In October 2012, Coast Alive partner Vest-Agder County Council released a new Flagler Films produced video on The Child Wanderer Path, now part of IAT Norway.
The path extends 136 kilometers across Southern Norway, and introduces visitors to the scenic landscapes, friendly villages and heart-wrenching story of child wanderers who left their homes in search of work to help support their families through difficult times.
In the nineteenth century there was extreme poverty in the western part of the Agder region, and as a consequence, children from this area were sent to the richer eastern part of the region to work as shepherds and farm workers.
From the ages of seven to sixteen children wandered back and forth in larger groups, leaving their parents home for months at a stretch to provide a vital contribution to the economy of their household.
The path follows in their footsteps, crossing the valleys and hillsides in Agder that are now seen as beautiful and tranquil landscapes, but which convey the harsh reality in whch the children lived.
From Kvinesdal in the west to Landvik (Grimstad) in the east you can follow in the footpaths of the Childwanderers, as seen in the movie Yohan – the Childwanderer.
View The Child Wanderer video:
