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The announcement coincides with World Day Against Child Labour on 12 June, highlighting the urgent need for collective action to protect children from exploitation worldwide.
Across the DRC, millions of children in mining zones face vulnerability. Although the last DRC census was in 1984, the UN estimates that 54 million children under 18 live in the country. According to the 2023–2024 Demographic and Health Survey, one in ten Congolese children aged 5–17 (11%) worked in dangerous conditions. The most frequently reported dangerous condition was carrying heavy loads (7%). Overall, about 2 in 10 children (18%) were engaged in economic activities or household chores exceeding the age-defined thresholds, or had worked in dangerous conditions.
In the informal mining sector, children are exposed daily to toxic dust, hazardous machinery, the risk of collapse, and violence. Many earn as little as $1–$3 per day, an income considered essential for household survival yet which robs them of education and long-term development. International agencies classify mining-related child labour as one of the worst forms of child exploitation, given its immediate risks and long-term consequences, including chronic illness, disability, and intergenerational poverty.
Committed to advancing child welfare, KSQF is supporting a holistic initiative with UNICEF to address the root causes of child labour, including poverty and barriers to education. The programme combines direct support for children with assistance for families and strengthened protection systems in schools and communities. It is expected to directly benefit more than 200 children and 100 households, while strengthening the capacity of social workers, teachers and local institutions to prevent exploitation.
Lujan Mourad, Director of KSQF, said: “Child labour in the mining sector is one of the gravest humanitarian challenges of our time, stripping children of their health, safety, and future. This project with UNICEF is not simply an intervention - it is an urgent call to action to protect children, empower families, and build systems that meet the highest international standards of child protection. Sustainable development is not optional if we are to achieve quality of life and global development goals; it is the only way to ensure that children are in schools, not mines, and that communities can break free from the cycles of poverty and exploitation.”
Lujan further emphasised: “At KSQF, our mission is guided by the humanitarian legacy of the late Sheikh Khalid bin Sultan Al Qasimi and by the vision and values of the Foundation’s chairperson, Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, who has made children’s welfare a priority. Our role is to turn that vision into lasting impact by safeguarding children, advocating for their rights, and investing in long-term, sustainable solutions that transform societies. This partnership with UNICEF embodies why KSQF was established: to step into critical gaps, bring global standards to the most urgent challenges, and stand firmly for a future where every child has the chance to reach their potential, uplift their community, and live with dignity.”
John AGBOR, Resident Representative, UNICEF, said: “Every child has the right to a safe childhood. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, unfortunately, we still have many children working in informal mines instead of in classrooms. With KSQF’s partnership, we will seek to consolidate these proven solutions, which not only remove children from dangerous labour but also provide them with education, vocational skills, and the chance to grow in dignity, while strengthening child protection systems alongside the government. This project is a powerful example of how global collaboration can drive sustainable change and bring us closer to achieving international development goals.”
The project builds on UNICEF’s TPS+ model, first piloted in 2023. This approach identifies vulnerable children, connects them to social services, and supports their families through financial and capacity-building interventions. The results speak volumes: in 2024 alone, 1,015 children were removed from mines - 599 re-enrolled in schools and 416 placed in vocational programmes. Crucially, none returned to mining.
KSQF’s strategic partnership with UNICEF in the Congolese context, implemented in the Kambove Health Zone in Haut Katanga province, will directly support more than 200 children and help remove them from the mining sector by strengthening protection services, expanding access to education and vocational pathways, and providing assistance to families to reduce economic vulnerability.
At the same time, the programme will focus on empowering households by delivering monthly cash transfers to 100 families, providing financial literacy training, and supporting cooperative-led income-generating activities to reduce dependence on the meagre earnings children bring from mines. To ensure lasting change, the initiative will also drive advocacy and public awareness, raising community and national understanding of the dangers of child labour, engaging child reporters as youth advocates, and building partnerships with the private sector to strengthen accountability and embed young people’s protection within broader development frameworks.
The DRC supplies over 75% of the world’s cobalt, copper, and other minerals essential to the global energy transition, from electric vehicle batteries to renewable energy storage. Yet this global demand carries a human cost borne by children in informal mines.
The programme is designed for long-term sustainability. Capacity-building for parasocial workers will support ongoing child protection, while household income-generating schemes will prevent children from returning to mines. The insights gained will establish a scalable child-protection model, designed for replication across the DRC and in mining regions globally.
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