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09.06.2009Expanding the service for kids in Kenya
In the period on April 14 – 17, 2009 representatives from Plan Netherlands, ICDI, IREWOC and DCI and CHI travelled from Amsterdam to Kenya for a scale-up meeting of Childline Kenya. The meeting took place at Kwale in the Coast Province of Kenya. An area chosen by Childline Kenya and Plan Kenya to establish a second call centre and a community radio programme to address issues affecting the children in Kwale and its environs; namely early marriages and child abuse issues that have been rampant and ones that are currently being dealt with through the so-called Kangaroo courts; which are ways of avoiding the judicial system and child offenders do not get punished for their wrongs.
The team from the Netherlands joined a team from Kenya, which included staff from the Plan Kenya - Kwale and Nairobi offices as well as representatives from Childline Kenya. The scale-up meeting was a deliberation of four days with main objectives being reviewing progress on the Schokland project (funded through the Schokland Fund - a co-funding approach including funds from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and financial/technical contributions from other organisations), expected results and outputs, procedures as defined by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and reflections on the overall goal, aim and results of the overall project. It was also a platform for developing a common understanding about the project and getting a better picture of the environment in which the project will be implemented. The discussions also covered how best to expand the services of Childline Kenya and address the challenges faced by the children in the Kenya Coast. Additionally, the child helpline scale-up group had the opportunity to join a workshop of the government District Children Officers (DCOs) and learnt about how the Kenyan government mandates government agencies with child protection responsibilities. The child protection organogram was clearly explained and also the Children’s Act as well as the Child protection policy. The officers also showed the child helpline scale-up team where exactly the child helpline service fitted in their organogram and highlighted ways in which the child helpline can work closely and better with the DCOs. On April 16th the child helpline scale-up team travelled to Kikoneni, a remote area in Kwale which is also the site where the community radio programme and child helpline call centre will be established. The child helpline scale-up group had a meeting with representatives from 14 Community Based Organisations (CBOs) and pupils (girls and boys) from the neighbouring primary school. The pupils had been invited to actively participate at the scale-up meeting; and they shared their concerns and highlighted the urgent need for child helpline services due to existing child abuse, child labour and violation of their rights. It is important to note that the compound and building that will house the community radio programme and the call centre of Childline Kenya, has been jointly donated by the local government and the local community with the help of the 14 CBOs. Childline Kenya in partnership with Plan Kenya aim to curb societal problems by implementing child helplines services which will also use the community radio as a venue where children and concerned community will report child abuse as well as other issues affecting them; and in turn receiving help and advice. The community radio will be used to clearly educate girls and boys on their roles as regards domestic chores, among others. Awareness raising about the existing problems, debates and discussions will be possible through the radio and it is hoped that this will facilitate in finding solutions to problems faced by the children in the area. The meeting closed with a request from the 14 CBOs for a follow-up stakeholders’ meeting to bring together all District Children Officers, volunteer counsellors, police and all those involved in children issues for the purposes of developing synergies and getting a better understanding of each other’s responsibility and role in child protection. For more information, contact CHI's Programme Manager for Africa, Alice Kubo |
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