Sylvie’s Story

In the summer of 2003, Len Morris and his crew were in a coffee plantation in Kenya, attempting to film children picking coffee. They were warned for months that they’d never get that footage They’d been told they’d never get permission to enter Kenya, they’d never be allowed on the plantations and they were warned that the children would run when they saw a camera for fear of losing their jobs and meager income. They went to Kenya anyway.

Len recalls:

“We had been in Kenya for at least a week attempting to get the footage to prove that children under 14 were 60% of the workforce, working 16 hours a day, covered in pesticides that would burn their eyes and shorten their lives. All to pick the coffee beans were sold in the United States at a four to eight thousand percent markup for the profit of 5 companies that, at that time, controlled 80% of the coffee import business, filled with children working silently in 100 plus degrees.

I noticed that 90% of the workers were female That young girls often picked with babies on their backs That some families had three generations pickinggrandma, mother and child, with a great grandchild on the ground, exposed to the same chemicals as the rest. If a man was present, he generally was a foreman carrying a club, issuing orders and looking for me to give him money for the privilege of visiting the field he controls He certainly had no clue we were filming

After a few minutes of this, we were introduced to a tall, skinny and very shy girl of about 12 years of age Her name was Sylvie and she was one of the ones working alongside her entire female clan On her leg, and heel, Sylvie had an angry black abscess, the sort of infection that to my untrained eye looked like it could lead to serious trouble, I imagined the worst. I knew that the wound had to be very painful but Sylvie was smiling shyly at us I was completely taken with this rail-thin girl who didn’t understand one word of what I had to say

I told my son to get the medical kit out of the van He looked at me for just a few seconds and then disappeared for the mile or so to run back to the van to get the kit In this part of Kenya, there is virtually no medical care available We had passed clinics that were either closed or stripped bare of medical supplies of any kind Not even an aspirin And we knew that after a 16-hour day of work, Sylvie would return to a village with no sanitary facilities, where animals mingle with humans in thatched huts, where the water is filthy and malnutrition and hunger are a constant

Our situation was quite the opposite We would leave the fields and rinse away the dirt and pesticides with a hot shower. Sylvie would simply go home to her village - a considerable walk at the end of the day Her village, and the school she should be attending, if she could afford to, were both on plantation landwholly owned and controlled by the same people exploiting her as cheap labor.

We began to pull into pharmacies in Nairobi and to buy any medical supplies we might need on the plantations Three days later we showed up in the fields and Sylvie was waiting for us with her smile blazing away And so was the rest of the village, lined up for medical care, probably fifty people with maladies of all sorts More scrapes, chiggers, cuts, a few broken bones, babies with high fevers the full range of health issues, way more than we could possibly handle or have a clue about The babies I simply sent to the hospital $9 would open the doors to emergency treatment. It seemed cheap at the time. Especially looking into the face of a tiny baby burning up with fever.

We spread out two tarps and began to help anybody with a wound we might be able to clean, etc We worked for a few hours doing this As we left, the list of needed supplies expanded and we made two more stops at pharmacies. I felt empowered by what we were doing It was so real and immediate, and I was so touched by their open smiles

Back in 2003-2004, it cost about $50 a year for a child to go to primary school in Kenya. They called it cost sharing. It was a sum that none of the families experiencing poverty, earning less than a dollar a day, could pay So their kids picked coffee instead of getting an education. After 6 weeks of filming and doctoring, we found ourselves in the village one last time Suddenly an impulse took hold, a very naïve impulse, to take these children we’d come to know a bit and change their future, starting immediately

So we took pictures of all of the children not in school - there were about 30 of them in the first round; another 30 would be added to a wait list We divided the cost of a year’s tuition and simply paid it We asked the local organization’s social worker to make sure the kids got into school, had their fees paid and then we prepared to leave Kenya, satisfied that we’d done something more than just record the suffering of these kids

I went to an event once where the Dalai Lama spoke about helping other people He said that helping others can be done for personally selfish reasons and he called it, “Good selfish”.

