshness. The trees in the yard look taller than ever. The
sky and the earth seem to be trying to say the last of what
was mounted up in their heart all through the year. They are
full of odors and colors.
I sit at the flowers in the yard and
think of all that happened and didn’t happen. I think of
Norouz, New Year. I want the spring to come over sooner and
make everywhere green. I think what if like in the tales,
the winter grandma comes and says goodbye and just then the
spring can knock at the door with a bunch of blossoms and
flowers. How wonderful grandma’s tales were; wish she could
be here, whispering stories to my ears.
A knock at the door, brings me back to
reality. Maybe like in fairy tales, a fairy has come to make
my wish true. My heart in beating, as if it’s the very
spring who is knocking at the door…
I open the door and I find her. She is
like spring but with tearful eyes. She throws herself in my
arms and says my dad beats me and wants to force me to go on
the street for work…
Chahrshanbe Souri and Norouz
Celebrations in all APCL centers
In the last month of the year, smelling
rain and spring breeze, we all gathered with APCL children
to celebrate Chaharshanbe Souri and get prepared for the
Norouz celebrations.
Theatre, poem reciting, treat or trick,
firework, haft sin,... were all done under raindrops that
poured on us, made the arrangements difficult but gave us
the news of the arrival of spring with all its freshness and
novelty; The spring which is the beginning of a new set of
steps in a path with lots of ups and downs but filled with
the thrilling laughter of children.
An update on book reading in APCL
libraries
Book reading promoting classes were arranged in
cooperation with professionals from the Research
Institute of History of Children’s Literature to
encourage working children to read. The project sought
to familiarize children with the culture of reading
books and bring more dynamism to the libraries through
creative methods. On top of reading children are
encouraged to participate in such activities as
painting, handicraft, games, discussion and theatre.
Hand in Hand, Together with Child
Labourers t.jpg)
Association for Protection of Child Labourers ( APCL)
welcomes spring along side with its members and friends in a
New Year show. This is going to be the 11th show
organized by APCL. The shows are organized by a group of
volunteers at the public relations section of APCL. The
upcoming show is scheduled for 21 Esfand, from 10:00 to
21:00. The location of the show is Narges Restaurant, Naz
Alley, Movahed Danesh Street ( Aghdasiyeh), Tehran, Iran.
Preschool Graduation Ceremony
On 9 Day, 1388, APCL celebrated the completion of a
preschool course which was launched in collaboration with
UNHCR in Tehran. The graduated preschool children celebrated
the event by having a cake with the logo of APCL on it and
received school bags and some other presents. At the end of
the ceremony they took pictures with their teachers while
wearing graduation gowns.
APCL Kitchen, Up and Running
Again
On 23 Azar, 1388, APCL’s kitchen resumed work after some
repair work and renovation. The kitchen is used for
preparing midday meals for the children. Given their tough
living conditions, child labourers are usually deprived of
an appropriate diet and thus they lag behind their peers in
terms of a healthy growth. The kitchen is supervised by the
Health section and is financially supported by a group of
donators. APCL seeks to make up for the nutritious
deprivation of the children through supply of meals as
advised by nutrition experts. Currently the children are
provided one warm midday meal a day.
Report on Preschool (5-9 year
old) Children’s Nutrition- Azar 1388
Note: As you will find out through the report, the children
targeted in this trial, suffer from the worst types of acute
malnutrition. This can be more or less generalized in the
whole population of the children attending APCL.
Objective: Since the families of child labourers usually do
not observe an appropriate diet, the children are severely
prone to malnutrition. Thus a nutrition survey was carried
out to measure the level of malnutrition as a preliminary
step to enrich the meals the children are given at APCL.
Method: Children’s height ( without their shoes on) was
measures against a wall. They were all weighed while wearing
light clothes and without having their shoes on. The heights
for each age and weight were compared to the NCHC curves.
The Results are as follows:
Key words:
Acute malnutrition: The child has been suffering from
insufficient energy for a long time.
Chronic malnutrition: The child suffered from malnutrition
sometime in the past, but he/she can be in a normal
situation at present.
Acute and chronic malnutrition: The child has been suffering
from lack of enough energy for a long time, so much so that
he/she suffers from low height for age on top of low weight.
Another
Support Centre
In cooperation with the cultural and social department of
Tehran Municipality District 15, APCL launched a new
support centre for child labourers on 15 Mehr, 1388 with the
aim of winning support for the working and vulnerable
children. The mobile social relief team of APCL- including
two social workers- patrol the area to identify child
labourers. The project will be running up until 21 March
2010.
APCL-UNHCR Joint Project
In line with its educational objectives to provide the
deprived children with educational opportunities, APCL
signed a trilateral agreement with the Iranian Ministry of
Interior and the UNHCR to increase its preschool classes to
two. The two classes host 46 students.
