Child Protection
The Child Protection project run by C4L is now into its 7th year, providing care and support through schools-based Kids Clubs to OVC (orphans and vulnerable children). But it is a monumental task requiring a great deal of effort and continued, consistent support from motivated people at every level. There are now clubs running at least once a week in 25 schools.
A word of explanation... this used to be called the "OVC Project" but that placed it only on the desks that approve HIV and AIDS funding. Such funds are drying up as the roll-out of ARVs absorb more and more of that funding. So by re-naming it "Child Protection", the project can apply to a wider range of funding sources. But it is essentially the same project, running Kids Clubs and Camps for OVC.
| Document Title | Size | Revision | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short History in columns | 85.00 kB | Oct 25, 2010 | Short History in columns |
Kids Clubs
Kids Clubs are an extra-curricular after school activity for orphaned and vulnerable children in a growing number of elementary and secondary level schools in Mpumalanga Province.
Managed by two youth leaders and overseen by members of the teaching staff, each Kids Club provides a protective environment where grieving and troubled children with similar problems can get together to talk them out and gain support from their mentors and from each other. Managing money, nutrition, interpersonal relationships ...these are lessons normally learned in the family context.
Circumstances have taken the support of their own families from them, so the Kids Clubs offer help and guidance in these areas to their young charges, so over time they learn to make appropriate choices and strengthen their self assurance.
In addition to leading the after school meetings of the Kids Clubs, the youth leaders do home assessment visits on each child. The home situation for each child is monitored, and action can be taken if there is a requirement.
Many Kids Clubs are only possible because of external funding for the stipends for the youth mentors, as without this funding the mentors would need to find alternate work and would not be available. See Donors and Volunteers to see how you can help with this programme and keep it going.
English Access
C4L Launches English Access Program
C4L with funding from the U.S Embassy in Pretoria has initiated an English Access Micro-scholarship program. 20 students from Hlanganani High School are participating in the 2-year program which seeks to progressively contribute to the improvement of English Language completed of disadvantaged learners in Mpumalanga Province. The official launch will be in July 2011. It is hoped that at the end of the 2 year period, the 20 learners will have an improved level of functional and academic proficiency in English, which in turn would lead to an improved matric pass rate and an improved ability to think critically, access information and be independent leaners.
Click on the picture beneath and have a look at some more pictures of the camp !
Psycho-social Support Camps
Psychosocial support can be defined as an approach to victims of
disaster, catastrophe or violence, to foster resilience of communities
and individuals. It aims at easing resumption of normal life... And
that is exactly what C4L's I Have a Future camps have as a primary
goal. Throughout the July and December school holidays, C4L hosts one
week camp sessions at Orchard Camp to give up to 50 campers
in each session an intensive boost of resilience building, team
building, morale building and building self-esteem. The first camp is
for children 8 - 12 years and the second for youth from 13 - 18 years.
Chosen from the most vulnerable members of the various Kids
Clubs, 200 orphans and vulnerable children attend the camps each
year. Their counselors are selected from the Kids Club youth mentors
as well as from those youth who are enrolled in the year-long
certificate programmes at C4L. Camps also offer the counselors, who
attend a 4 day leadership training camp before the children arrive, the
opportunity to increase their social, organizational and teaching
skills, as well as employment experience for their resumes. 18 PSS camps have now been run by C4L, and 3 other agencies have run camps on campus. In all, over 1000 OVC have now attended these life-changing camps.
The original camp curriculum was developed from the Masiye Camp model in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. It is based on narrative therapy and includes Hero Books (wherein every child is encouraged to the author, illustrator and hero of their own book and tell their own story), and a cultural and sports challenge programme. In the outdoor environment of C4L's Orchard Camp, the children and their camp counselors participate in crafts, games, sports, drama, singing, prayer, story telling - the types of activities common to children's camps the world over. And similar to other camps, the aims are to foster friendships, encourage goal setting, show the benefits of teamwork. However these camps also feature grief counseling to give the youngsters an opportunity to share their feelings. They are helped to understand that their situations and problems are shared by many others and they are not alone. There is great benefit to be gained from trusting and supporting each other. They are taught to believe that they are valuable and beautiful and worthy of being loved, and that their Heavenly Father knows their name and walks beside them. They are also encouraged not to hide their troubles inside, but to confide in their counselors and Kids Club mentors, because although bad things may have happened to them, they themselves are not bad, and love and support is there for each and every one of them.
