1. OSSEDI Malawi Presenter: Alinafe Jere Accounts Department and SECOND QUARTER REPORT FROM MAY - JUNE 2012 STRENGTHERNING CHILD PROTECTION STRUCTURES PROJECT T/A MPONELA, DOWA DISTRICT Presenter: ALICK MAKIYI PROJECTOR COORDINATOR 19TH JUNE, 2012 LILONGWE HOTEL Presenter: Alinafe Jere Accounts Department and 21st November 2011

2. Contents Objectives 2. Planned activities 3. Achievements/successes Immediate impact Challenges 6. Recommendations 7. Conclusion

3. Objectives To facilitate formation of formation of Community Child Protection Committees at GVH level To train Matrons, Patrons and Teachers, Area Child Protection Committee members and Community Child Protection Committee members on Child Care, Rights, Protection and Justice Act 2010 from Mponela Zone, T/A and GVH level respectively To facilitate formation of Zone Child Protection Committees at cluster level in schools of Mponela Zone To conduct an awareness campaign meeting on child protection and reduction of climate change

4. Objectives (cont’d) To conduct a baseline survey with Area Child Protection Committee to find out forms of child abuses happening at GVH level in T/A Mponela To conduct a joint monitoring meeting with stakeholders on child protection project

5. Planned activities Facilitate formation of Community Child Protection Committees at GVH level Conduct a training with Matron, Patrons, Teachers, Area Child Protection Committees, ADC, Child Protection Workers and Community Child Protection Committees on Child Care, Rights, Protection and Justice Act 2010 Facilitate formation of Zone Child Protection Committees in schools of Mponela Zone Conduct an awareness campaign meeting with schools and communities on reduction of climate change and child protection Conduct baseline survey with Area Child Protection Committee to find out common forms of child abuses happening in the communities at GVH level in T/A Mponela (NOT FUNDED OUR OWN INITIATIVE)

6. Planned activities (cont’d) To conduct a joint monitoring of activities with Plan Malawi, Dowa District Child Protection Committee, Social Welfare on implemented activities in T/A Mponela

Activities we have done Facilitated formation of 30 Community Child Protection Committees at GVH level total number elected is 300 members (176 Males and 124 Females) 2914 people attended the meetings (1529 Females, 1385 Males) Conducted 1 training with Matron, Patrons and Teachers 32 (14 females, 18 Males) on Child Care, Rights, Protection and Justice Act 2010 Conducted 1 training with Area Child Protection Committees, ADC and Child Protection Workers 20 participants (12 Males, 8 Females) on Child Care, Rights, Protection and Justice Act 2010 Conducted 1 training with Community Child Protection Committees 32 participants (18 Males, 14 Females) on Child Care, Rights, Protection and Justice Act 2010

Activities done (Cont’d) Facilitated formation of 4 Zone Child Protection Committees in schools of Mponela Zone Conduct 1 awareness campaign meeting with schools and communities on reduction of climate change and child protection Conduct 1baseline survey with Area Child Protection Committee to find out common forms of child abuses happening in the communities at GVH level in T/A Mponela, 3012 people attended the meetings (1221 Males, 1791 Females)

7. Achievements/succeses Increased knowledge on child rights, care, protection at school and community level Trained 32 Matrons, Patrons and Teachers on Child Care, Protection and Justice act from Mponela Zone Trained 20 Area Child Protection Committee members and 4 CSO staff on Child Care, Protection and Justice act from T/A Mponela Trained 32 Community Child Protection Committee members and Child Protection Workers on Child Care, Protection and Justice act from T/A Mponela Increased reports on cases of child abuse from communities i.e. one child was abused by her aunt by hot steel wire on her waist for long time.

