An Esquimalt High School student plans to ride her kick scooter 100 kilometres starting Thursday to raise awareness of the use of child labour in the gold mining industry in the Philippines.
Raine Guiterrez, 17, who calls her project Scooter For A Future, is working alongside Ban Toxics, a non-profit organization dedicated to environmental justice in the Philippines and founded by her father.
“I have to stress that in talking about this issue and raising awareness about it, we do not want to place it in the wrong light and create a judgment against mining and the parents of child miners,” said Guiterrez, who lived in the Philippines for five years before moving to Canada 10 years ago.
“At the end of the day, mining is important and it is part of development. We need to be focusing more on the reason children and their families are placed in this position where the children have to work and have no better option to make a living and survive.”
She supports Ban Toxics because it addresses poverty and empowers parents by providing them opportunities to create livelihoods outside of mining.
Guiterrez will cover 100 kilometres riding her kick scooter along the E&N/Galloping Goose Trail for four consecutive days, Thursday to Sunday.
Ban Toxics has launched a fundraising page to accept donations.
• Follow Raine on Instagram @scooterforafuture or online.
