ENDA third world

Since its establishment in 1972, ENDA Third World, has observed that children are at the centre of people's concerns and with whom it acts and exchanges. The number of children, their energy, their role, their fate, their present and their future, determines the development of societies of which they are not only those that are concerned, but are increasingly becoming the actors.

In Africa, the population "below 18 years" was in the majority in 2000. The efforts deployed in the second half of the 80s in favour of children was in this connection. The vaccinated, rehydrated and fortunately surviving children "baby boom" was not supported by the social service promotional measures; to the contrary, the structural adjustment plans seriously degraded them and especially touching such areas as health, education as well as the habitat.

The 90s that were supposed to be the age for the development of the child, became the period of child stagnation and even regression. The children and their parents had had - themselves- to face their situations, the consciousness of their rights developed through the setting up of grassroots social services of education, health, training, but there was also an increase in the power to speak out as encouraged by the development of the democratisation process.

But his democracy is developing in countries where the majority of the populations often live under the poverty line. While working, learning and undergoing training, the African children contribute to the development of the society and to the building of rights. They fill in a new social vacuum by their traditional role of socialisation through participation to the collective effort.

In this way, the African child accomplishes its obligation and attains its right. The notion of the "right of the child" is therefore not synonymous to demands, but rather, to development; while "participation" signifies "effort".

ENDA's activities can be found on different levels:

•Support to grassroots activities undertaken by the populations and by the children themselves in neighbourhoods and villages. The important part of these activities are planned, implemented and evaluated by these actors with the support and counselling of ENDA, along with its methodological training section.
•Support with social policies in countries. ENDA contributes to the setting up of the activities programmes, situation diagnosis as well as in planning and implementation. ENDA helps all those mainly concerned, especially its grassroots partners, to participate at all levels and stages of the policies. In 1985, C.H.Kana, the Chairman of the board of directors of ENDA Tiers Monde wrote an article titled: "To Survice and Afterwards" in which he brought into perspective, the issue of child survival with the development of pertinent services to their blooming. He was wondering if this policy could only be limited to an "emergency survival.
•Involvement at the international dimension aimed at development: from the Porto Allegre social forum to the UNGASS on Children in New York, or to the Sustainable Development conference in Johannesburg. In these different forums, ENDA tries to constitute a task force "by mobilising African energies, children, youths, governments, NGOs, technicians, etc., to strengthen the effectiveness of their presence and the contributions.
Hence, in its vision of sustainable development, ENDA is not a main actor, but rather, a catalyst of partners aiming at strengthening the social actors especially the grassroots actors, and to encourage dialogue and synergy among these and institutional actors. This partnership is a transversal element at different levels of ENDA's local and national activities in Senegal and in other countries where it is present (Bolivia, Colombia, Mali, Madagascar), regional activities in the vast "Calao network", and international activities with the South-South and South- North alliances.

ENDA TM, Team Jeunesse Action

The Jeunesse Action International team at ENDA Tiers Monde accompanies the African Movement of Working Children and Youth since 1985. It assists in strengthening their organisation on the local, national and regional levels. It facilitates exchange, training and communication between supporting institutions and organisations that assist children living in difficult conditions in more than 64 towns in 20 African countries and maintains international relations in an inter-continental network. It assists the development of skills that are available within the networks. The team is not limited to this restrictive group; it includes a vast network of resource persons, animators and young associative movement leaders who are especially responsible for the mission's support activities, methodological training and communication.

The essential aspect of ENDA's work is done in a network with different partners. Notwithstanding, in some countries, some "ENDA teams" exist and they develop field activities for themselves. They do so essentially within the perspective of the "spirited-animators", that is, assistance and transfer of competences to grassroots groups. The aim of this section is to describe the experiences, programmes and products of these teams.

The Jeunesse Action team of Guédiawaye was founded in 1985. It is located in the outskirts of Dakar. It assists children living in difficult conditions to enable them improve their living and working conditions. It assists the associative structures for children and youth on the local and national levels. It operates in the Cap Vert region where about a quarter of the population of Senegal lives; and it coordinates the activities of the "Xaley Ca Kanam" programme in eight of the ten regional capitals of the country: Dakar, Fatick, Kaolack, Louga, Saint Louis, Tambacounda, Thiès and Zinguinchor.

The main grassroots partners of the team are:

•the children detached from families
•working children and youth
•Koranic school pupils
•female school drop-outs
•groups of mothers, and associations of working committees of "neighbourhood development associations".
It assists them in the area of protection, grassroots education, vocational training and training in complementary skills, organisation, training in methodology, family mediation and reconciliation, information, entertainment and sensitisation.

Besides it numerous grassroots partners, the team collaborates with governmental departments with the framework of national and decentralisation programmes as well as with international organisations (ILO, UNESCO, UNICEF). It develops synergies on the ground with other NGOs and with the members of the working committee of supporting structures for children living in difficult conditions ( or COSAED) in accompanying children detached from their families.

The other Working Children and Youth Movements in the world

The African Movement of Working Children and Youth (AMWCY) is "not alone in the world". Other similar Movements exist throughout Latin America, India and are appearing in Europe.

•MOLACNATs The Latin American and Carribean Movement of Working Children and Adolescents www.ifejants.org, is organised in about 15 countries throughout the continent: Central America, Andine Region and the South Coast. In August 2001, it held its sixth Latin America meeting in Asuncion in Paraguay. Its executive secretariat is located in the same town.
•Indian Working Children's Movement, www.workingchild.org , is in the making and comprises of about 10 working children organisations of central and southern India. The organisation known as Bhima Sanga of Bangalore, took this initiative. Further north, in the capital, the organisation known as Ballah Mazdoor, regroups independent working children who are exposed to daily repression in the street. This organisation has attempted to form itself into a Working Children's Syndicate.