Child laborers in Kunduz hope for education

KABUL (Tolo News): Child laborers in Kunduz province said that if they are provided with educational opportunities, they can continue their education in addition to working. The children work on roads, but say that they are forced to do hard work instead of learning in order to find a piece of bread for their families.
“We have to study, this is the time of our education, I work with my brother,” said Zamir, a child laborer. “If I do not work here, there is no one to support our family. My father is too old to work. We ask for help and to continue our education,” said Najibullah, a child laborer.
“Every day we earn 10 to 20 Afs to buy a piece of bread for my family, we do not go to school, we ask the government to help us continue our education,” said Safiullah, a child laborer. Meanwhile, local officials in Kunduz said that the process of collecting and helping these children has begun. “We will take action in collecting and helping orphans who roam the streets and child laborers who are far away from education,” said Matiullah Rouhani, director of information and culture in Kunduz. Although the presence of child laborers along the roads in the province is not new, the number of these children has increased in recent months. Poverty is one of the reasons why these children are forced to work hard instead of being educated.