Building Capacity, Knowledge and Partnerships

The community based Child Rights programme builds knowledge among the communities, children, local leaders and other development actors on child rights and the situation of children in specific communities. A variety of tools are being used to promote on-going reflection and deepening of the understanding of child rights. The department has entered into partnerships with various actors to improve the realization and protection of child rights. Some of the partners with whom partnerships have been explored are relevant government departments, churches, community-based organizations and NGOs working in the programme area. Focusing on partnerships allows the programme to identify the actors best suited to address specific issues affecting OVC and utilize their expertise and resources to the maximum extent possible. 

Promote Children’s Participation and Active Voice

The programme establishes forums such as Child Protection Committees composed of young persons and children only, that allow children to reflect on their situation and that of their peers, identify and implement strategies that allow them to communicate their concerns to community members and service institutions. Children are encouraged to use various communication methods including drama, poetry, debates, and representation among others.

Support to Community Initiatives to Fulfill and Protect the Rights of OVC

The programme avails some fixed amount annual grants to communities for the implementation of community identified and driven projects to address the plight of OVC. For each grant given, SAHRIT, directly or through a partner organization provides technical appraisals and support for the further development and implementation of the project concept. On-going projects such as the ‘Zunde raMambo’ or communal field also fall into this category. Each community decides on its own project and agrees on implementation, community contribution and how such contribution will be made and the criteria to be used in identifying the children to benefit from the project.

Provision of Direct Support to OVC

The programme provides for direct support to OVC identified by the community as the most needy in each community. The support provided includes assistance with education costs and materials, skills training for older children, start up capital for income generating projects, assistance with special needs such as needs related to disability, and other special needs that OVC may have (including legal support, birth registration, registration for social welfare assistance, among others). The direct support firstly addresses the immediate needs of the children; it also acts as a catalyst to community action and creates a basis for negotiations with various service providers on how and when they will assume responsibility for assisted children.

Strengthening linkages between communities and formal institutions

The programme places a strong emphasis on linking communities with formal institutions. Irrespective of the limited funding that such institutions may be facing, they still have an obligation to take actions towards the realization of the rights of the child. Through such linkages and joint reflection and search for solutions representatives of government and other developmental institutions working within the district are being challenged to find ways in which they can make a contribution to the realization and protection of the rights of the child. This emphasis on obligations should at a minimum achieve positive results on those fronts where some action can be taken with limited budgetary implications. Other interventions include working with school authorities to find ways in which the schools can assist the most needy OVC to access education. SAHRIT supports such processes through facilitation of interactions and where necessary offering some core funding to allow initiatives to take off.

Fostering networking and learning across communities and organizations.

SAHRIT identifies innovative and promising community initiatives and facilitates exchange visits to such initiatives. The search for promising initiatives extends beyond the communities participating in the programme and includes experience sharing between organizations working on issues of OVC.