JOY FOR CHILDREN-UGANDA
Community Based Response on Preventing Violence against Children in Fort Portal Municipality – Project 2009 /2010 Report.
Training Counselor Implementation of “Good Community Sensitization with puppets School “ Programme
Funded By Supported by:
About Us
Joy for Children-Uganda is a The project has been successfully registered non governmental, non implemented in Fort Portal profit making organization Municipality covering eight parishes established to respond to issues of Bazaar, Kijanju, Rwengoma, facing children in Uganda. The Bukwali, Nyakagongo, Kasusu, Plight of orphans and vulnerable Nyabukara and Kitumba. children in Uganda inspired the Activities that were covered include formation of this organization. community mobilization, painting of Issues of poverty, health such as Murals, training local leaders, HIV/AIDS and Malaria, sensitizing the community, malnutrition, neglect, abuse and production on IEC (Information, exploitation, poor education and Education, Communication) illiteracy, conflict in families, water, materials, Radio programmes/ talk sanitation and housing that has shows, creating a good school by ravaged our country were at the implementing a good school tool kit forefront in the formation of the developed and supplied by Raising organization. Voices, training counselors and formation of Child Support Groups About the Community Based (Formally Victim Support Groups) Response in Preventing Violence among others. supporting support against Children in Fort Portal groups, Refresh training for Municipality-Project. counselors, Evaluation and Joy for Children-Uganda has been Dissemination of information. implementing a one year project At the end of this project, the funded by KIOS The Finish NGO community is more aware of Foundation for Human Rights. The violence against children existing in project aimed at empowering the the community and have created community to come up with strategies of preventing it. Local measures of responding to leaders, child support Groups, increasing rates of Violence against counselors and School children (VAC). administrations have taken an
Contacts: Mucwa Office Complex, Second Floor Suit 2-17, P.O. Box 160 Fort Portal-Uganda. Tel: 0712982 301, email: [email protected] Url: www.joyforchildren.org active role in supporting children Nyakagongo, Nyabukara and and preventing violence in their Bukwali. areas of jurisdiction. Challenges Activities Implemented Some parishes were bigger Activity 1: Mobilization of geographically and in terms of parishes villages which made it hard to Eight parishes were identified and mobilize. mobilized. These include; Some of the areas were not Bazaar, Kijanju, Rwengoma, accessible in terms of Bukwali, Nyakagongo, Kasusu, transport due to poor road Nyabukara and Kitumba. network for example Bukwali Achievements parish (East Division) and More than 50 villages were Rwengoma (West Division). mobilized from the eight Heavy rains made the parishes mentioned above. mobilization difficult as roads Of the 50 villages mobilized at were slippery and least 40 villages were inaccessible. represented. Some local leaders were not Some villages which were not willing to give information selected requested to be freely. In some cases they considered for the training asked for money. and it was done. Activity 2: Painting of Lessons learnt Murals The local leaders welcomed Murals are paintings on walls that the idea of the project. depict specific information to the Some of the local leaders were target audience. cooperative in giving us For this project, mural portraying direction and information the just way of relating with children about other villages for in schools and communities were example Kasusu parish, painted. This was done in the month of September 2009. The children,
Contacts: Mucwa Office Complex, Second Floor Suit 2-17, P.O. Box 160 Fort Portal-Uganda. Tel: 0712982 301, email: [email protected] Url: www.joyforchildren.org community members and The murals were painted in order to professional artists participated in increase understanding on violence the mural painting. The community against children and demonstrate identified the walls, children along better ways of relating with them. with the professional artists did the The murals are also used as tools painting. Three walls were painted for increasing community by children, one at Buhinga Primary discussion and dialogue on School and two at Kyebambe Model preventing violence against children. School. Professional artists painted The children were able to the other three murals at Link Bus demonstrate their understanding of Park in the heart of Fort Portal Town violence through drawing and and the other two were done at painting murals. The children in Buhinga Primary School and their small groups discussed about Kyebambe Model Primary School. the pictures drawn and relating Seven (7) children from Buhinga them to what real exists in their Primary School and Twelve (12) from schools. The murals in schools Kyebambe Model primary carried relevant messages of what a School participated directly in good school is. Some of the painting the murals. messages incorporated in the murals include, For Children a Good School means… A safe and conducive environment, Students have a voice, Non-Violent forms of discipline, written policies that are implemented, Teachers are friendly and approachable, students are encouraged to think for themselves. What does it mean for you? With a
banner; Violence free childhood is Figure 1 Mural painting at Buhinga P.S in Fort Portal Municility by professional Artists everyone’s right! Achievements Objectives of the murals
Contacts: Mucwa Office Complex, Second Floor Suit 2-17, P.O. Box 160 Fort Portal-Uganda. Tel: 0712982 301, email: [email protected] Url: www.joyforchildren.org a) Two murals were painted in c) One mural for children was done Buhinga and Kyebambe Model at Buhinga Primary School, while Primary schools by professional two were done at Kyebambe Model artists. Primary School.