Since 2005, C4L has also hosted seven teams of Canadian volunteers who have come to stay at the C4L residential Campus each July and December to assist with the camp programmes.
If you would like to help send a kid to camp, or perhaps join our volunteers, please see Donors and Volunteers.
How C4L's Child Protection Project Began
Background
Like in so much of Africa, the HIV/AIDS pandemic has robbed the parents from many of the children of Mpumalanga Province, leaving them with a huge hole in the the fabric of their lives, and little ability to cope with the loss, or adapt effectively.
Unfortunately, if it becomes known that one or both parents is ill with, or has succumbed to, HIV/AIDS, a child can be shunned, bullied or abused. Without positive intervention, these vulnerable children can become depressed, despondent and susceptible to the temptations of drugs, promiscuity and crime. No child should be abandoned to follow this path.
Several years ago, C4L recognized that schools had a unique opportunity to identify and seek help for these children help that could nurture them and encourage them to see their own goodness and self-worth. The process of intervention that they began has grown into an effective, life-changing movement that continues to benefit not only the lives of these orphaned and vulnerable children, but also the schools, teachers, and youth and adult caregivers who have gained valuable skills and abilities and felt the joy of accomplishment by participating in the programme, and watching the children grow and make their way in the world.
The Problems
There is a huge stigma associated with HIV/AIDS that
hinders all aspects of trying to deal with it. Children who have lost
one or more members of their families from HIV/AIDS often go
unidentified, as they do all they can to hide the fact from becoming
known. Additionally, although the causes and methods of transmission
are fully understood, the trepidation, felt by so many adults and
children alike that they might somehow acquire it by association, is
rampant. And with so many infected and dying, it is very hard for the
logical argument to defeat the irrational fear. Consequently, the task
of recruiting, educating and retaining teachers, care givers and
mentors to assist these orphaned and vulnerable children has not been
simple.
Additionally.... there is the constant battle to obtain and keep enough funding
�
However,
the goal of the Child Protection project at C4L is to help the orphans and
vulnerable children in the township communities of Mpumalanga Province
develop their potential and live good and fulfilling lives, as is their
birthright.
The Process
The Child Protection project was developed, layer upon layer.�
First, in conjunction with the Department of Education, schools with
large orphan populations in areas with a high HIV/AID infection rates
were identified.� Then, the schools were asked to select teachers to
participate in the programme.� These teachers from the various schools
were given training by C4L staff in how to recognize the subtle and
intangible signs that may identify an orphaned or vulnerable child, how
to approach the child and engage them through support and counseling,
and how to understand and defuse the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS.
Next,
these teachers, working with C4L staff and the schools, sought out
potential caregivers for the OVC in the communities associated with
each school to create School Support Committees to build the next layer
of support.� As an incentive for the many unemployed youth to apply for
consideration, a small monthly stipend was offered.
The
caregivers selected in each community were drawn from those interested
youth and adults whose lives demonstrated the appropriate moral outlook
and strength of character deemed necessary for becoming effective
mentors and role models to these orphaned and vulnerable children.
Before beginning this task, they attended training at C4L, where they learned:
- coping skills to take care of themselves while maintaining their motivation and positive perspective
- understanding and defusing stigma
- how to counsel and mentor OVC - from dealing with grief, to dealing with bullying, to dealing with puberty
- how to find and make use of external resources to assist the OVC
- how to conduct home assessment visits and prepare assessment report
- the basics of nutrition and how to grow food by planting and tending simple food gardens
The final layer of the process involved creating, operating and monitoring the after school Kids Clubs for the orphaned and vulnerable children at each participating elementary and high school, and establishing the psychosocial support camps at C4L's Orchard Camp for the most vulnerable children.
Many of the graduates of the Kids Clubs have gone on to attend certificate courses through C4L to further their career goals. As part of their practical course work they have become Kids Clubs leaders and mentors...and exemplary role models.