PREVENTION VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN USING HOUSE HOLD COMPETITIONS

Good Hope Foundation organized a household competition on prevention of violence against children and adolescents among the women groups that where supported with the seed capital in order to assess the value addition that has been made as a result of supporting women groups with income generating initiative specifically linked to reduction of violence against children and adolescents in the households. The competition was mainly on household hygiene and sanitation.

During the process of competition, several visits were arranged to different stakeholders to discuss the parameters that were used during the competition. Among the people engaged were sub county health assistant, CDOs, village health team members as well as the village Local council leader who assisted in assessing the households. Attached are the parameters that were used in the competition however some of the items assed included; availability of a pit latrine with a TP tap cover, kitchen gardens for nutrition, food security specifically the availability of a granary, appearance of children, school going children, safe and clean drinking water and many others. 60 households from the two women groups in the two sub counties of Kisinga and Karusandara were visited and assessed. 

The model family declaration function was organized involving all stakeholders including the sub county health assistants, CDOs, Village health teams, local and religious as well as the entire community members in the two sub-county of operation. Community members and other partners were invited to witness the model household’s declaration function which ended with awarding the model households with prizes and certificates which were determined by the committee for being non violent basing on the criteria which was openly read to the gathering. Three model families were selected and awarded per group in the presence of many people so as to motivate and encourage other households and community members to also actively participate in preventing violence against children and adolescents in their households so as next time they may be awarded and among those who were awarded included; Jenipher Muthabali, Victoria Baluku, Muhindo Milda and many others.

In all the events, over 150 people were met per declaration function and thus a total of over 300 people. This was due to the approach used by engaging the village health teams and using opportunities like on worship days in addition to the thorough mobilization done by the local and religious leaders and NA members.

Lesson learnt

The idea of household competition is more likely to increase community members participation in preventing violence against children and adolescents in their respective households as every member strive to win the ward.

The sub county health assistant and VHT inspecting the latrines during the household hygiene competition

The sub county health assistant and VHT inspecting the kitchen garden during the household hygiene competitions

The sub county health assistant and VHT inspecting the latrines during the household hygiene competitio

Sub county health assistant handing over a prize to best clean household in Karusandara S/County

Community members being sensitized about the relationship between violence against children and hygiene

TEACHERS LEARN FROM FELLOW TEACHERS

Good hope foundation together with other RWECO partners organized interschool teacher learning exchange visit with the main purpose of enhancing teacher’s skills on how violence against children is prevented in other areas of Kasese district. Teachers learnt other factors that cause violence against children in different schools of operation, how other schools prevent VAC as well as they interacted with other fellow teachers from the different schools of operation.

3 project primary schools participated in the exchange which include; Kiburara primary school from Kisinga Sub County, Kenyange muslim primary school and Karusandara SDA primary from Karusandara sub county and one secondary school which was Kisinga Vocation secondary school. 6 primary teachers that is; the senior woman and senior man teachers participated in this exchange were the two teachers from Kiburara primary school joined other schools from the Bukonzo county to Ibuga primary school mainly to learn how this school have managed to sustain its system of providing midday meals to its pupils and the existence of facilities such as wash rooms and changing rooms for the girls while the 4 teachers from Kenyange Muslim primary school and Karusandara SDA primary school joined the Busungoro schools to Katwe primary school to learn and share how children at landing site are handled in as far as violence against children prevention is concerned since most of the children in Katwe are always engaged in fishing and salt mining however amidst that, teachers and parents have done their best to ensure they stay in school, therefore the teachers had to share their experiences and the visiting teachers recommended ways of preventing Violence Against Children. Among other people who attended the exchange included; the inspector of schools, chairperson LC 1 and the chairperson school management of every host school.

During the exchange, teachers had to tour the school environment of the hosting schools and among the facilities toured included; the teachers staff rooms, the changing rooms for the girls which contained sanitary pads, gerican of water and towels, then also the girls wash rooms, as well as the latrines which had also a gerican of water and soap. For Kaatwe primary school, teachers had to tour the fishing area and the various businesses engaged in by the pupils at the landing site such as net spreading which is done at a cost of 4000 per net and this makes many of pupils not to go to school.

It was also shared that most of these schools have improved their health facilities for their children, introduced alternative punishments, and utilized the school land to improve the welfare of teachers and children by producing food crops for teachers and children and also improving the income base for the teachers. All this is done to reduce violence against children and reducing on the absenteeism of teachers as well improving teacher-pupil performance. However it was noticed that majority of the schools have water challenge that affects the operation of the schools.

Members were also introduced to micro teaching during the exchange mainly to share the good methods and skills applied in teaching that teachers can adopt to improve the academic performance children in their respective schools.

From the sharing and discussions, members had to come up with way forward in regard to preventing violence against children and adolescents in their respecting schools and these included the following.