Figure 2. Handing over the complete mural to school administration and student leaders after painting in Kyebambe Figure 4 Mural by children at Buhinga P.S being painted as fellow Model P.S pupils look on.
b) To enhance Child Participation, children from the Community Mural above schools took part in painting A community mural was also their own mural with guidance from painted at Link Bus Park in the professional artists especially on heart of Fort Portal (F/P) Town. The working with paint. wall was donated by Link Bus Park.
Figure 3 Children paint their own mural at Kyebambe Model P.S. on Preventing Violence against children in Fort Portal Municipality. Figure 5: A community wall at Link Bus Park in Fort Portal Town
Contacts: Mucwa Office Complex, Second Floor Suit 2-17, P.O. Box 160 Fort Portal-Uganda. Tel: 0712982 301, email: [email protected] Url: www.joyforchildren.org
Obstacles or Challenges faced The children were very slow in There is high demand for the painting and all of them had mural in other schools and never used paint before. communities where murals Therefore a lot of time was were not painted and attract spent on guiding them how to very many people. work with paint than expected. However this didn’t Activity 3: Training Local Leaders necessitate any significant Training of local leaders was changes in the original conducted. All the eight parishes project/ activity plan. planned were covered these include, Bazaar, Kijanju, Nyabukara, The much unpredictable Kasusu, Rwengoma, Nyakagongo, heavy rains in the month of Kitumba and Bukwali between the September disrupted the work months of October and November of artists resulted to delays in 2009. the estimated time for the In each parish, one day training of completion of the murals. local community leaders was held. Lessons learnt Five (5) villages were selected and Murals are one way of from each village, five leaders were portraying the just ways of invited by virtue of their positions in relating with children and also relation to child protection. From generating discussions on each village council; the chairman, preventing violence against the vice chairperson (who is also the children. secretary for children), the youth representative, secretary for defense Many people are interested in and the woman representative were viewing the murals; they invited and trained bringing the create discussions on total to 180 of the expected 200 preventing VAC and learn leaders. from them.
Contacts: Mucwa Office Complex, Second Floor Suit 2-17, P.O. Box 160 Fort Portal-Uganda. Tel: 0712982 301, email: [email protected] Url: www.joyforchildren.org
The legal Aid Project, Probation and Welfare officer, Kabarole NGO & CBO association and the staff of Joy for Children Uganda facilitated the trainings in a participatory manner.
Achievements The main objective of the training was to enable the local leaders to; a) Understand the concept of violence against children. b) To increase local leaders’ involvement in preventing violence against children. To achieve this, key issues were explored that included; Sharing Figure 8: One of the local leader experiences of VAC, Understanding present findings in the group VAC, policies and laws protecting discussion children, why violence exists in the 180 local leaders were trained community, feelings when a child is from the 8 parishes of Fort violated and feelings when a child is Portal Municipality. not violated, case study on violence against children, the role of The local leaders were able to community leaders in preventing identify the root causes of VAC, what kind of action is needed VAC in their communities. to build the bridge: What can activists do and skills needed to be The Local leaders were able to an activist. cite out the forms of violence and the possible ways of Trainers from Child and Family preventing VAC in their Protection Unit of Uganda Police, communities.
Contacts: Mucwa Office Complex, Second Floor Suit 2-17, P.O. Box 160 Fort Portal-Uganda. Tel: 0712982 301, email: [email protected] Url: www.joyforchildren.org
In some parishes the turn up The leaders were able to cite was low due to heavy rains out some of the cases existing such as Bazaar parish and in their communities and while in others the turn up guidance was given on how to was very high such as handle them. Nyabukara, Bukwali and Rwengoma causing budget The leaders also mentioned constraints in terms of meals the challenge of video halls in and materials for participants the communities that are being used to recruit/initiate The participants demanded children to alcohol, for facilitation in form of marijuana, bangi, smoking transport which we had and prostitution for young earlier not budgeted for. This girls as they are used to in a way also hampered the attract men into video halls. attendance. And this was brought to the attention of the concerned In some villages, one person authorities in their respective holds more than one post of areas. our target participants. This coupled with illnesses Together with the Child and especially malaria that is Family protection Unit, local accelerated by rainy season leaders and community resulted in shortfall in policing we drafted a attendance of the expected memorandum to ban the number of participants. video halls from admitting children and put a clear warning prohibiting children from accessing the halls. Key challenges encountered
Contacts: Mucwa Office Complex, Second Floor Suit 2-17, P.O. Box 160 Fort Portal-Uganda. Tel: 0712982 301, email: [email protected] Url: www.joyforchildren.org
with in their areas of jurisdiction.
