Learning to live again

According to the Organisation for International Law and Child Labour, there are more than 5 million 5 to 14 year olds, working across Latin America. In many of these countries, a child is more likely to be forced into work in order to contribute to their family income than complete a basic education.

At Telefónica O2, we believe that business has a responsibility to make a positive difference. We are convinced that our activities benefit the countries in which we operate and result in greater economic, technological and social development. Nevertheless, we believe that our activity should be combined with other social and cultural projects wherever we operate.

We embrace this role through our commitment to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals aiming to improve the quality of life for young people, across the globe, by 2015.

Through Telefónica’s Proniño scholarship programme, Telefónica are taking action in 13 countries to help eradicate child labour, and get children reintegrated into schools. This not only gives them a chance to get a basic education but to enjoy their childhood and learn through play. To date, over 58,000 children have benefited from Proniño — giving them a chance for a good education and a hope for a better future.

Proniño works with nearly 20,000 volunteers across South America supporting the work with children and their surrounding communities. The volunteers come from many different countries and the diversity they bring gives the children an insight into the wider world.

Heidi Danaher was one volunteer working in Ecuador. She was shocked by what she saw at one refuse tip. ‘It was a horrible place to work and dangerous too — even hospital waste such as syringes is dumped along with all the other rubbish. People were scavenging amid rotting waste for items to sell or sometimes even to eat. This is daily life for these people.

‘The aim is to get children into school instead of working in dreadful conditions for a pittance. As an incentive to go to school, children are given a rucksack, boots, pens and pencils, a pair of shoes and some pumps to wear. Many children were in bare feet so they would certainly need the shoes to go to school.

‘We went to one farming and fishing village where all the families helped with the work. One father had five children, his wife had left and he had to support his sick mother too. The sense of gratitude and relief at the provision of a school place and school kit for his eldest child was amazing. Testament to the importance of this programme. He understood that schooling could make a difference to his son’s life.

‘The village school had one teacher with 27 children in the class, all different age groups. Facilities were basic yet they had all the necessities — desks, chairs, pens and a white board — and the keenness to learn. School starts at 8.30am and finishes at 12, so children can still help their parents in the afternoon if they have to, or go to one of the Proniño centres if they need help with school work.’

Juan Camilo Carreras’s story is just one of many. ‘I worked at the rubbish dump in Porto Viejo in Ecuador, to help my mother. We collected rubbish to earn money. The air was bad and it made everyone sick. My childhood was hard. One day at the dump we met Diana, from Proniño. She told us how important it was for me to go to school. After we all talked, my mother agreed.

‘Proniño gave me a scholarship which let me stop work and start school. I was scared at first. I wasn’t used to playing with other children. Life got so much better. Proniño gave me back my childhood. I went to special classes with Proniño. I learned how to play. My mother went to classes too. I wanted to continue studying, to do well and make something of myself. I have studied hard and now I’m at university. I’m saving for the future. Proniño has given me a chance for a better life, a good education and a future.’

Juan is just one of 58,000 children whom Proniño have helped so far. Jonathan Arana is another. He was born ten years ago in Managua, Nicaragua. When he was eight he had to give up his passion, football, because he had to work. He had to get up at four o’clock in the morning to deliver the tortillas made by his mother, Carmen Aguirre Ponce. For Carmen, single and with another two children, that decision was not easy because she had always been clear about the principles and values of her family, but her financial situation became so difficult that in the end she chose to make Jonathan her assistant. They both thought it would be temporary, but Jonathan worked for two years.

During that time, he didn’t give up school, but his education suffered. He was responsible for earning a living for his family while still a child and he had no free time, so he was always tired. The arrival of Proniño at José de la Cruz Mena’s school in Managua changed the situation. ‘I don’t deliver tortillas now and I’d like to become a lawyer to help those in need. Now, when I go home, as well as doing my homework, I can play football with my brothers and friends’, says Jonathan.

But this is not all we do. Another major programme is Educared which is designed to introduce both children and their local communities to internet technology. It provides a vast array of online education resources that helps support the work of Proniño. Each year, Telefónica invests over €50m euros in social action programmes, and the business is currently engaged in a range of activities to promote diversity, digital inclusion, environmental and child protection.