ECLT Foundation

Across agricultural communities, progress often starts with practical solutions developed by committed people and organisations.

ECLT (transitioning to ECLA) is pleased to support the second edition of the PAACLA Indonesia Awards, which recognise good practices helping to prevent and address child labour in agriculture.

By highlighting what works, the awards create opportunities for learning, collaboration and wider impact.

Learn more about the initiative and this year's edition:
https://www.paaclaindonesia.org/paacla-award-2026-penghargaan-praktik-baik-penanggulangan-pekerja-anak-di-pertanian/

What does progress look like in practice?

In 2025, ECLT worked alongside governments, businesses, workers' organisations and farming communities to strengthen the systems that help prevent child labour in agriculture.

The year saw important advances in labour standards, community-based monitoring, livelihoods, vocational training and national coordination mechanisms across six countries.

The Annual Report also reflects a broader lesson: creating sustainable impact requires not only action, but also the ability to learn, adapt and respond to a changing reality.

Explore the stories, achievements and partnerships that shaped our work throughout 2025.

Read the Annual Report:https://www.eclt.org/user/pages/06.publications/2025-annual-report/ECLT%20ANNUAL%20REPORT%202025_s.pdf

Over time, efforts to address child labour have generated an important insight: child labour does not exist in isolation. It is shaped by the wider realities that influence life in agricultural communities, from livelihoods and education to labour conditions, social protection and public policy.

This growing understanding is encouraging more integrated approaches that bring together different sectors, institutions and stakeholders around a shared goal.

In our latest article, we reflect on what an evolving understanding of child labour is teaching us and why a wider perspective can help create a broader impact.

Read the full article: https://www.eclt.org/en/news/what-an-evolving-understanding-of-child-labour-is-teaching-us

Policies alone do not change realities unless they can be translated into practical action.

This week, Tanzania is convening its National Stakeholders Consultative Forum on Child Labour to support dialogue around implementation pathways, coordination mechanisms and operational approaches across agricultural sectors.

These conversations help strengthen the systems, partnerships and long-term collaboration needed to support child labour prevention efforts across communities.

Stories play an important role in helping people understand the realities behind child labour.

They help reveal the experiences, pressures and challenges that many children, families and communities navigate every day. They also help connect technical discussions around labour standards, sustainability and human rights with the people affected by those decisions.

At ECLT Foundation, we believe storytelling should help keep lived realities at the centre of our work and contribute to greater understanding, dignity and awareness.

Stories do not replace evidence. They give evidence meaning.

Read more: https://eclt.org/en/news/the-power-of-telling-stories-why-they-matter-in-our-work

Preventing child labour requires strong systems at community, industry and national levels.

In Zimbabwe, the To***co Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB), with technical support from ECLT Foundation, continued strengthening monitoring, training and awareness efforts across the to***co sector in 2025.

Some of the progress highlighted in the latest report includes:
• More than 65,000 growers monitored
• Over 80,000 children surveyed on farms
• Expanded Agricultural Labour Practices (ALP) training programmes
• New sustainability reporting mechanisms to improve transparency and accountability
• Community outreach and awareness activities in to***co-growing regions

The report also highlights the importance of collaboration between government, industry, unions and development partners in addressing child labour risks.

Read more:https://www.eclt.org/user/pages/06.publications/timb-annual-report-2025/ECLT_TIMB_AR_2026_v03_WEB.pdf

Protecting children in rural communities often starts with the people closest to them.

Teachers, local leaders, farm workers and community representatives can play an important role in identifying risks early and supporting children before vulnerabilities become more serious.

Community Child Protection Committees help strengthen that local protection network through trust, knowledge of the community and continuous engagement with families.

Learn more through ECLT’s e-learning module on Community Child Protection Committees:
https://learn.eclt.org/courses/community-child-protection-committees