100 CHILDREN SUPPORTED WITH SCHOLARSTIC MATERIALS DURING THE MUSIC DANCE DRAMA ON VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN

Following the 2016 recent conflicts that erupted in Kasese district that left many families losing their dear ones as well as increasing violence against children and adolescents especially through impacting on the parenting mechanisms of children in the families and communities, Good Hope Foundation in collaboration with ECOS band peace ambassadors on 1^st/5/2017 organized a community sensitization session on violence against children through Music Dance and Drama at Kyatoke trading center in Buisembu sub county. Over 600 people attended the session including the sub county chairperson local council three, the district councilor, security officers, religious leaders and other local leaders.

While highlighting on the impact of conflict, the chairperson LC111 said that as a result of this recent conflict the sub county has registered an overwhelming number of orphans totaling to 200 orphans, many children have dropped out of school, and that many families can no longer meet the children’s basic needs. Through the music dance and drama, key messages passed included;

Educating community members on the value of education while highlighting the parent’s roles and respomsibilities in fulfilling the child’s right to education. To illustrate this, Good Hope Foundation together with ECOS band peace ambassadors supplied exercise books to over 100 children during the event. 

 Local artist asking questions to young children for them to win scholastic items



They also commended on the practice of shop keepers selling alcohol to children where they called upon local leaders to implement the district child protection ordinance on protection that prohibits shop keepers and bars from selling alcohol to children.

They also called upon families to fully participate in food production for them to be able to parent their children.

A message on peace and love in the families, communities and schools was also passed while communicating that if violence against children and adolescents is to be reduced peace and love must first be in families, schools and communities. Additionally a message commending on the practice of adults using beating as a form of punishing children was also passed while calling upon parents to stop beating and start using alternative punishments.

The band could not leave calling upon parents to engage themselves in income generating activities as a way of fighting against household poverty thereby facilitating positive parenting. They encouraged parents to join savings and credit groups and also to start income generating projects at home like animal and bird keeping as this will help them to be in position to meet the children’s needs.

ED  addressing the gathering about how to preventing violence against children and idolescents

YOUTH AND WOMEN GROUPS SUPPORTED TO ENGAGE IN INITIATIVES GEARED TOWARDS PREVENTION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS.

While it has been noted that poverty has a direct link with violence against children and adolescents, Good Hope Foundation is supporting youth and women group’s initiatives geared towards preventing violence against children and adolescents. Women and youths have always been identified as the most perpitrators of violence against children and additionally women have been seen being at the center of ensuring that children get what to eat in most of households, provide clothing to the children but little or no support towards the education of children and provision of other basic necessities which has been attributed to their limited finances.

Good Hope foundation supported  4 CBO  initiatives geared towards prevention of violence against children in the two sub counties of operation Karusandara and Kisinga sub counties. The supported CBOs included one youth group and one women group per sub county. Good hope first conducted CBO assessment on 13th and 14th /3/2017 to identify and assess the initiatives as well as to identify the capacity gaps in implementing the initiatives. After the assessment of the groups, on 15th and 16th March 2017 Good Hope organized 4 trainings for the 4 CBOs in the identified gaps where 117 (83f and 34m) group members attended the trainings. Rural Youth Initiative for Development (RYID) was trained in poultry keeping while St. Lucy Women Group, Kanamba Women group and Kevengenyi Youth for Development were trained in piggery management.

After the trainings the groups were then supported with seed capital to boost their identified initiatives. The support was to strengthen the capacities of youth and women organizations to be able to actively participate in income generation activities to improve their livelihoods as well as to strengthen the capacities of the youths and women to be able to participate in reducing violence against children and adolescents at family, community and school levels through participating in school, family and community initiatives aimed at reducing violence against children and adolescents.

The four CBOs supported included; from Kisinga, Rural youth initiative for development (RYID) which has a membership of 35 members (20f and 15m) and it was supported in poultry project, St. Lucy women group with a membership of 30 members (25f and 5m) was supported in boosting their piggery project while from Karusandara they include; Kanamba women group which has a membership of 27 members (23F and 4M) was supported in their piggery project while also Kevengenyi youth for development with 25 members (15 F and 10M) was also supported in piggery project.

Key commitment

• Group members committed them selves  to participate in community and school initiatives geared towards prevention of violence against children and adolescents. As members they will identify initiaitives that they can initiate at the neighboring schools which are geared towards preventing violence against children and adolescents.

