Cilimli Nursery of Ministry of National Education serves as social support centre for the “Integrated Model for the Elimination of Worst Forms of Child Labour in Seasonal Agriculture in Hazelnut Harvesting in Turkey Project” in Düzce Province.


Çilimli Nursery Manager Nuray Eran stating that 8 teachers are working for the project and she continues “Our nursery is open for the children of seasonal workers in summer time. We are working with with International Labour Organisation and Ministry of Labour and Social Security. We observe an increase in the numbers of students attending to support centre each day. Meeting with families in the evenings has an important role in that. Çilimli District Governorate and Çilimli and Düzce Municipalities support our work locally. We have prepared a colourful program to reinforce children’s relation with the support centre. Our program will continue until the end of the harvest season. Students are preparing a show for their families and people of Çilimli for the end of the harvest season.”

Pınar, Şiyar, Ahmet, Yasin ve Hikmet.

Çilimli Social Support Centre student Ahmet says that he is coming to the region for the last 6 years. He says “ We have this school now and I am here. I really like it. I was going to fields with my family when there was no school to help them pick hazelnuts.” Şiyar from Urfa Province states that he left the school early in his hometown with his family before the term ended. “Sometimes I don’t want to go to school but to go to fields instead. But my mom and sister insist that I have to attend. I go to fields if there is no school to help my family with cleaning and I bring water for them. We go to pick tomatoes, cherries and green peppers and mostly hazelnut harvesting.” adds Şiyar.
Hikmet is from Batman Province adds to Şiyar “My father and sisters left early to pick peaches. I have waited with my mom to finish my school term and then joined the rest oft the family here in Çilimli for hazelnut harvest. My brother left school early and he regrets that. I will always go to school and become a doctor one day.”

Classes are being carried out in the colourful classrooms of Çilimli Nursery of Ministry of National Education serving as Çilimli Social Support Centre.

Teacher Hülya Soylu is rehearsing local folk dances together with her students for the end of the season show.

***
The overall objective of this project is to contribute elimination of worst forms of child labour (WFCL) in seasonal agriculture in line with the Turkish Government’s strategy drawn by the National Employment Strategy 2014-2023. A model has been developed through the Dutch Government and CAOBISCO* funded “Elimination of Worst Forms of Child Labour in Seasonal Commercial Agriculture in Hazelnut Harvesting in Ordu” project 2013 and 2014. The project aims contributing to the withdrawal of children from work and prevention of at-risk children to be engaged in seasonal hazelnut agriculture. It will bring added value through the replication of the strategic intervention model in the different regions and contribute to a sustainable child labour monitoring mechanism in seasonal agriculture. The project will step up efforts to attain the goal of contributing to the policy making and efficient implementation on the elimination of WFCL in seasonal agriculture.

*Contributing members of CAOBISCO to the ILO PPP Project: Ferrero, Nestlé, August Storck KG, Barry Callebaut, Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co. KG, Mars incorporated, Chocosuisse, NATRA S.A., Griesson - de Beukelaer GmbH & Co., Cémoi chocolatier, Gebr. Jancke GmbH, Neuhaus NV, Stollwerck GmbH, Koenig Backmittel GmbH