The local leaders have a mandate provided by the laws of Uganda in The Children Act Cap 59. Part 3, Support for Children by Local Council Training of local leaders at kasusu Authorities. Despite of this, parish majority of the leaders did not
know their roles because the Lessons learnt Children’s Act is not We have learnt that local accessible by the local people. leaders are aware of violence
against children but lack Participants through group skills and support from the discussions are able to Government in terms of understand and identify training and facilitation to violence in the community come out and address issues and suggest actions that can of violence in their be taken to prevent it in the communities. first place.
Since the Children’s Act Cap 59 talks about the support for It’s also important to report that children by local authorities, our training attracted a they become the best group to legislature in parliament of be trained in order to help Uganda for Fort Portal them exercise their powers to Municipality, Hon. Stephen safe guard children and Kaliba who promised to work promote reconciliation with local leaders in promoting between parents and children the rights of children and
Contacts: Mucwa Office Complex, Second Floor Suit 2-17, P.O. Box 160 Fort Portal-Uganda. Tel: 0712982 301, email: [email protected] Url: www.joyforchildren.org
supporting bills in the parliament that prevent VAC such as Domestic Relations Bills (DRB) that is currently shelved in the parliament . He also applauded the work we were doing in the community.
Figure 11: Probation officer Mrs. Kakunguru Shamilah presenting laws and policies protecting children
Figure 9: Member of Parliament for Fort Portal Municipality, Hon. Stephen Kaliba addresses the participants during the Training at Nyabukara Parish where the MP comes from.
Figure 12: Mr. Sunday Eric of Child and Family Protection present the Role of Local Leaders in VAC
Activity 4: Training of counselors A four day residential training of counselors was conducted about their role in the community. Of the 15 (fifteen) people trained (eight
Figure 10: A group representative share their were children and seven adults) as finds from a group discussion on VAC counselors of the expected sixteen
Contacts: Mucwa Office Complex, Second Floor Suit 2-17, P.O. Box 160 Fort Portal-Uganda. Tel: 0712982 301, email: [email protected] Url: www.joyforchildren.org
(16). The counselors were selected During the four day training topics during the training of the local covered include; leaders and also identified children Understanding counseling and the (between the ages of 14-18) who skills needed to be a counselor, were trained along with the adults. communication skills and The main objectives of the training information gathering, conflict were to; resolution and crisis handling, role a) Establish safe and adequate play, case studies and legal counseling opportunities to the procedures, what is needed to form victims of unfair child related Child Support Groups actions, including abuse and (Formerly Victim Support Groups violence against children at parish which was changed by participants level. and other stakeholders as being b) Ensure that counseling and victimizing). The training of the response to issues affecting children counselors ended with drama show are well addressed and, c) To from Kiduukuru Youth Drama encourage and support the setting Group depicting common forms of up of child support groups at parish violence against children in the level. homes.
Figure 13 Facilitator training counselors in November ‘09 Figure 14 Mr. Sunday Eric of Child and Family Protection Unit facilitate the training
Contacts: Mucwa Office Complex, Second Floor Suit 2-17, P.O. Box 160 Fort Portal-Uganda. Tel: 0712982 301, email: [email protected] Url: www.joyforchildren.org
Achievements supplied by Raising Voices Fifteen (15) people were was shown to participants. trained as counselors, eight being children between 14 to The counselors learnt new 18 years and seven were ways of relating and handling adults. children.
Four copies of the compiled The youngest of the handouts of the topics trained participants was aged 14 were given to each counselor. years from Kasusu parish.
