Insan Foundation

World Accord's partner in Pakistan since 1990 is the Insan ("human") Foundation, based in Lahore, a city of 8.5 million people. Insan focuses on children's rights, primarily on the problem of child labour in Pakistan. While we all can agree that child labour is an appalling phenomenon, its causes are complex and can not be addressed with simplistic, short-term solutions. Through Insan's work fighting the child labour problem, they have explored the root causes of the issues in order to find appropriate solutions.

So What's the Cause of Child Labour?

Surprising to some, Insan has found that while poverty is always a factor, it does not stand alone at the heart of the problem. As a rule, the child laborers with which Insan Foundation works do come from poorer families, but for the most part their families do earn enough to meet their basic needs. Is poverty then what is driving child labour?

Insan Foundation believes that the sorry state of public education in Pakistan is largely to blame. Public Schools in rural Lahore face problems of:

• Overcrowded classrooms
• Physical abuse
• Irrelevant curriculum
• Inflexible hours
• Teachers not showing up to teach

These conditions compel students to turn to the workforce where, despite oppressive working conditions and low pay, they at least receive some visible compensation for their day's work. Unfortunately, in many cases it is the parents who encourage their children to join the labour force as a way to provide added income for the family. Insan Foundation is addressing this complex problem with a variety of interventions that have at their core a series of community-based alternative schools.

Flexible Education as a Solution

These schools provide an alternative that is both relevant and accessible to poor or working youth. The schools use a variety of unconventional methods to attract students; from variable hours which allow students to attend when they are able, to a curriculum which uses newspapers and participatory theatre to address important social issues.