Working it to the Bone

This week I was teaching some conversationalist English to my Form Three (Gr. 11) English Class. The phrase 'working it to the bone' came up. I used the phrase in a sentence and quickly the students raised their hands and understood the phrase means working extremely hard sometimes to the point of being overworked. The phrase is an oxymoron here in Kenya because students are expected to have so much responsibility including managing their academic responsibilities and often times holding down a job and working to support their family.

Child labour is an issue in Kenya. I think when I was younger, the issue was black and white. Child labour is wrong and the rights of the child need to be protected. As I grew up, I learned that the issue is far more gray. The first time I discovered the grey zone is while reading an article about Nike. Nike is infamous for their use of child labour. The argument within the article is that if Nike is boycotted and shuts down factories then children will be put out of work pushing families further into poverty. Obviously, this is a simplification. Of course, Child Labour is still wrong. The fact that Nike can sell shoes for upwards of $200 US and the children making the shoes only make $1 US/day says something right there.

My grey zone was further challenged very early on in Kenya when discussing the life skills curriculum about child labour. The reality is that child labour happens. Yes, its wrong but for many families it is a necessary evil in the current situation. I believe that this is the reality that people live in. As far as life skills is concerned, the hope is that school will remain as the number one priority but if students have free time then earning money can take place. This is much the same as Canadian teenagers taking on part time jobs. The unfortunate part of it in Kenya is children as young as eight can be seen working in the streets, parks and stadiums.

Some of the jobs that children hold are pretty basic. I've seen children sell pinenuts at the stadium, pulling goats to the slaughterhouse and selling vegetables in the village markets. There is also another silent truth: that these jobs sometimes do interfere with student learning. Students at ACREF sometimes skip school to work because they must support themselves. The teachers at ACREF know this happens and have even pointed out to me some of their students on the streets working as we've been walking around the slum. The situation is desperate and there is no real answer. The students are their own sole supporter and expenses continue to rise.

It is not just work that works children to the bone. Drugs are a huge challenge for Primary school aged children. Growing children especially during puberty eat large portions of food. Drugs here are not used recreationally like teenagers looking for a buzz back home; in many cases students use them to suppress hunger. Students eat paper as a way of filling the empty void in their stomachs. Glue sniffing provides a high but also tricks the body into thinking it is not hungry. There is more then a quick buzz that students are getting, they are also receiving false nourishment. Hunger causes students to fall asleep in class at all levels. If the body isn't nourished, it cannot sustain itself and it will fall asleep. Hunger works these children to the bone and they try to fill the void but its a void that will only be filled with proper food.

The Form One (Gr. 9) student that I spoke to in Form One at ACREF talked about earning 100 KSh (approx $1 CAD) for 12 hours work every Sunday. The truth is that an honest days work is grueling, tough, difficult work. It is worth more than the 100 measly Kenyan Shillings workers receive but there are no safeguards to promote fair wages. Working it to the bone is a literal meaning in Kenya. Tough labour works people to the bone and this real desperation can be seen in all workers eyes.

I wish I could go back to my white and black world where child labour is completely wrong. I know it is but I also know that the problems and situations are so complex that a grey zone whether I like it or not simply exists. Sometimes when you go searching for answers all you are left with are more questions. These questions add more perspective but on the same token this perspective comes at a loss. Thiss loss is the loss of innocence that appears to have been lost far sooner in the African child then any friend or I would ever conceive in our youth.