RETOOLING AND FOLLOW UP MEETINGS WOMEN GROUPS< YOUTH GROUPS AND LEADERS

KALI in partnership with RWECO is implementing a project on the prevention of Violence against children in the sub counties of Kitwe Kabatooro town council and Nyakiyumbu Sub County. This project is funded by East African Child Fund. The project is being implemented through four primary schools and community groups in the project area.

Groups visited were; Katwe Kabatoro youth organization, Bukangara Bakyara Twanzane group and Katwe women’s group.

1.   Bukangara Bakyara Twanzane Group.

The group was sensitized on current trends of child abuse & VAC in communities of project area and around. These issues were; Use of abusive language at House Hold level, Not supporting on children to get midday meals, engaging school children in harvesting agro-produce, while others are abused through remaining with young babies when parents go to markets.

Groups visited were told to desist from such child abuses and instead become agents of change in the communities. The group members were reminded of the baseline findings which KALI was going to continue sensitizing against for child violence free & friendly environment at HH and community at large.

Bukangara women group during a training session on VAC at St.John’s Bukangara Catholic church.

Feedback from group members- Group one.

·         The group members have been making a house to house awareness campaign on women delivering in health units. According to Kabugho Rose, she personally convened three women to deliver to Kagando hospital. All members present acknowledged they have been delivering in villages due to lack of sensitization on the rights of unborn babies access to health services at birth for the first time.

·         All members in the meeting agreed that before KALI’s intervention, they never used to prepare meals/lunch or at least something to eat in the morning for their children. Today they ensure their children have clean uniforms and not miss school.

·         “We have been able to buy 30 chickens, one for every member from the annual profits of the savings of all members. The seed support (goats) KALI gave this group to improve livelihoods of group members at House Hold level” Group members acknowledged.

·         According to Kabugho Rose, The skills attained after training the group on child right protection and issues on corporal punishments, group members and their neighbors no longer beat their children like before. They have

created strong relationships with their children and there is peace at HH.

2.   Katwe Kabatoro Youth Organization (KKYAYOTAP) group two.

·         Members who attended the sensitization and support visit meeting acknowledged that knowledge attained from group training on rights of children and prevention of corporal punishments from KALI had been of great importance.

·         The group is using the skills to compose songs on prevention of violence & corporal punishments against children in and out of school.  To this effect, the group has recorded songs of violence free massages against children in Katwe Kabatoro community.

·         The group has presented drama on effects of violence against children abuse in society in two wedding functions. This effort has been driven by the training skills provided by KALI on the prevention of violence and corporal punishments against children in Katwe community.

·         The youth have conducted a support visit to Maria Rosamystica, this is an orphanage home in Katwe and the youth group checked issue of children’s rights in and around the home including sanitation and hygiene.

Case Story

During the sharing with the youth group, the group coordinator M/S Angela shared a case story of saving a couple that had divorced due to giving birth to a child with sight problem. The two parents had started fighting over who had caused the disability, accusing a woman of witch crafts.

Using the training knowledge on the rights of children attained from KALI, Angela engaged the two parents cancelling them to approach a health Centre for medical services before accusing each other. Angela went ahead to pay for transport of the woman (Mama Manuel) upon taking the child to Katwe health centre III, after one month, the eye of the child started opening.

This story is a success from the different dialogue meetings & trainings the group has attained since KALI’s engagement with the group.

However, during the sensitization meetings, the groups registered key challenges that hinder their capacity to sensitize communities in Nyakiyumbu and Katwe as;

Community members think each time the group talks on VAC, they have been given money. This affects massage in-take.

Lack drums for Katwe youth group which is MDD focused, it affects their performance and zeal to work

Low turn up for community meetings, when the youth group organize for community sensitization meetings on Violence against children, people do not turn up as expected. This reduces the number of people that receive massage of violence free environment.

The groups both requested for more financial support to help them enhance their livelihood at household level. 

 The youth group from Katwe Kabatooro Town Council

Compiled by;

GILBERT Masereka

EDUCATION CONFERENCE WITH SOUTH RWEZORI DIOCESE EDUCATION STRUCTURE

There was education conference with the education stakeholders of South Rwenzori Diocese in Kasese Municipality at the South Rwenzori youth hall in Kamaiba. This created a chance of working with South Rwenzori Diocese education structure in prevention of Violence Against Children and Adolescents. The Diocesan Education secretary emphasized the need of full engagement of all stakeholders in the fight of violence against children in both communities and schools. Parents and teachers according to the baseline survey are the most abuser of children and adolescents followed by the community especially the bodaboda riders. He however said it’s the parents that sometimes fail the programs of the schools like construction of washrooms for the girl child and to also improve pupil class ratio.