Counselors acquired skills Counseling and response to and understood counseling issues affecting children was and promised to support the expeditiously addresses. children through counseling Lessons learnt The counselors identified the The counselors were trying to missing gaps that were do counseling in their existing in communicating parishes, but lacked the skills with children. in counseling and communicating with children. The training of counselors ended with a drama show on The counselors are willing to VAC by Kiduukuru youth work together in order to help drama and graced by Rev. the children to create a Kafuruka Mwesige. violence free community for children in their parishes. Film on stories of children’s resilience to violence against The counselors need legal them (Through My Eyes) protection in order to do their work properly.
Contacts: Mucwa Office Complex, Second Floor Suit 2-17, P.O. Box 160 Fort Portal-Uganda. Tel: 0712982 301, email: [email protected] Url: www.joyforchildren.org
Challenges The facilitation budgeted for participants was not adequate compared to the four day workshop.
The training did not plan for medical emergencies for the Members of child rights club participants and we were Buhinga Primary school challenged when one of the Therefore this tool kit helped to participants developed severe explore ideas, learn alternative ways headache on one of the of thinking and develop new skills evening. through participatory learning. The conventional learning applies Activity 5: Creation of “A Good the customary teacher- student School” Model. relationship while participatory The Good School Tool Kit learning method uses a facilitator Creating a good school requires who guides the group and learning new skill and ideas. The encourages participants to take an Good School toolkit enabled active role in their own learning. participants explore new skills of This learning process taps into the learning, by shifting from wealth of experience that conventional ways of learning to participants have and uses for participatory. collective problem solving. Participatory learning has also proven very useful for promoting change and working with participants who may not be used to being students.
Contacts: Mucwa Office Complex, Second Floor Suit 2-17, P.O. Box 160 Fort Portal-Uganda. Tel: 0712982 301, email: [email protected] Url: www.joyforchildren.org
However both methodologies are and unfair child – related actions in best depending on objectives of the the community. training or study. In the five schools where the tool kit Five good school tool kits were was delivered / or introduced, delivered in five schools of Bukwali discussion on violence against P.School, Kyebambe Model P.School, children were held with children, Buhinga Prmary School, Sts. Peter teachers and parents some of whom and Paul P. School and Nyabukara are counselors and local leaders of P.School with in the municipality. where the schools are located. In section 1 we looked at what is wrong with corporal punishments, what is a good school, what is a good teacher and what is positive discipline, creating accountable governance. Section 2 we looked at understanding violence against
children; discussing topics like do Delivery of good school toolkit children have rights? Types of VAC,
why does VAC exist, bullying, These schools were identified by the gender in school, sexual violence in local leaders that were trained. school and responding to sexual Periodic meetings were held in the violence. Which was cover in the respective schools to monitor the first quarter of the project implementation of the Good Schools Section 3 we covered developing tool kit. positive discipline, developing The objective of the good school tool helpful relationships children kit was to sensitize the pupils, capacity which was covered along teachers and parents about the side with other activities like adverse effects of child rights abuses formation of child rights clubs and
Contacts: Mucwa Office Complex, Second Floor Suit 2-17, P.O. Box 160 Fort Portal-Uganda. Tel: 0712982 301, email: [email protected] Url: www.joyforchildren.org setting up jointly agreed policies and number to 30 children per implementing them school. During this training booklets were In addition to this, class also provided to participating teacher of each of the selected children to read and discuss, some class plus the head teacher of these booklets included what is and teacher in charge of wrong with corporal punishments, implementing the activity what is a good school, what is a participated in the weekly good teacher and what is positive meetings. discipline, creating accountable governance. These booklets have The children become aware of helped the children to understand how they can create a good issues involved in creating a good learning environment for their school and also act as a basis for school. their discussions in subsequent meetings and daily lives in and outside the school. The pupils, were pleased with the programme because it brought both players in the school together as well as bridging the gap that existed amongst them.