Currently there are another 120
children on the waiting list; however due to limited
resources and educational space, the chances of having more
classes for these children are meagre.
Bamdad ( Dawn) Library Reopens
Bamdad library was reopened in the joyful presence of
children enriched with the odour of new books and a jubilant
spirit after it was painted and renovated with the help of
donators. We hope that library can serve the children as an
opportunity to get further familiar with the world of books.
New Academic Year Feast
APCL celebrated the start of the new academic year on 16
Mehr which coincided with Child World Day. More than 430
children – all members- participated in the event,
performing joyful and educational programs to make the day a
memorable one.
The new academic year celebration
was launched after repair work and painting at the
association and the children’s presence could be felt all
through the event.
New Academic Year at APCL
The start of the academic year is typically marked by new
clothes, bags and shoes for most children; however here in
APCL, children celebrate the start of the year simply at a
place which provides them with a chance for schooling.
Once Again, the Old Building
During the repair work, an old well hindered the process of
the old building renovation. Fortunately the incident
happened during the 10-day summer break when the children
were not in the building. APCL’s building is located in a
very old area of the town and given the limited financial
resources, access to a safe and standard educational space
is not feasible currently. This is while APCL embarks on
repair several times a year and every time on top of the
financial burdens, part of the already limited education
space becomes unavailable to children. We hope that with the
help of APCL supporters, we can have a suitable standard
building in the near future where the children can enjoy
schooling.
Awaiting School
After the exams, child labourers at the Association for
Protection of Child Labourers have a 10-day summer break.
The break is an opportunity to renovate the old building.
The funding of the repair project was provided by a donator
and some of the former child labourers helped with
supervision over the project. Educational courses are
available to all children during the 12 months of the year.
10th
APCL Show
APCL launches its 10th show on the even of the
fasting lunar month of Ramadhan. The show puts on display
and sale food and cultural items and includes a special
program to welcome the fasting month of Ramadhan.
Location: Abouzar
Educational-Cultural Centre, Shahid Mohebbi Alley, Shahid
Pour Ebtehaj ( Darabad) Street, Niavaran, Tehran, Iran.
Time: 30
Mordad, 1388 11:00-22:00
A memorable day for APCL
children
Childhood is associated with joy and laughter and here in
APCL, in a feast, the joyful laughter of 350 children could
be heard. Like in previous years, this year too, APCL
celebrated the World Day against Child Labour. At 7:00 am,
the children arrived at APCL in little hasty steps to
celebrate the day. The ceremony was held in a cultural
centre outside APCL where a variety of educational and
entertainment programs were organized. The children arrived
at the centre in 8 buses. This time affluent North Tehran
was a place for fun rather than work for the children of the
South. The programs were:
- Breakfast ( juice and cakes)
- Music
- A theatrical performance by a group of APCL children
- A statement by the children on the World Day against Child
Labour
- Games and entertainment
- Mid-day snack
- A performance by the State Broadcasting Organization for
the children
- Lunch
- Awarding APCL children
APCL would like to thank all those who helped in arranging
and organizing the event and those who made the event
feasible through their generous financial support.
Young Bread Winners
The class starts at 6:00 pm when the day’s work is over.
This is probably one of the rare classes where the tired
students eagerly sit in the class awaiting the teacher;
their faces tired of the day’s chores, their eyes filled
with enthusiasm to learn and their hands presses the pen on
white papers with utmost zeal.
Many child workers lose the chance to study and this in turn
makes it very difficult to find a solution to their other
problems. The Education Section of APCL has for the first
time set up a class for children who cannot attend classes
in day time. The class hosts 18 students- three 12 year old
boys and fifteen 17-18 year old boys. All of these boys work
in workshops during the day.
Young Filmmakers in Cinematic
Museum
The Association for Protection of Child Labourers took the
children attending filmmaking courses to the Cinematic
Museum. The course instructor is Kaveh Mazaheri who teaches
16 students. In another occasion a group of children who
were just interested in filmmaking were also taken to the
Cinematic Museum.
Traffic Rules and Children
In a move to familiarize the children with traffic rules,
APCL arranged for a visit to the Traffic Park. The visit was
facilitated by the District 12 Municipality for 40 children
in three groups. The children watched slides and videos on
the issue were taught how to cross the street, as well as
importance of wearing a seat belt while in a car and paying
attention to traffic lights. The visiting children were aged
7 to 13 and were mostly elementary school children.
Reza Abbasi Museum , Welcomes
Child Labourers
APCL children visited Reza Abbasi Museum in three groups. It
was the idea of the children’s history teacher suggesting
that it would be useful if the children could see what they
study in textbooks in real. District 12 Municipality
arranged for transportation.
Goodbye Illness
A vaccination project was carried out in the Health Section
of APCL in cooperation with a health and medical centre in
East Tehran. The project will cover all APCL children.
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