Campos de Esperanza
(Fields of Hope)
Campos de Esperanza
(Fields of Hope)
World Vision partners with the U.S. Department of Labor all over the world to prevent and remove children from harmful child labor and ensure their education. Our Campos de Esperanza project in Mexico is a four-year project focused on preventing and reducing child labor in the states of Oaxaca and Veracruz, particularly in the sugarcane and coffee sectors. Working with the government, the private sector and communities, we seek to improve working conditions for migrant agricultural workers and link migrant children and their families to existing education, training, and social protection programs.
To improve the working conditions for agricultural workers, the project is addressing occupation, safety, and health concerns in the sugarcane sector, particularly as it relates to the prevention and management of chronic kidney disease of unknown causes (CKDu); a public health epidemic that is taking the lives of sugarcane workers (mostly men aged 30- 40 years old), thereby increasing the risk of children and youth engaging in child labor.
Events
CORE Group’s Global Health Practitioner Conference, May 6-9, 2019, Bethesda, Maryland
May 6, 1-5 p.m. | Public-Private Partnership and Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Causes
Over the past decade, CKDu associated with agricultural occupations, especially in the sugarcane sector, has been observed in Central America. Conditions linked to CKDu include exposure to heat stress, lack of proper hydration, the use of nephrotoxic medications, the overconsumption of drinks containing high amounts of fructose, excessive working hours, few rest days, physical exertion, over-consumption of alcohol, and exposure to heavy metals and agrochemicals. At this conference, the Campos de Esperanza project will amplify the issue by sharing mechanisms and approaches taken to build successful private-public partnerships in Mexico to raise awareness and manage this non-communicable disease, as well as identify critical roles communities can play in preventing child labor and protecting agricultural workers in sugarcane fields. Register for the session here.