Forged in fire

Astride, 16, stands in an open courtyard outside her workshop in Tshala, holding a window frame she has just finished welding. Moments ago, sparks were flying from her torch as she shaped the iron. Even the relentless clanging and roaring of the nearby mines couldn’t stir her calm focus.

“I lost five years of schooling to the mines. But through welding I gained strength and independence. I’m now confident in my future,” she explains.

Astride, the eldest of nine children, grew up in Tshala, a mining town in Lualaba Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. When she was young, her father operated machines that crushed stone. But when tuberculosis paralyzed him, he was unable to continue working. As his health worsened, Astride’s mother Fanny struggled to be the sole provider for her family.

To survive, Fanny brought her children to work in the small-scale copper mines in the area. Such mines are unregulated and rely on informal labour. Workers often use basic tools and are given limited or no protection. For years, Astride walked 10km every day to work in these conditions.

“I knew children should be in school, but I had no choice: either we worked in the mines, or we starved,” Fanny says.

At the mines, Astride, her mother and her siblings collected and washed copper scraps that either fell from moving trucks or were left behind by miners. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, children work for as many as 12 hours per day for as little as US$2. The work was tough, and the environment posed risks including exposure to toxic dust and chemicals, physical injury, and even sexual abuse.

“Working in a mine as a girl means living in constant fear because nothing is done to protect children, least of all girls,” says Astride.

The long, laborious days forced Astride to focus on survival. Providing for her family became far more urgent than completing her education.

But thanks to community-based para-social workers, Astride was identified as being at-risk of exploitation. Para-social workers are trained individuals from within the community who identify vulnerable children and families, help them access social, health and protection services, and assist them with rejoining education or training.

To disincentivize children working in the mines, Fanny was enrolled in a three-month mobile cash transfer programme. From this, she received US$40 per month for three months, which she used to buy food – including rice, flour and salted fish – and set up a small plant nursery. Nowadays, she harvests seeds and sells seedlings to generate income.

“Before, we had to rely on copper scraps just to eat. Now with the nursery I manage, I can provide for my children,” Fanny says.

While her younger siblings returned to school, Astride decided to focus on learning a technical skill. Inspired by her uncle, a welder, she completed a six-month training course in welding and received a full set of professional tools. The training was organized by the Division of Social Affairs (DIVAS) and provided by Papa Kamwila, a respected welder in Tshala. DIVAS supported Kamwila so that he could train young people in the community.

“I loved watching the sparks fly when my uncle welded or cut metal,” Astride remembers.

Now, Astride is employed in a local workshop, under the continued supervision of Kamwila. She produces many items, including braziers, windows and doors.

This combination of cash transfers and skills training has unlocked a future for Astride that was previously unimaginable. Such targeted and practical support – even in the most vulnerable of communities – can help break cycles of poverty.

Cash transfers and skills training offer alternatives to child labour, protect children’s rights, and open pathways for education and growth.

“I want other children to have a chance at a different life, but still many spend their days in the mines here,” Astride says. “I dreamed of becoming a doctor, but life took me elsewhere. Today, I am proud and happy with my career path.”