By Bisola Adeyemo
A Non-Governmental Organisation “Care Malawi” has encouraged all tobacco farmers to desist involving in child labour.
The warning came after revealing the number of children rescued in tobacco farms in the country.
An official from Care Malawi, Catherine Nyirenda, told Nyasa Times that no more than 225 children were rescued from the burden of working in tobacco farms in the year 2021 in Ntchisi district.
While given out tools including bicycles to the farmers, the official said the bicycles will help the lead farmers in the fight against child labour.
“We have handed 66 bicycles to Ntchisi District Council. The council will in turn hand them over to the Ministry of Agriculture here. We are hopeful that the bicycles will ease the work of the 66 lead farmers that we are working with here in Ntchisi,” explained Nyirenda.
“We travel long distances to visit our fellow farmers. These bicycles will help us in terms of transportation,” said Bwaduka.
An official from Ntchisi District Council, Solomon Mbewe, said more initiatives were needed to curb child labour in the district.