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

2. Contents Back ground/Introduction Project Goal & Objectives 2. Annual Planned activities 3. Achievements/successes Immediate impact Challenges 6. Recommendations 7. Way Forward 8. Conclusion

BACKGROUND OF OSSEDI Malawi OSSEDI Malawi is an abbreviation that stands for Organization for Sustainable Socio- Economic Development Initiative Malawi. The organization was established in 2004 as a LNGO and registered in 2006 under Malawi incorporation Act 1962. Eligible member of CONGOMA, CSCE, MHEN, Lilongwe DEC just to mention a few. Its operational area is Lilongwe, Mzimba, Kasungu, Ntcheu, Mchinji, Dedza and Dowa Districts

Back ground and Goal Mission Its mission is dedicated to assist the poor and marginalized households in communities to realize their priority needs through attainment of rights and community participation. Thematic areas Activities include Agriculture, Education, Health and HIV and AIDS, Natural resources management, child protection and rights, sustainable livelihoods

3. Project Goal & Objectives To protect and empower 15, 000 vulnerable children in TA Mponela and Chakhaza to be able to resist all forms of abuse in Dowa district Specific Objectives To develop and strengthen a frame work for monitoring, reporting and addressing child protection issues in the project area To facilitate the creation of 50 community based structures form monitoring and follow up on child protection issues at community level To ensure continued safeguard of children’s right to protection from violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation

4. Objectives (cont’d) To promote children’s right for 15, 000 children to participate in community decision making To build capacity of 15, 000 children on constitutional rights, basic human rights and Convention of Rights of Children for them to resist, fight and report human rights abuse, violations and injustices in the community To bring awareness to 40, 000 community members on the importance of child birth registration, evils of child labour and defilement amongst children.

5. Planned activities for the first quarter Project community mobilization and sensitization of stakeholders at TA level. Facilitate formation of Area Child Protection Committees at TA and Group level Orientation of Area Child Protection Committees at TA level on Child Care and Child protection and Justice Act of 2010 Formation of Rights of the child club in schools and if possible at group or village level Joint Project monitoring.

5. Planned activities for second quarter 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 To conduct a joint monitoring of activities with Plan Malawi, Dowa District Child Protection Committee, Social Welfare on implemented activities in T/A Mponela

8. Activities we have done in the first year Project community mobilization and sensitization of stakeholders at TA level. CONDUCTED 1 SENSITIZATION MEETING Facilitate formation of Area Child Protection Committees at TA and Group level FORMED 1 ACPC Orientation of Area Child Protection Committees at TA level on Child Care and Child protection and Justice Act of 2010 CONDUCTED 1 ORIENTATION Formation of Rights of the child club in schools and if possible at group or village level FORMED 10 ROCs Project monitoring. CONDUCTED 1 VISIT

Activities we have done Second quarter 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) 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)

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. Way Forward To train CCPC on Child protection and Justice act 2010 To distribute IEC materials to committees To train community leaders on child protection and justice act To train children on children rights and justice act 2010 To conduct an awareness meeting on disability, child rights and child protection To extend the project and facilitate formation of Rights of the child clubs in the remaining schools To conduct meetings on child protection at (GVH) community level

Totals for First and Second 10, 771 People 16. Conclusion Appreciation to Plan Malawi for the funds, stakeholders such as Police, Dowa Child Protection Committee, Social Welfare Office and CSO’s for the help rendered to us during implementation Total number of people reached with Child protection messages First Quarter – 1957 Males and 1924 Females = 3881 Second Quarter -3173 Males and 3717 Females = 6890 Total Males 5130 and 5041 Totals for First and Second 10, 771 People

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!!!!