LAOAG CITY, Aug. 12–The Department of Labor and Employment-Ilocos Norte played ‘angel’ to 25 child laborers in Laoag City by granting their wishes of school goodies needed for schooling recently.
Leonavella Dadiz, DOLE information officer, said this is under the Angel Tree Project of the department.
DOLE-IN chief Engracio Bailon handed P1,000 worth of school items to the child workers at the Laoag City Auditorium recently.
Project Angel Tree aims to grant the wishes of child laborers as an effort to fight child labor through services such as food, shelter, education and health assistance, and skills training. This is done with the help of donors, sponsors and patrons of the project called ‘Angels.’
Dadiz said the project will also encourage them to continue education and hopefully, break their bondage to poverty and the cycle of child labor.
“Child laborers help their parents to work and thus, hardly have time and money to go to school. We hope that thru the services we give under the project, we, together with our private partners, are able to help these children to continue their education,” Dadiz said.
Among the items distributed to the child-workers to help them with their schooling are bags, shirts, shoes, notebooks, pencil, paper and pen, umbrella for the girls and raincoat for the boys.
The beneficiaries , according to her, were chosen from the list of indigent families submitted by the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
The beneficiaries are in high school and many work in the market or in the fields. (Carlo P. Canares)
