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Ten-year-old Haji used to spend most of his day helping his mother to make pottery and fuel-efficient stoves at the local clay makers– but the work was grueling. "I needed to crush the soil in the mornings and evenings and then go to school in the afternoon. When I had to work, too much dust came off and covered my clothes and face. I sometimes coughed hard. It is also tiring but I had to spend this time working to support my mother, so that she could produce and sell to buy us food, clothes and stationery," he says. No time to study Aster, aged nice, also worked there, beating clay soil to fine powder using a stick so that her mother would have enough soil to make pottery products. "It is hard to crush clay soil with a stick every day. I sometimes worked during the evening and did not have time to study and do my homework," she says. Improving children's lives Plan provided one diesel and two manual clay grinding soil machines to members of the Leku Area Fuel Efficient Producers Association and it has made all the difference. Now, children like Aster and Haji don't have to work and can fully attend school. "Now that we have the motorized soil crusher, we don't need the children to do work so much for us. Children support us with the manual crusher which is much safer and less tiresome than using a stick to crush soil," says local clay maker Beshure Hote. Time to play It is estimated that the machines have reduced the labour pressure on more than 50 children in three communities. "Now I am much happier as I have time to do my homework and take some time to play in my village," says Aster. Plan Canada finds families to donate to a kids charity for kids in Africa. For more Information on how to donate to a kids charity visit: www.plancanada.ca.
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