Longest Waiting Children

World Vision has been involved with Sri Lanka’s tea estate workers for many years and Lindula AP is an extension of this work. Tea plantation workers have been marginalised in Sri Lanka for a very long time. Originally brought in from South India over 150 years ago, they were eventually exploited for work and isolated from the rest of the country. World Vision’s interventions focus on the well-being of children to ensure that their health, nutrition, education and social needs are met.

In Lindula AP, the majority of the people work as pickers and labourers in the tea estates. They are paid daily, and when work is not available, they face a severe shortage of income.

Also, children lack proper education, and 45% of the population under 12 years old are illiterate. This is due to long travel distances, poor transport facilities and lack of finances for education resulting in a dropout rate of 14.5%, almost 10 times the national average.

In terms of healthcare and child protection challenges, 74% of people live in dismal housing. Whole families live in a single room that is linked to others to form a “line house”. There is little ventilation, and no privacy, and conditions are often unsanitary. Only 67.1% of households have their own latrines and the remaining families share common latrines or defecate in open areas.

Wazirpur, Bangladesh is a district located in the Southern region of Bangladesh, about 114km away from Dhaka. The majority of the population are limited to labour-intensive and low-income occupations such as farmers, daily labourers or petty traders. As the district is also prone to earthquakes, water logging and arsenic poisoning, economic livelihood opportunities are further restricted. The prevalence of child labour and child marriage also contribute to high drop-out rates in school - limiting the opportunities for future growth and development.

World Vision has been involved with Sri Lanka’s tea estate workers for many years and Lindula AP is an extension of this work. Tea plantation workers have been marginalised in Sri Lanka for a very long time. Originally brought in from South India over 150 years ago, they were eventually exploited for work and isolated from the rest of the country. World Vision’s interventions focus on the well-being of children to ensure that their health, nutrition, education and social needs are met.

In Lindula AP, the majority of the people work as pickers and labourers in the tea estates. They are paid daily, and when work is not available, they face a severe shortage of income.

Also, children lack proper education, and 45% of the population under 12 years old are illiterate. This is due to long travel distances, poor transport facilities and lack of finances for education resulting in a dropout rate of 14.5%, almost 10 times the national average.

In terms of healthcare and child protection challenges, 74% of people live in dismal housing. Whole families live in a single room that is linked to others to form a “line house”. There is little ventilation, and no privacy, and conditions are often unsanitary. Only 67.1% of households have their own latrines and the remaining families share common latrines or defecate in open areas.

Sindhuli is one of the poorest and most deprived areas in Nepal, ranking 56 out of 75 districts in the national poverty deprivation list. World Vision began an assessment study into this area in April 2012 and found the needs of the mainly minority ethnic groups here compelling. Hence, the Sindhuli AP began its work in Oct 2013.

The majority of the people in the AP are dalits (untouchables) and indigenous Janajati. These groups are among the poorest people in Nepal. They depend on agriculture, manual labour and seasonal migrant labour for their livelihoods.

In terms of education, the illiteracy rate in the AP is 60%. Parents of poor families do not value the education of their children. Rather, they send their children to work at an early age to supplement the family income, and it is common for children to drop out of school at the primary level.

Children from Dalit and Janajati communities are also more vulnerable to malnutrition and childhood illnesses, which hinder their growth and development.

World Vision started its operations in Antique province in 1984 through a church partner. Over the years, the scope of work expanded and transited into longer term development programmes. With an established presence in the area, World Vision has been able to bring people together and empower local leaders and partners to make a difference for children in their community.

The Antique province has the highest rate of malnutrition in the entire Western Visayas region. With malnutrition present in the target community, children face an increased risk of wasting, stunted growth, respiratory illnesses and impaired brain development.

26% of the population in Antique live below the national poverty line. In several vulnerable families, men and boys work as sakadas, or sugarcane farmers, which is perilous work and does not generate much income. In order to ensure their families can afford basic necessities, men and boys work in other provinces and young women work as maids.

Low income levels have far reaching implications on children. It can lead to them dropping out of school to work in order to support their family. As parents are focused on finding food for the family, other responsibilities are left behind. The lack of parental guidance often leads to children engaging in delinquent behaviour.