Eliminating child labor remains a challenge as money earned goes towards helping families get by.

The International Labor Organization says there are more than 215 million child laborers across the world.

More than half are in the Asia-Pacific region, with over three million of them in the Philippines.

The country's government has promised to eliminate child labor by 2016. However, generational poverty continues to hold back millions of Filipino families, as the money earned by children goes a long way in helping them get by.

Al Jazeera's Jamela Alindogan reports from Surigao del Sur in southern Philippines.