 Supported RYID youth group poultry project

Project officer monitoring the piggery supported project of women groups

Youth group being supported with seed capital to boost their income generating project

 Project officer conducting group assessment of women groups

GARDEN OF EDEN ESTABLISHED IN MUNKUNYU SUBCOUNTY

Foot Peace Ambassadors and Munkunyu Sub County Leaders

“10^th August 2017, will remain memorable in the history of Munkunyu Sub County, as for the first time CSOs champion planting trees for Peace. A new garden of Eden has today been created at the sub county headquarters by Good Hope Foundation”, narrated by LCIII Chairperson, Munkunyu Sub County Mr. Muhindo Josephat.

Display of trees ready for planting by FPAs and LCIII Chairperson on the left in a Jacket, Mr. Muhindo Josephat

The day involved launching planting trees for Peace where four hundred (400) gruveria tree seedlings were planted by all participants on the sub county land at the sub county headquarters as a sign of commitment by all youth and sub county leaders to promoting sustainable Peace in the sub county.

This was one of the actions during the youth caravan in the youth week that started from 5^th to 12^th of August with the national celebrations in Bundibugyo District on 12^th.

 

Some of the youths and their leaders participating in tree planting

The Kitsutsu united youth organization together with their local leaders that included among others; Local council three chairperson, Sub county Chief, District Youth Councilor, Sub County Councilors, Sub County Speaker, and all youth Chairpersons from village to Sub County levels embraced the youth caravan by participating in all planned actions.

 

Sub County Chief, Mr. Muhindo Joseph Mumbahya Participating in tree planting

After planting trees, Participants gathered to dialogue about Peaceful co-existence among the different ethnic groups in the sub county that were all represented including majorly; Bakonzo, Banyabindi and Basongora totaling to 101(61 males and 40 females) participants.

The dialogue involved Presentations by Good Hope Foundation staff members including Project officer and Executive Director about the Peace Caravan that was about the role of the youth in Peace building and enabling the youth to share a common understanding of promoting peaceful co-existence in Munkunyu sub County and entire region at large. The link between trees, peace and conflicts prevention was un packed by Good Hope Foundation staff emphasizing on climate change, climate justice refugees and consequently conflicts rising due to human activities. Trees bring climate justice hence causing peace that was behind God’s plan in the Garden of Eden.

Isaac Sinamakosa, in action

Other actions included; Reports presentations by Foot Peace ambassadors, Speeches by Leaders including LCIII Chairperson, Mr. Muhindo Josephat, Sub County Speaker Hon. Muhasa Everest, Sub County Chief Mr.  Muhindo Joseph Mumbahya, other Councilors and religious leaders all passing a touching message on Peaceful Co-existence for Development.

FPAs Report presentation on their actions in the Sub County

During the deliberations, the following key issues were noted;

• Youth must be tolerant with every situation if they must promote Peace,
• Community meetings across the Sub County must continue for consistency in Peace promotion,
• High financial expectations from community members is challenging actions of FPAs,
• Youth are abusing drugs making them victims of law disobedience,
• Youth are economically dis empowered making them susceptible to breaking the laws of the land due to Poverty,
• Domestic Violence  and Defilement cases are on the decrease due to constant sensitizations and Home visits by FPAs in the Sub County,

Participants agreed on the following action points as a way of keeping the campaign on Peaceful Co-existence and Human Rights observance vibrant  and result centered in the Sub County;

·         Foot Peace Ambassadors(FPAs) to change meetings designs by making them short in order to limit People’s financial expectations whenever engaged in meetings,

·         FPAs to engage leaders in community mobilizations and make sure leaders are officially invited in any planned action,

·         Constant follow-ups to leaders and conflicts, and human rights violations victims must be emphasized,

·         Innovations with in the project to empower the youth economically must be incubated as a way of causing project impact,

·         All youth leaders to act as Peace ambassadors and cause more meetings on Peaceful co-existence with in their leadership jurisdictions,

·         FPAs advised to be very careful in public and become role models if they must convince others to change for Peaceful co-existence,

·         A message of early planning for the future by the youth must be popularized in the Sub County for sustainable Peace,

·         Sub County leadership led by LCIII Chairperson to support and promote all actions started and being done by Good Hope and its community structures in the Sub County.

Munkunyu Sub County Youth Chairperson Hon. Bakalhania Ornizmus deliberating

On 11^th August 2017, another team of Fifteen( 6 Males and 9 Females) youth from Karusandara Youth Development association in Karusandara Sub County, Kasese District were also facilitated to participate in the National Youth events in Bundibugyo District where they participated in dialogues, music dance and drama presentation and live talk show on UBC Radio-Bundibugyo all about Peaceful Co-existence, Conflict prevention and management and sharing how they are doing it in Karusandara Sub County.