One-size-fit Programme for Children's Rights?

Recently I came accross an article on All Africa news talking about the Convention of the Rights of Children http://allafrica.com/c/-4T7Bb #zimbabwe via @allafrica . It reminded me and my colleagues at CHBC-SLA how at times we tend to ignore our government's commitment to this very important law, and wonder why children are not knowledgeble on their own rights. At CHBC-SLA the story is different. We feel that by working through parents Teachers Associations, and getting them engaged in the affairs of not only the schools, but of the wellbeing of children, we came make a difference. Just recently we had a meeting with one local PTA in a small peri-uban community school where the PTA members have promised to "act and see change in the lives of children's rights". We asked them a few questions on what they know about "Children's Rights" and here are some of the responses: CHBC-SLA: As part of your school curriculum, do you encourage your school to teach children's rights? PTA: Yes, rights begin from home and therefore we expect children to recieve their rights even when in school. That is why in most cases, the schools do not offer any user fees but only ask children and their familes to contribute whatever they have to keep the school going. CHBC-SLA: From a scale of one- five, with five being very good, how do you rate your staff's knowledge at school when it comes to Children's Rights? PTA: Five- We are confident on this becuase we have not had any serious children's rights violations so far at our school compared to other schools CHBC-SLA: What in your opinion is an appropriate programme to enahance children's rights in community schools? PTA: There is no one-size-fits-all type of programme when it comes to promoting children's rights in school. What is critical is that the school needs to embrace children's rights as part of their bigger strateg in providing education to every child. By Theresa Bwalya Director of Recreation and OVC Programme Chindwin Home Based Care- SLA

Investing in young girls is smart economics

Just recently I came across an interesting article written by Zimbabwe Women’s Resource Centre (ZRC) zwrcn@zwrcn.org.zw/ in Zimbabwe talking about the value of investing in women and girls. Immediately I read this article, it reminded me of the great work Chindwin Home Based Care is currently focusing its energy to build a strong and resilient movement of women who willing to transform their lives to be a force of change. This might seem so dramatic when you read it, but with every small step we take, we continue the journey to our “north star” to ensure that women and children live in a just world where their rights are respected. So how do we go about our work? Similar to ZWRC we are bring young girls in front of the line by putting them bank into school and giving them an opportunity to build their self esteem and long term prosperity. Because there are other families who still side line girls, we are embarking on a vigorous campaign to work with Parents Teachers Associations (PTA’s) to ensure that communities are in sync with our plan to put back over 50 young girls back to school- Yes, this can happen. Women from resource poor families, spend time worrying where the next meal will come from, how to feed their children and let alone, their own personal needs. This already diminishes their self esteem and put them vulnerable in society. HIV and AIDS is the number one the need to face, as some of them end up adopting risky copying strategies in order to survive such as prostitution, and getting married into polygamous marriages. To curb these challenges, Chindwin Home Based Care SLA is working with women by providing small but innovative micro enterprise grants and offering training on sustainable livelihoods. For more information on our work, please visit the website at www.sloansassociation.org