Members of Nyabukara primary Achievements school child rights club planting The good school toolkits was trees around their school as one introduced in 5 schools. In way of creating a good learning each school three classes environment where primary four, five and
six were selected. In each
class five boys and five girls were selected bringing the
Contacts: Mucwa Office Complex, Second Floor Suit 2-17, P.O. Box 160 Fort Portal-Uganda. Tel: 0712982 301, email: [email protected] Url: www.joyforchildren.org
As a result of implementing incorporated on the existing the good school toolkit regulations. children’s voices have been Lessons learnt amplified, their rights and welfare has improved. It was also observed that Teachers as well as parents many children used to leave are now aware of their their school in upper classes cardinal roles in making the to join the neighboring education of the child a schools which could affect the success. performance of the schools Five child rights clubs have they leave just because they been formed in the five do not appreciate their schools; these consist of the schools. 30 children selected per school. We realized that children Child rights clubs have been knew some of their rights but involved in creating a good they were not empowered or learning environment through supported to demand for them panting of trees donated by in a manner appropriate to Joy For Children to enhance their age. the beauty of their schools The pupils were very much and one way of appreciating interested in the programme their school largely because it was Formation of the child rights advocating for their rights. clubs has helped in reducing child related abuses like The teachers as well as corporal punishments in students want to make their schools. schools conducive for learning New child friendly policies and but they did not know how do laws formed by teachers’ it since there was huge gap parents and pupils have been between parents, teachers and
Contacts: Mucwa Office Complex, Second Floor Suit 2-17, P.O. Box 160 Fort Portal-Uganda. Tel: 0712982 301, email: [email protected] Url: www.joyforchildren.org
student. This programme gave all players an opportunity to Some of the target parents did meet and design strategies to not turn up in the first make the schools conducive monitoring meeting of the for all players. implementation of Good Challenges School took kit. There were no enough toolkits at the start of the project to deliver a copy to Activity 6: Translation of each school as earlier Literature planned. The one copy that we UN Child Rights Convention was received from Raising Voices translated in Runyakitara in a child had to be shared among the friendly language, printed and five schools distributed in the subsequent This made it hard for activities during the implementation individual school receiving its period own copy and implementing it at their own pace. Activity 7: Production of Video posters, Leaflets and pamphlets Some teachers did not welcome the idea because In a bid to increase understanding they thought we are giving the and prevention of VAC in the children more rights to community, Information, Education change their current status. and Communication (IEC) were prepared and printed. It was also a bit hard to be incorporated in the schools Achievement programme because of the school calendar where all school activities are planned before the school year begins.
Contacts: Mucwa Office Complex, Second Floor Suit 2-17, P.O. Box 160 Fort Portal-Uganda. Tel: 0712982 301, email: [email protected] Url: www.joyforchildren.org
community during the training of local leader on the cause and prevention of VAC.
We also recorded and produced a video / documentary on violence We translated the UNCRC in a against children with major child friendly local language input from schools we worked Runyakitara. with, the district probation officer, the child protection 500 copies of UNCRC in local unit of Uganda Police, our language were designed, trained counselor, the public, printed and distributed during child support groups and staff community sensitization of Joy for Children –Uganda events and other subsequent Challenges project activities during the There is a time lag between implementation. ordering and delivery of printed work. Therefore early 16 pamphlets containing ordering printing services is regional and international needed legal frame work on child Lessons learnt protection were printed and Publication such as posters, distributed to the counselor leaflets are very much liked as a reference point to child and demanded by the rights and human rights as a community. whole. They also tend to have a great impact in community 1500 leaflets were printed sensitization since they can containing especially the stay on the walls for a long views collected from the time and we also find them
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easy to use during the Two (2) radio programmes on trainings. life Fm, one for 2 (two) hour The publications also and the other for 30 minutes. stimulate discussion on the Six (6) radio programs on issues in question and Voice of Kamwenge (VOK). The therefore they can be programmes on this radio instrumental in behavioral were sponsored by Raising change. Voices our partner organization in preventing violence against Children. Eight (8) radio programmes Activity 8: Radio Program Kyenjojo Development Radio We conducted interactive radio One hour radio programme on programmes in the local radio Voice of Tooro (VOT) stations discussing about violence sponsored by World Vision on against children, forms of violence the commemoration of 20th in the community, effects on Anniversary of UNCRC. violence on the children and how violence against children can be Lessons learnt prevented. Many people (listeners) from a The radio programmes were aimed wide coverage called in and at increasing community discussion decried the rampant forms of and response on violence against violence existing in their children. areas. Most areas are far away from the municipality Achievement therefore they were requesting Four (4) radio programs (one for the extension of the hour each) were conducted on services to their areas. Better FM It was also observed that the listeners are aware of the various forms of abuse in
Contacts: Mucwa Office Complex, Second Floor Suit 2-17, P.O. Box 160 Fort Portal-Uganda. Tel: 0712982 301, email: [email protected] Url: www.joyforchildren.org
their community but lacked Puppets theatre has proved the information on the AIDS awareness campaign in procedure to be taken to solve Kyenjojo district to be a very good them. means of communicating and Radio programme is one of the educating the masses in a very effective ways of reaching a subtle way. Puppets are able to wider community. This can be explain and express themes which evidenced by the wide are difficult or even impossible to coverage of the radio even present by human actors especially beyond the project area. because of the cultural taboos attached to them for example sexual violence, oppressive male Activity 9: Training of puppeteers dominance, child battering among In preparation for community others. sensitization in January using Puppet theatres are popular thus puppets among others, training of help to attract people in the village two (2) puppeteers was conducted to attend the sensitization for fifteen (15) days. programme.
