Empowering children to ensure their meaningful participation

Empowering children to ensure their meaningful participation and demonstrating to their right, is currently implementing project by the support of Save the Children Since 2010. Hiwot Ethiopia, based on its past experiences of working on child right governance and child protection, has designed an intervention which aims to empower children and enhance their capacity to meaningfully participate in local level governance structures and demonstrate their rights.
This project has aimed to enhance child participation in local level governance, budget processes and budget analysis/tracking. It focuses on supporting child led initiatives to become model child clubs that prioritize and promote children’s issues. The project builds the capacity of children, CRCs and community representatives (council members) to lobby at the community and local government level for improved participation in budgeting for child health, education and social protection. They also lobby members of child right committees, NGOs and other community based institutions to promote and ensure children participation and access to essential services for vulnerable children.
The project mainly focuses on awareness raising, capacity building and advocacy campaigns to create conducive and protective environment to children in Addis Ababa.
Major achievements:
• The project has contributed to the empowerment of children and facilitated their meaningful participation in local level governance, including budgetary processes. Therefore, as the result of the supports provided by the project, children have been able to actively participate at woreda level budget planning sessions, advocacy and community support programs. For instance, in the year 2016, fifteen children participated in annual budget planning and approval sessions organized by the respective woreda’s Finance and Economy Offices. As a result of the intervention, many children, especially those who have been active members of child led initiatives, enhanced their communication, leadership and advocacy skills, life skills, drawing and art skills, financial management skills, skills necessary to participate in government budgetary process, and academic performance skills.
• Children’s participation has been mainstreamed and practiced by woreda/district government offices along with budget allocation to vulnerable children. Children have participated in different platforms, discussed with woreda/district level government administrators and influenced the decision of their respective local governments. Children voiced their own opinions and interests to be included in the budget and project plan of their respective woreda administration and the project.
• The work of the CLIs has created opportunities for children to speak out about their views and concerns in the presence of decision makers. As a result, the target local governments have started to plan activities with the allocated budget for children in their annual plan. The efforts of CRCs (child support groups), council members, CLIs and woreda and sub city level decision makers have gone beyond budget allocation and they shared and scaled up their success to other woredas/districts.
• Woreda/district level council members had a significant role in their district budget cycle. Their involvement focused on advocating child budgeting to influence decision makers through organizing interface meetings, awareness raising platforms, and directly engaging in the budget planning and approval process.

Project title: Increasing the knowledge, attitude and practices of Most at risk groups in Addis Ababa

Hiwot Ethiopia was implemented increasing the knowledge, attitude and practices of Most at Risk groups by the support of Engederhealth. The project was implemented in three sub cities of Addis Ababa targeting in and out of school youth and community groups. The overall objective of the program is to improve the situation for HIV/AIDS situation among children, youth and the community. Hiwot Ethiopia has employed the following objectives:

To increasing the knowledge, attitudes and practices of children, youth and the community for the prevention of HIV/AIDS, STIs and promotion of VCT services.
To increase the knowledge, and improve the attitudes and practices of vulnerable urban and rural boys, girls and adult men to challenge male gender norms, for the prevention of HIV & AIDS, SRH problems and GBV;
To facilitate access to medical, legal and psychosocial support for vulnerable boys and girls and their partners;
To develop and strengthen coordination efforts and a supportive environment among the community and youth focused CSOs for the sustainable implementation of HIV/AIDS prevention and VCT services;
Major achievements

Group Peer discussion: Intensive group peer discussions were conducted in targeted secondary schools students of Addis Ababa targeting in using the male as partner/MAP approaches. The discussions covered: act like a man, Levels of HIV risks, and HIV prevention methods, VCT services, Stigma & discrimination.

Evening Students group peer education/ GPE: This intervention regarded as principal element of the project as it targeted evening students. Hiwot Ethiopia’s assessment at the planning stage revealed that the majority of these students found to be housemaids. Due to various socio-economic factors, this target population considered to be highly vulnerable to HIV. Many interventions directed to HIV prevention neglected housemaids, since they are “hard to reach” target.

Peoples with Disabled training: The peer educators training was conducted based on the edited MARPs Manual for peoples with disabilities in collaboration with the Ethiopians for Ethiopians Blind Association and the Ethiopian National Deaf Association peer educators, for 2 and ½ day. The selection of the peer educators was conducted in collaboration of Ethiopians for Ethiopians Blind Association. During the training selected 8 topics of the training manual a: Act like a Man, HIV and AIDS, Levels of HIV Risk, STDs, Proper Use of Condoms, Discussion on the use of Condoms, Sexual Violence, and Establishing Consent for Safe Sex, covered.