Rev Canon Bikanja Erick taking participants in an opening prayer during the conference.

 According to baseline, the common forms of violence are Defilement, Denial of food, Beating, Denial of education, Child labor, Sexual harassment, Corporal punishment, Work that is over age, Burning, Neglect by care givers, Denial of shelter, Denial of play, Kidnapping and child sacrifice, Verbal abuse by parents, teachers and other care givers.

The perpetuators are teachers as being the most abusive at 100%, followed by the parents and then the bodaboda cyclists at 80% respectively. These were followed by fellow children who were also reported to be violators

 

some participants with a report summary that was being presented by Masereka Gilbert

The head teacher Kabatunda Primary School shared his sad story of a child from this school who was raped and killed. He however emphasized that the government should put strong by-laws against such act like the sale of alcohol  in shops. However, the conference the church agreed to take on sensitization in churches. To introduce educative sermons on parenting, family planning, guidance and counseling and also engaging the leaders to implement by-laws. The schools agreed to take on prevention of VAC messages at schools and their communities in meetings, drama and through clubs. They also challenged parents to always follow up their children to schools and create a social change because parents are failing their responsibilities.

Compiled by 

GILBERT Masereka

TEACHERS EXCHANGE VISIT TO IBUGA AND KATWE PRIMARY SCHOOLS

KALI is implementing a pilot project on “community mechanisms to prevent violence against children and adolescents” in the Rwenzori region. The project is targeting 16 schools (15 primary schools and one secondary school) and their communities in eight sub counties in Kasese district. KALI is working with Four schools; Mundongo, St. John’s Bukangara, Katwe Quran and Katwe Primary Schools in two sub counties of Nyakiyumbu and Katwe Kabatooro Town Council.

Teacher’s had exchange visits. Teachers from Bukonzo County from all the project schools visited Ibuga Primary School in Busongora county. It was visible that the school lies on 6 acres of land. Ibuga community is a mixed community of which the lower side are cattle keepers and the upper side are cultivators. This community has had tribal and land conflicts between these two groups. However, the school land has been a motivational factor for teachers who have been offered land by the school to do farming. It has motivated them to keep at school. This school also provides mid day meal to its pupils. For the start, they have started providing porridge to all pupils at school and ho[e to graduate too a real meal after seeing the commitment from the parents. Parents of Ibuga Primary School despite the conflicts as mentioned above have realized how important it is for the pupil to have mid day meals and hope that this is going to yield results in the forth coming P.L.E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7gJRsg-qGk&feature=youtu.be

 

Visiting teachers had a chance for macro teaching where they shared experiences. Teachers of Ibuga Primary School were advised to first shed off their personal problems before they enter class because these are transferred to pupils in form of anger that leads to corporal punishments. That teachers do their teaching scheme and always follow it. That visual aid is also very paramount for the learners.

The head teacher of Ibuga Primary School Mr. Thembo Barnabas assured the visitors teachers do not use corporal punishments like canning, stone lifting and those abuses that insult children. 

Head teacher, Ibuga Ps introducing the Chairman School Management Committee as the Inspector of school in charge of Bukonzo County looks on from extreme left

Teachers from Busongora County visited Katwe Primary School and also shared their experiences. Katwe Primary School community is basically fishing and salt mining. These economic activities affect greatly children who escape from schools to labor for petty cash. There is also a problem of crocodiles that have attacked two pupils from this particular school. Some community members have faced this deadly and traumatizing situation. Some community member (name withheld) shared his tale of survival from the sharp teeth of the crocodile as he had gone fishing on the other side of the lake. Children also do fish and are exposed to the similar incidents where some die. There is rampant abuse of children sexually. Defilement cases are so rampant in this community but parents tend to settle such cases at home in mind that the compensation which is always in money form is paid to the parents and these children left in their traumatizing situation.

The class room block that was destroyed by storm is now under construction by Katwe Kabatooro Town Council

Visiting Teachers were shocked at this news and were advised to stick to their professionalism. Teachers are referred to as community changers and should use this to change this community. Visitors requested KALI to further the sensitization in this community but however teachers should do the teaching. The head teacher also reported that the school is understaffed with only seven teachers for over 520 pupils

The Inspector of Schools in charge of Bukonzo condemned all the above. He advised that all sexual abuse cases should be followed until the culprit is brought to book. He thanked government for building cages as safe areas to fetch water. He also assured the school that in the next transfers, Katwe will receive more teachers and that KALI was working hand in hand with the police to make arrests of the cinema halls that allow children in these cinema halls. 

Prepared by
GILBERT MASEREKA