Tuesday, 19 July 2016

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

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