Imperial working to end child labor and boost schooling in Malawi

An initiative backed by Imperial Tobacco is helping children in tobacco-growing areas of Malawi to attend school.

In a note posted on its website, Imperial said that the ‘Eliminating Child Labour in Tobacco-growing (ECLT) Foundation’ was working with the government and other agencies to improve educational provision in rural areas.

All youngsters of school age were being registered, new classrooms being built and existing ones improved to cope with the influx of pupils.

The project offers financial support to families so that children do not need to work, along with greater protection for 15-17-year-olds already at work legally.

“It was great to see the difference the project is making to the lives of rural families,” said Charlie Rossignol, leaf partnership manager, after visiting one of the ECLT projects in Malawi.