Puppets not only raise the issues of the actions to be taken but also how to take these actions in practice to protect the rights from being abused. Support groups with trained counselors were introduced with other community members as well as leaders and these
participated in focused discussions, answered and asked questions.
Figure 15 Puppeteers demonstrate during the training
Contacts: Mucwa Office Complex, Second Floor Suit 2-17, P.O. Box 160 Fort Portal-Uganda. Tel: 0712982 301, email: [email protected] Url: www.joyforchildren.org
Activity 10: Sensitization of the Achievements local community Eight (8) parishes were sensitized including; Sensitization of both males and Rwengoma, Bazaar, Kijanju, females, about the adverse effects of Nyabukara, Kasusu, child rights abuses and unfair child- Kitumba, Bukwali and related actions in the community. Nyakagongo. In each parish it’s estimated In each parish, two days of the local that about 300 people community sensitization using attended the community puppet theatre, music dance and events (sensitization) making drama on Violence against Children a total number people were used. sensitized to 2400 people. After sensitization the During sensitization the community number of people joining was also engaged in discussion and child support groups booklets clubs that both helped to increased from an average of discuss in depth the forms of 5 to 10 people and still violence in the community and also growing. how to prevent or seek justice when Through community it occurs. sensitization we were able to introduce the 2 counselors from each parish that we had trained and the child support groups that were being formed to the local community. After the training reporting of Drama performance during community cases increased to the police, sensitization the local council leaders, the trained counselors, the child
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support groups and to our Finding places to carry out offices in Mucwa. the sensitization was very The sensitization brought on difficult, people always board other community and demanded for money to let political leaders in the fight out the places. campaign of preventing Communication barrier violence against children. For due to lack of public example, the Local Council 5 address system. Voices LC V South Division Hon. from the drama and Linda Irene. puppets were not easily The people were able to heard. Most of the understand the forms of sensitizations were held violence that happen in their along the road side which community and their adverse made it difficult for people affects that were earlier being to listen. presumed to be normal.
Challenges Lessons Learnt The people were not informed about the violence against children, form and effects on the child’s growth and performance in class. Some people testified on the existence of the forms of Heavy rainfalls always violence against children disrupted the sensitization acted and more that were events because most of earlier being taken to be them were carried out in normal. the open space. It’s also important to note that music, dance and drama
Contacts: Mucwa Office Complex, Second Floor Suit 2-17, P.O. Box 160 Fort Portal-Uganda. Tel: 0712982 301, email: [email protected] Url: www.joyforchildren.org
especially combined with The training of local leaders puppets has a greater effect brought in the identification of on delivering the message to individuals from their the local people; a) it attracts communities who would be people as a form of trained as counselors to support entertainment. b) Presents their activities in protecting real issues in the community children against abuse and in the way that is understood violence. by many people sometimes After the identification of mixed with compassion. d) counselors, they were trained two Music, dance and drama from each parish (An adult and a using puppets is also child) and they were asked to inexpensive compared form child support groups in the medium of communication community where children and that has the same effects. parents could go for guidance, Community sensitization also counseling and support when enhanced people’s they are abused or their rights participation in addressing violated. their challenges in the community. For example people who took part in the plays were local who had an opportunity to transform their society through sensitization.
Activity 11: Assisting counselors to set up child support groups Kasusu child support group
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Our project staff was involved in they are mobilizing the helping the counselors in supporting community to get up the individuals and setting up child child support groups. support groups for the victims of Issues like stationary, violence against children. The child airtime, transport and light support groups supplement the allowances in the initial efforts of the existing structure to days of forming the child protect and safe guard the rights of support groups need to be children. provided. We also learnt that timing Achievements. seasons when setting up Eight (8) Child Support support group is important Groups were formed, one from as many people tend to be each parish. difficult to mobilize and The Child Support Groups engage in the planting and provide counseling and harvesting seasons. referrals for children affected by violence. Activity 12: Support Visits to Child Support Groups. Lessons Learnt Support visits were undertaken Setting up of the support to support child support groups groups need to be done and monitoring their activities. immediately after the This was intended to seek ways training counselors, as to address the difficulties being many of them may loose met. The follow up visits were moral if activities don’t used for collection of information follow each other without for radio programmes, breaking. production o f materials and Though the work is further for local and national voluntary, the counselors need to be facilitated when
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advocacy. Development officers, Legal Aid Project, among others.
