Mohammad Kabir and his family struggle to earn a living at the brick kilns on the outskirts of Lahore, the provincial capital. Toiling in the oppressive heat, the Kabir family is paid $4 for every 1,000 bricks they produce. Mr. Kabir’s daughter, Nusrat, is just 14. Until last year, she worked as a domestic servant. “I used to watch the children of the house where I worked as they came back from school every morning, and wished I could study too,” she says. “I asked my mistress once to teach me to read, and in return I would work for free. She said no.” Today, Nusrat is one of the rising stars at the Kherapul Non-Formal Education Centre. Established in 2008, it is one of 16 centres set up by UNICEF’s local partners as part of the Barclays/UNICEF ‘Building Young Futures’ partnership, which helps vulnerable children and young adults acquire the skills and opportunities they need to realize their potential as full members of their communities. The centre works to ensure that children like Nusrat have a chance to escape the cycle of debt bondage and poverty through education and vocational training. At present, over 2,000 children study in the centres in Lahore and Faisalabad. The Kabir family makes about $73 a month, working 14 hours a day, six days a week. On payday, a third of their income is deducted as payment towards their debt. The remainder must sustain the family of six, and any shortfalls –especially during the rainy season, when there is no work – are made up by adding to their debt.
