JINOTEGA, NICARAGUA (BNO NEWS) – Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis visited on Monday the U.S.-funded ENTERATE program, aimed at eliminating child labor, in Jinotega, Nicaragua, the Department of Labor (DOL) announced on Tuesday.

Solis visited a school at the coffee plantation Los Potrerillos in Jinotega which was built by the plantation’s owners to enable children to attend school instead of working in the fields. The children share their experiences regarding the ENTERATE program with the DOL Secretary.

“Ending child labor is not something that can be accomplished through a single law. These are the types of initiatives that need to be recognized and expanded to work toward this goal,” Solis said.

The Labor Secretary also met with local coffee producers who are committed to eliminate child labor and to provide education to children whose parents live or work in plantations. The coffee producers signed an agreement on June 12 to reaffirm their commitment to combat child labor.

The World Day Against Child Labor agreement also specifies that the adults should receive respectable salaries to be able to fully support their families and avoid sending children to work on plantations.

“We know that it is critical to increase the incomes of adults so that they do not have to send children to work. That is why it is significant that these coffee plantation owners are committed to decent wages and working conditions,” Solis added.

ENTERATE is a three-year $5 million project implemented to promote, impulse, and establish efforts to combat child labor in Jinotega, Madriz, and Managua.

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