The local community is regularly updated on the changing legal and policy issues passed at the district and in parliament concerning children in the country. Members of nyabukara child support group
There is an increase in cases Achievements reported, handled and
referred with the help of Child Six (6) support and Support groups and hope to monitoring visits were carried increase as they learn more out in each of the eight on human rights. parishes. The child support groups 80 community members (both made home visits in their women and men) are regular parishes to reach out to them members of the child support the information on preventing groups from all the eight violence against children in parishes. their homes. The local leaders and trained counselors are able to handle In addition to preventing and refer cases to relevant violence against children, authorities in the district child support groups are also including the family and Child involved in sensitizing parents Protection Unit of Uganda Police, on food and nutrition, the probation office, Community HIV/AIDS and malaria.
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In Kitumba, the child support encourage more people group is starting up income to join them. generating activities like The existing structures drama to support their of the child activities. supportgroups are Kasusu child support group is looking forward to moving into registering their making the group as a community based communities violent organization (CBO) to free. continue with the work of protecting children on a large Challenges and solution scale using their legally established organization. Transport was among the Therefore more people will challenges faced in execution actively be involved in of the project. Project private preventing violence against transport for the project staff children. and bicycles for the trained counselors are needed to ease Lessons learnt movement and reach the Support groups have people in the hard to reach helped in handling a areas. The project being in the number of cases at remote area public transport grass root level and does not exist and yet the area many people like the is wide and people are work being done by the scattered in between villages groups in the
community. The group members are Limited knowledge of legal, willing to do more work police and court procedures in child protection and frustrate children in attaining justice. More training is
Contacts: Mucwa Office Complex, Second Floor Suit 2-17, P.O. Box 160 Fort Portal-Uganda. Tel: 0712982 301, email: [email protected] Url: www.joyforchildren.org
needed for the counselors and current, future reference and the local leaders to enable intervention. them carry out their constitutional mandate in protecting children as well as Activity 13: Refresh Training giving better legal advice. We conducted a two- day residential refresh training for Intimidation from children the counselors with the aim of rights abusers especially high enabling them (counselors) to profiled people in the reflect together, seek further community was sighted as information, plan future another challenge hindering supportive and networking the support groups in management. executing their roles since
they do not have identification cards as human rights defenders. The members of child support groups suggested formal identifications as human rights defender.
COUNSELORS AFTER THEIR There were also gaps in record REFRESH TRAINING keeping by the child support
groups because they were not
well facilitated in the work Achievements they were doing as well as 16 counselors from eight (8) documentation. Child Support parishes benefited from the groups need support such as refresh training. stationary to enable them
document their work for
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Challenges faced by Transport to reach the people counselors in execution of who need their help still their work and remains a challenge. More solutions/lessons learnt were reliable and inexpensive shared and solution suggested. means of transport such as bicycles need to be provided. Participants shared their achievements and challenges Lessons Learnt and how they were overcome. The trained counselors are willing to work hand in hand with the project It was a refreshing team in implementing opportunity for the trained the project activities counselor to continue their and executing their work and support Child roles. Support Groups in their Apart from child communities. protection, the Challenges and suggested counselors are also solutions identified by the There exists a gap in sharing community and information with members to involved in other child seek advice and solution to related issues like the challenges being faced in promoting nutrition and the execution of their work. good feeding, sanitation and hygiene, HIV/AIDS
Local identifications such as and malaria. T-shirts and identity cards as The refresh training can human rights defenders for be a good avenue of recognition by the community. sharing experiences especially in handling
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complicated cases and preventing against Children perpetrators successful. It was also cited trainings Activity 14: Project Monitoring enabled leaders, counselors and Evaluation and the community to know At the end of every project their responsibilities and activity, evaluation forms were opened up their eyes to given to the participants to protect the children. assess the impact of the activity The training was good to the and get feed back for further community because each one improvement as our routine had to check what he or she assessment on the project. had been doing in relation to preventing violence against At the end of the project, the final women and children. evaluation was conducted through interviews and focus The local leaders, counselors, group discussions; child support groups and the
entire community learnt a lot The responses we got include the on the management of their following but no limited to; villages and protecting the Most of the local leaders most vulnerable in their appreciated the training communities especially because it gave them more children. information on their
responsibilities in preventing violence against women and The participants children. recommended that sensitizing the people should extend to other communities where The participants requested for violence against women and more trainings to make children is also rampant.