8. Achievements/succeses (cont’d) Improved relationships between community leaders, committees at T/A and GVH level on child protection project Increased reports on child rights violations from the communities Reached 2914 people from the communities with child protection, rights messages in T/A Mponela Reached 768 children with messages of child rights, protection and care Established 30 Community Child Protection Committees (300 members) in T/A Mponela communities Established 4 Zone Child Protection Committees at cluster level in Mponela Zone. Involved 40 children in committees 24 Females and 16 Males Ability of community people to air out issues about child rights, protection, participation and abuses and challenges faced on child rights Identified common forms of abuse happening at the community level in collaborations with Area Child Protection Committee and Social Welfare office

9. Achievements (cont’d) Improved skills on dealing with issues of child protection and rights by participants All communities welcomed the development as it is expected to change their communities and mind set towards children on decision making, participation on development. Elections of office bearers were done on transparent manner for the communities elected people of their choice after being guided on who to be in the committees (Participatory in nature) Increased understanding on issues about child rights, roles and responsibilities in schools of Mponela Zone Conduct 16 meetings at GVH level to find out forms of violence happening at community level

10. Immediate Impact Community Child Protection Committees started reporting cases of child abuse happening in their communities 1. Chimwaza Market committees beat children who are present during school sessions 2. Police fails to prevail justice on reported cases of abuse for example on child was abused by a hot steel wire on the waist by her aunt 3. One family is locking a disabled child in a house because he is dum 4. One man marries a 15 year old girl who is related to the first wife who he dumped after giving her a child 5. Kudyerea masuku ana. Children work for parents to sell firewood and mandasi but parents take the wages from the employers

11. Challenges No safe home for children in Dowa district. OSSEDI Malawi has a place at Tchale village in T/A Mponela that waits for donors to fund for construction. The communities will this year start moulding bricks for the site but OSSEDI Malawi is looking for donors to assist on funding it for construction. Price hike because of devaluation of kwacha that made prices of fuel, stationery, etc. high on the market than the budgeted price Inadequate funds to support many activities in order to reach many beneficiaries of the project High expectations from the communities from OSSEDI and Plan Malawi in dealing with child abuse and labelled as NGOs with high integrity High demand from the communities on IEC materials i.e. Constitution books, justice act 2010, posters, T-Shirts, leaflets, caps

12. Challenges (cont’d) Elected Community Child Protection Committees complained of mobility for reporting issues about child abuse and the perpetrators to relevant authorities Fear of some communities that the project will bring enmity among community people around the communities and villages at GVH level High demand of trainings to the elected leaders as they pose a challenge of no skills in dealing with issues about child abuse No sanitation and hygiene in many schools for many schools have few toilets for children and children with disabilities have problems to use them

13. Challenges (Cont’d) Inadequate activities on Youth empowerment Livelihoods such as poverty is a contributing factor to children in indulging immoral behaviors, child labour, forced marriages High complaints from communities on delay of funds disbursements to the project as the project inceptions was so great and had high expectations to sort out issues of child abuse and rights in the communities Weak governance systems that contribute to no reporting of issues of child abuse issues by the leaders and communities

14. Recommendations Construction of safe home for children in T/A Mponela as OSSEDI Malawi imitated the project in the community Introduction of Youth Empowerment, Water and Sanitation project in the area Timely disbursement of funds to the project because as per records of Dowa Social Welfare Office, Mponela is the highest area with issues of child abuses Introduction of livelihoods programmes to the extremely poor households as a solutions to the many challenges faced by households i.e. poverty, child labour

15. Conclusion Appreciation to Plan Malawi for the funds, stakeholders such as Police, Social Welfare Office and CSO’s for the help rendered to us during implementation

SASA !!!!!!!! THANK YOU GOD BLESS YOU!!!! 15. Conclusion (Cont’d) START, AWARENESS, SUPPORT and ACTION KUDZIWITSA NDIKUCHITAPO KANTHU PA CHITETEZO NDI UFULU WA ANA OSSEDI Malawi !!!! BUNGWE LANTHU!!!!! Plan Malawi !!!! BUNGWE LANTHU!!!!! THANK YOU GOD BLESS YOU!!!!