Center for Regional Development

The Center for Regional Development (CRD) works to prevent and reduce child labor in mines around Potosí, Bolivia.

Center for Regional Development Program

• Child Miners Project.  The program focuses on preventing and reducing child labor in the mines by providing children alternatives to life in the mines. CRD provides scholarships, tutoring, and vocational trainings to its participants. The goal of the project is to help children receive an education and find another source of income, so they will not have to work in the mines.
  

• Greenhouse Program. CRD operates a youth-run greenhouse that produces goods that are used in CRD cafeterias to provide free meals to malnourished children.  In addition the goods are sold in the local market to help pay for the cost of CRD's scholarship and tutoring programs. In 2009 150 children participated in the greenhouse program.

• Radio program. CRD hosts a radio program to educate their community about issues of education, health, the environment.

Why the need?

Bolivia has a population of 9 million and 60%, nearly 5.4 million,  live below the poverty line. The average family has 6 children, and even at an early age they are expected to help earn income to provide for the family’s basic needs.

In the city of Potosí, mining is the main source of employment. Mining is dangerous work, performed manually with just hammers and picks and often without adequate safety equipment. Conditions are harsh, with average work days lasting 10 hours in dark, cramped spaces with temperatures regularly hitting over 100 degrees. These conditions and safety hazards have contributed to lowering the average life expectancy of miners to just 38 years. Often the children working in the mines never return to school.

How Team Efforts Translate to Impact

100% of NGC funds raised will help CRD prevent and reduce child labor in the mines by providing alternative economic and educational opportunities to children and their families. Funds will specifically support the greenhouse program. 

How Center for Regional Development Creates Sustainable Global Change

Center for Regional Development provides economic and educational alternatives to children working in the mines. Educating children, and providing training and ways children can earn an income not only provides alternative sources of income for mining families, but also builds the local economy.