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Most of the participants in the The local leaders learnt a lot survey suggested the on the management of their expansion of the project to villages and protecting the other areas that are most vulnerable in their underserved and hard to communities. reach. The participants asked for Most of the local leaders transport refund which was appreciated the training not budgeted for in training because it gave them more local leaders. information on their responsibilities in preventing The participants violence against children. recommended that sensitizing the people should extend to The participants requested for other communities where more trainings to make violence against children is preventing violence against also rampant. children successful.
The trainings enabled leaders Benefits of the project to to know their responsibilities the organization and opened up their eyes to The financial policy has been protect the children. developed and being implemented in an effort to The training was good to the improve financial local leaders because each management in the one had to check what he or organization. she had been doing in relation We have been able to open a to preventing violence against branch bank account for Fort children.
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Portal to enable the smooth Local leaders have already running of the project. begun handling cases in their Through the project, we learnt communities which previously new ways of relating with the would go unattended to. people in the community. Some schools such as Buhinga Primary Schools are already implementing Joy for Children-Uganda has alternatives to corporal been recognized as a key punishment by introducing player in advocating and suggestion boxes in every promoting the rights of class for misbehaving children in the municipality. children. The children whose names appear more than three times are told that they We also learnt more policies will be entered in black books ad cases relating to child for misbehaving children in protection and preventing the school. This in a way has violence against children. shaped the behaviors of children without necessarily inflicting pain on the child. We learnt to handle various About 15 cases have been cases of violence against handled and others referred to children with guidance from higher authorities. For the Family and Child example, we handled a case, Protection Unit of Uganda where land for orphans in Police, Legal Aid Project and Mukonomura village was the probation and welfare about to be sold by relatives - office. backed by Local Council III Chairperson which is against Short term impact the laws of Uganda.
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In the long term, we expect to and tree in the school have better treatment of compound. children and respect for their We also anticipate more rights. partnership with relevant authorities and Civil Society We see children having a Organization (CSOs) in voice in the community, responding to violence against schools and in the legal children. systems. We also see the media such as local radio station getting We expect to see reduced more involved in exposing cases of violence against cases of violence against children and having more children in the community as people advocating for their a result of their participation rights. in the project through radio talk shows. In Sts Peter and Paul Primary School where we were Reporting of cases of violence implementing Good School against children and openly program have embarked on discussing about it has improving their schools and increased in the community. creating conducive learning And we hope that if this is environment free of violence. continued and sustained the They have done major face lift number of children of the class rooms, fenced the experiencing violence in the school compound to control homes, schools and outsiders with wrong communities will plummet. intentions of harming the children from entering the school and planting flowers
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In addition to project activities Relevance of the project to planned, we would add the the situation in project following components to background address the emerging issues on violence against children; The project has largely been We would plan an activity of an appropriate response to sensitizing children alone on the situation described in the understanding VAC. project background analysis. We would hire legal personnel This is because it has mainly to represent children in benefited the people directly conflict with the law and those involved in protecting children that need legal representation and preventing violence incase their rights have been against them such as the violated as well as giving legal schools, local leaders and assistance to child rights trained counselors who will activists and defenders. give guidance and counseling Create a budget that would to the abused children a facilitate the staff in following structure that did not exist up cases of VAC in the before. community whenever deemed fit. We would also very much Also the project brought consider facilitation for together key players in participants in all project protecting the rights of activities as well as giving children such as Child and counselors bicycles for Family Protection Unit of transport to handle cases of Uganda Police, the Legal Aid VAC in their community Project, The probation officer because they work in a large and introduced them to the geographical areas that can community. not be accessed on foot. In addition, the bicycles and
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facilitation would motivate the Cooperation with KIOS participants to do their work efficiently. KIOS cooperation has been so far good because they gave Plans for the follow-up of onsite visit to the project at its the project in future beginning. To monitor and strengthen They also encouraged and child rights clubs in schools appreciated the work being as an avenue for sustainable done when we shared with child rights promotion in them the activities we had schools as well as carried out in the first two communities. months of the project To continue involving child implementation. support groups in trainings related to their work and In summary, the project of provide opportunity or access preventing violence against of information and up to date children has been well resources to support their received in the community, activities. local leadership and other key players in the rights of children.
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