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Erradication of child labor with small technological innovations

In the town of Chambo in the province of Chimborazo, Ecuador, over 300 families live and survive from the production of handmade of bricks. In many cases, the entire family works from 3 o´clock in the morning preparing the clay to be then worked and burned.

Very young children, and even before birth in the womb of the mother, participate in the simplest tasks of the craft: Flip the bricks to dry, wash and clean tools, prepare the floor where the bricks are to be placed... Tasks that at first may be considered a game but irremediably convert smaller children and teenagers into cheap labor, often exploited without pay or reward.

Red EcoSur developed a mixer-mill that saves up to 80% of the work of preparing the clay with water and sawdust. With this saving of time, the adult operator can devote full time to the work of making bricks and avoid the use of child labor in the production chain.

In agreement with the Patronato del Concejo Provincial de Chimborazo, Fundación Telefónica – Movistar and Red EcoSur, 15 mills will be given to poor families in Chambo. The beneficiaries have been identified and each mill is expected to serve for two families so that the investment at least doubles the number of beneficiaries. This agreement is signed within the program to eradicate child labor - Proniño de Fundación Telefónica - Movistar, which has been running for 13 years in Ecuador and in 12 Latin American countries.

From left to right: Ma Augusta Proaño (director of Fundación Telefónica), Dagmar Thiel (vice president of Fundación Telefónica), Mariano Curicama (prefect of Chimborazo), Narcisa Curicama (director of the Patronato) and Paul Moreno (executive director of Red EcoSur).

With these small innovations to the production chain, the small artisansbecome more efficient and reduce their fatigue, and children and teenagers can devote their time and energies to their studies, the main weapon for a better future.