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The improvement of the educational experience of minors and the development of personal skills reduce the risk of child labor. In this study we assess the impact of a psychoeducational intervention for the prevention of child labor in two neighborhoods in the periphery of Lima. With a pretest-posttest design, we evaluate the changes in self-esteem, self-efficacy, social skills, school attendance and academic performance of 48 students between 8 and 13 years old (M=10.38, SD=1.22). The results showed an improvement in perceived self-esteem and a decrease in social self-efficacy and social skills self-report. The qualitative evaluation of the perception of changes by students, parents and teachers demonstrated improvements in the socio-affective development of the participants. The evaluation of the program implies the existence of a process of awareness of the personal abilities of the participants, together with small improvements in the academic field that can have an indirect impact on the risk of child labor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes the formative evaluation of an educational intervention program with working children in Barranquilla (Colombia). An international team of evaluators conducted qualitative interviews with a sample of facilitators (n = 8), families of participants (n = 38) and teachers of schools where the program was implemented (n = 40). The interviews focused on the implementation process and discussed the role of facilitators, which administered the program and develop strategies for community mediation. The results show the connection between the processes of community involvement and the effectiveness of the intervention. The facilitators connect the program with the organizational and community contexts. In the implementation process, the role of facilitators consisted on (a) to adjust the program to the peculiarities and difficulties of the context, (b) to exchange good practices, and (c) to mediate with teachers and families involved. While the role of mediation and community adjustment of the facilitators were planned in the design, the formation of an informal group among the most active applicators affects to the central components of the program. Paradoxically, this dynamic improved the implementation and outcomes. In this context we discuss the lessons learned in the prevention of child labor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]