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
GILBERT Masereka
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