INVESTIGATION | Childhood on the Clock: Poverty Is Pushing Isoka’s Children Out of School and Into Work

By Richard Simbaya

Over three days, MakanDay observed numerous children working in restaurants, market stalls and small shops across Isoka. Some appeared to be as young as 12. Most were not formally employed. Instead, they worked in exchange for food, accommodation or small informal payments.

By seven o’clock each morning, the sounds of Isoka’s main market fill the air. Metal pots clang against concrete floors. Customers negotiate prices. Restaurant workers hurry between charcoal stoves and crowded tables.

Among them is 13-year-old Aaron.

His real name has been withheld to protect his identity.

Instead of sitting in a Grade Seven classroom, Aaron spends his days washing dishes, carrying heavy buckets of water, cleaning tables and serving customers. He begins work before sunrise. He leaves long after sunset.

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