• Teachers agreed to be role models at workplace and at their homes and in the community
• Schools not providing lunch to pupils will convince parents to start the initiative also.
• All teachers in the respective schools to be fully engaged in preventing violence against children in schools
• Girl friendly facilities to be introduced in every school of operation
• Schools to emphasize educational punishments
• Teachers also agreed to intensify school debates and children’s parliament
• Schools to introduce counseling rooms
• Teachers to start sensitizing parents on violence against children during the PTA meetings
• Teachers to ensure that syllabuses are completed in time to enhance pupil performances
• The management to start clustering the PTA meetings to cater for the hard to get categories of parents such as the cattle keepers.
• Teachers also committed themselves to improve the co-curricular activities as a means of keeping pupils in school  

The inspector of schools in charge of Busongora North addressing teachers about their roles in reducing violence against children in schools

Ibuga school club performing  drama show to the guest teachers and RWECO staff members

The Head teacher Ibuga P/school briefing teachers from Bukonzo county and RWECO staff during the learning exchange of teachers in Ibuga P/School

LOCAL LEADERS, WOMEN AND YOUTH GROUPS SENSITIZED ON PREVENTION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN

In attempt to increase the change a gents capacities to prevent violence against children and adolescents, Good Hope has continued to organize sensitization sessions for the women and youth groups including the local leaders who are the change agents in the two sub counties of Kisinga and Karusandara Sub County.  Good hope Foundation is working with two women groups and two youth groups which include; Karusandara HIV/AIDS United group and Kanamba youth Action for Child right improvement all from Karusandara and then St. Lucy women group and Rural Youth Initiative for Development from Kisinga Sub County.

According to the reports from the CDO and Police from Kisinga and karusandara, it was highly mentioned that child abuse, child abandonment, child abduction, pregnancy neglect as well as child labour are highly reported in these sub counties which are as a result of domestic violence, discontent couples, alcoholism as well as ignorance.

Accordingly, it was noted that many of the cases of violence against children are all within domestic setting where it was reported that child abuse and child neglect are as a result of domestic violence

Basing on the above reports, two sensitization sessions for women and youth groups including the local leaders where organized to enhance their knowledge and skills on the prevailing issues of violence against children to be in position to address violence against children and adolescents in their respective communities. The sensitization session mainly focused on domestic violence especially its forms, causes and effects, child labor, child neglect and child abuse while putting emphasis on the domestic violence Act and the child labor Act which stipulates the age and kind of work a child is supposed to do through differentiating the light and heavy work imposed on children as well as the paid and unpaid work where children are not supposed to be given paid work.

Members also discussed some indicators on how one can tell that a child is being abused forexample; abused children are ever tired, have few friends, they are always destructive to mention.

The sessions were attended by 70 members (36 males and 34 females) including the sub county chiefs, LC111, CDOs, Police, parish councilors and CBO members.

From the sessions, members came up with key suggestions on reducing violence against children and these included the following;

• Members to educate family members on their roles and responsibilities towards their children in order to reduce child neglect.
• CBO members together with the parasocial workers to begin house to house campaigns on child labor and domestic violence prevention
• Leaders also being highlighted as perpetrators of violence against children, they committed themselves to be examples in the community
• Establishing and training of children structures at village levels to help in addressing children issues.
• Integrating women economic rights in our community activities. It was mentioned that women are denied their right to own property and assets which limits their capacity to contribute towards the well being of children in the families.
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  CDO address the participants about VAC and DV

  

  C/person LCIII addressing participant in S/C Hqtrs

VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN AND POVERTY ,EMPOWER WOMEN WITH SKILLS TO PREVENT IT

In an attempt to improve household incomes, Good Hope Foundation has looked at empowering women with life skills to enable them generate income through participation in income generating activities. The inclusion of women in generating income for the household will highly reduce violence against children and adolescents in the households through improving the household incomes since violence against children and adolescents has been attributed to household poverty. It is noted that the financial part of the household is left to men only which narrows the financial basket of the family and therefore by enabling women to participate in income generating activities will increase the income of the households as well as reducing violence against children. Hand craft work is a viable business for women since it does not require a lot of time because one can work on a craft during her leisure time especially after other home duties hence enabling many women highly in the handcraft work.

Good Hope Foundation organized skill training workshops for women groups to empower them with skills to participate in income generating activities. The training workshops focused on training women groups in hand craft skills especially mat making as well as skilling them on making shopping bags using the local, cheap and accessible material.

Good Hope Foundation hired technicians who signed a contract with Good Hope Foundation to train our women groups in handcraft skills for one. 60 women from the two groups of Kanamba Women group and St. Lucy women group in the two sub counties of operation i.e Kisinga and Karusandara sub counties where trained in making shopping bags and mats. The groups were also supplied with handwork materials as startup capital.

Achievement

·         46 women have learnt how to make the shopping bags

·         20 shopping bags have already been produced by the group members

St.Luke women group in Kisinga S/county being trained to make shopping bags/baskets

Karusandara HIV/AIDS united group training women to make local mats and other hand crafts