Kasindi (16) crushed stone in a mine and hardly ate for five years. Through Caritas 's project, he received help to go to school. He loves going to school and dreams of becoming a math teacher.

- The mine is a two-hour walk from here. We walked on foot and hardly ate. Just some small fish and cassava when available.

Kasindi Heritier

Five years of hard work without regular nutrition has taken its toll. The skinny, short 16-year-old looks half his age by Norwegian standards. His blank eyes bear witness to experiences little boys shouldn't go through.

- There is a lot of suffering there, Kasindi quietly states in front of the student council and parents when Caritas Norway meets his school in Kasika in the South Kivu province of DR Congo.

Helped by Norwegian youth

Kasindi now attends Institut Miki thanks to support raised by Norwegian young people through Operation Day's Work in 2019 - channeled via Caritas Norway. And he loves it - especially math.

- I feel good now. Life is very different than it was in the mines. Because I've always wanted to go to school. And I hope that one day I can become a teacher.

Kasindi Heritier

The worst forms of child labor are prohibited in the DRC and enshrined in the ILO's core conventions. But unfortunately, it is still widespread in the mines of South Kivu, where young people are exploited to dig out valuable materials used in mobile phones and other small electronics.

Thanks to the efforts of Norwegian youth on OD Day in 2019, Kasindi and other young people are getting help to get out of the dangerous mining work and into school. The goal is to help 10,000 young people between the ages of 12 and 18 by 2024.

In addition to the province of South Kivu, the project is being implemented in Haut-Uélé (Wamba), Ituri (Mambasa) and Tchopo (Bafwasenda) located further north in Eastern Congo.