Evening Student peer educators training: During the reporting period peer educators training was given for most at risk evening students’ from selected 20 target schools. Out of the total participants 25% of them were housemaids. The participants received issues on act like a Man, HIV and AIDS, Levels of HIV Risk, STDs, Proper Use of Condoms, discussion on the use of Condoms, Sexual Violence, and Establishing Consent for Safe Sex issues was covered and the trainee were awarded with certificate.

Out of school youth club discussion: The out of school youth clubs discussions was aimed at largely addressing most at risk in and out of school boys and girls in Addis Ababa. One of the objectives to address out of school youths was to increase awareness and understanding of HIV prevention. In fulfilling this objective the organization planned to reach vulnerable out of school youths in collaboration over 18 out of school youth clubs in Addis Ababa. Participants/peers reflected that the issues or messages raised during group peer education helped them to build high level awareness on the role of harmful male gender norms as aggravating the spread of HIV and STIs.

Teachers training: training for evening school teachers who become facilitators for the most at risk peoples targeting project. These teachers, who were supposed to coordinate and facilitate in-school intervention, They are drawn from 20 schools and trained with 5 training groups. The training was conducted based on MAP/MARPs hybrid manual. The 8 topics of this manual are: Act like a Man, HIV and AIDS, Levels of HIV Risk, STDs, Proper Use of Condoms, Discussion on the use of Condoms, Sexual Violence, and Establishing Consent for Safe Sex.

At the end of the training participants (teachers) confirmed to work with Hiwot Ethiopia in an effort to stop the spread of HIV and AIDS among evening students, particularly among house maids. They ensured their commitment to coordinate and facilitate in-school intervention so that they can contribute for the promotion of safer sexual behavior and practices among evening students.

Community based discussions: The community based organizations (CBO) undertook several series of group peer discussions based on standardized male as partner/MAP group education manuals. The target individuals intensively discussed male gender norms for the prevention of HIV and gender based violence (GBV). The group discussions were conducted in a participatory manner with lively discussions among participants on MAP topics like learning about gender, act like a man, levels of HIV risk, alphabets of prevention, getting tested for HIV, from violence to respect, sexual consent…etc. The discussions were facilitated and led by trained MAP peer educators.

Support out of school youth clubs: Hiwot has taken a need based approach to offer the capacity building support over 18 youth clubs to build the capacity and ensures sustainability. To strengthening their capacity different music materials purchased and donated for the clubs/associations. Accordingly, Hiwot has provided financial supports for youth clubs/ associations to manage the project activities based on the club’s annual plan of action. The youth clubs/association were received monthly finance to support the peer to peer discussion, club leaders and peer educator’s monthly stipend and office administration costs. Accordingly Hiwot has provided technical support for youth clubs to deliver quality information and services for youths.

Support persons with Disability association: Hiwot has taken a need based approach to offer the capacity building support for two persons with disability associations in order to motivate their efforts on the prevention of HIV & AIDS in Addis Ababa. The Ethiopian National Association for the deaf and Ethiopians for Ethiopian blind Association have been donated different music material, computers and other stationary materials.

Father’s day which was celebrated at the end of June was the biggest event. The public panel discussion held at Addis Ababa city council with the involvement of various stakeholders such as HAPCO, Women’s Children and Youth Affairs, Education Bureaus, School Officials, Women association leaders and members, Club members from the respective sub cities, as well as fathers and children. The fathers’ day is being celebrated with the motto of “I am a good father! I protect myself and my family from HIV”. Accordingly 20 minutes radio conversation and SMS message targeting 100000 people were conducted during the day.

Hiwot Ethiopia has been implementing enhancing quality education through the power of sport and play in Addis Ababa and Oromia region of Northshewa zone Wuchale Woreda by the financial and technical support of Right to Play.

The project is implementing in 51 primary schools of Addis Ababa and Wuchale woreda ( 31 in Addis Ababa and 20 in Oromia region. Among others 18 schools (10 from Addis Ababa and 8 from Oromia) received direct support from the project.

The overall objective of the project is to enhancing quality education, through the power of sport and play. The focused specific objectives are:

• Enhance interactive/positive learning environment in schools
• Enhance life skills development of children and youth
• Promote inclusion and empowerment of people with disabilities and girls
• Promote gender equality, child protection and building a peaceful community

The project is deployed different implementation strategies to address target community groups:

• Providing capacity building trainings to students, teachers, PTAs, coaches and parents
• Strengthening school club capacity through providing mini-media, and sport equipments
• Organizing community mobilization sessions to discuss on the barriers of education and other related issues
• Organize advocacy campaigns to advocate on issues of safe and protective school environment, children’s right including health