On the day before departure, we visited Sylvie at her school Sylvie approached me and spoke directly to me, “Will I ever see you again?” Fortunately for Sylvie, our hometown is willing to offer time, help and money. As of today, nearly 2000 children have been educated, fed, clothed and received medical care from The Kenyan Education Fund Today, three of the children we met on coffee plantations are attending college

I last saw Sylvie at one of the finest boarding schools in Kenya in 2006. She ran up to me and put her arms around me She had filled out, no more malnutrition She told me she wanted to be a lawyer and “protect poor people from losing their land to rich landowners, who then exploit the children ”

Becoming active in the fight for awareness and elimination of child labor can be a promising and whole-hearted adventure Therefore, having the right tools and guidance is essential to create the greatest possible impact Having an emotional connection to people and their stories is one of the biggest sources of inspiration, especially with such a complex problem that can only be solved if enough people unite and get organized to demand the elimination of child labour and accountability from governments and companies.

A good start is to know your rights and learn from the past to better understand the context of the issue and how it affects peoples’ lives Get informed to know the state of child labor your area and the world; education is key to be able to stand up for the cause and raise awareness on the effects of child labor and why it is important to keep children in school instead of working. Sensitizing others about the topic is key to inspiring others to take action, and connecting with like-minded individuals can increase the impact of your efforts That is why it is so important to join a local group and to keep strong bonds with your support network. Taking care of yourself is primary to keeping up the fight.

Commit to small actions to bring great improvements to the children affected. Small actions like donating money, signing petitions, posting on social media, writing letters can be a starting point for bigger awareness and fundraising campaigns, where friends, family and key community members can contribute through concerts, plays, murals, presentations and public debates

Online campaigns can also be done locally for a global impact. The use of blogs, social media, creating videos, memes, online petitions and jokes are just a few examples of how words travel fast and effectively inspire action on the spot. Another powerful way to bring change is writing letters to companies or organizations that employ and profit from child labor. A wellwritten letter with evidence and clear statements of what is expected to change is key

It is important to be aware of interconnections of laws and the intersectionality of social norms Assess your own standing in a given system and avoid perpetuating the very inequalities you wish to challenge Avoid misrepresentations. Amplify the voices of those who have experienced these issues firsthand; this builds trusted relationships and empowers local voices to consider public leadership. Creating bonds with mentors and allies within systems of power is also vital

Speak up to promote a peaceful and egalitarian culture. Think about what the goal is – acts of solidarity – letting them know they are not alone – or is it to invite someone to think differently about a certain topic or behavior? The Media Voices Blog and Magazine strongly encourages and amplifies children and youth voices and art. What are the new ideas you can come up with to raise awareness and funds to combat child labor? Every person and action counts.

SUGGESTED RESOURCES:

Youth Participatory Politics

The Harambee Way of Life

50 School Fundraising Ideas

I Will Be A Hummingbird - Wangari Maathai

Two Girls, Two Different Stories

Youth Led Activism to build a better world

With this activity students will create an awareness/fundraising campaign

The goal is to design an executable campaign to educate and empower younger students about their rights and put into practice their campaigning skills to build child labor-free communities, locally and globally. This will allow them to share what they have learned and directly push for good practices to better choose daily products and become change makers for the present and future they want to live in.

The awareness/fundraising campaign will impact their schools, families and communities as well as inspire new leaders to find solutions to real life problems while helping real people

Using the Actions Steps as a guide, encourage your students to create an awareness campaign against child labor such as a fundraising campaign for the Kenyan Schoolhouse program or another direct-action initiative:

Invite them to put into action what they’ve learned to bring information for display.

Students are strongly encouraged to leverage products created during previous lessons as addition for the campaign (e g poems, art, comics, songs, activities, photos, videos, among others)

Share your student’s ideas, work and school impact on social media using: #ActionStepsToEndChildLabor & #WeDoChildRights @mediavoicesforchildren

Students will be encouraged to submit their complementary campaign elements such initiatives, poems, art, letters, photography/videos and/ or ideas to mediavoicesforchildren@gmail.com to become volunteers or get featured in the magazine, social media or website.

ACTIVITY OUTLINE:

Make sure your students know exactly what they want to achieve. Results should be measurable to mark the progress when they finish, and it should be relevant to the main goal and fit within a planned time-frame

How will they present information to create awareness?

What type of activities can be planned to fundraise?

Who are potential donors?

Who are their allies?

Who is the audience?

Can the school infrastructure be used for the campaign activities?