On February 4, Ayako Kaino Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children Humanitarian Relief Specialist, Veronique Njo, UNICEF Protection Officer and Gaele Chojnowicz, UNHCR Child Protection Specialist visited AVSI's activities in Omugo Refugee Settlement, in Northern Uganda.
AVSI has a long history of partnership with UNICEF in the Acholi sub-region, supporting the health sector to strengthen maternal, new-born and child health, nutrition and education.
With the program Ending Violence Against Children (April, 2018 to March, 2019) in Kyangwali and Rhino Omugo Refugee Settlements AVSI works to improve case management and access to protection and legal services through community-level protection structures; to provide a supportive family care environment and to promote a safe environment in schools and in the communities.
During the visit, Ayako Kaino and AVSI Country Representative John Makoha inaugurated a new art mural in one of the targeted schools of the project, St. Mary’s Ocia Primary School.
The art mural shows what a good school means to teachers, students and the community of Omugo: a safe and violence-free environment.
After the inauguration, Ayako met with students, teachers and parents to hear their testimonials like the story of John, a South Sudanese da dwho thanks to the program no longer uses violence against his children.
I used to beat my children. I was confident that the only way to teach them something was by using physical punishment but I was wrong. Today my relationship with them has totally changed. My children don’t fear me anymore and I enjoy spending time with them. I tell stories about our home and what we left there; I want them to be responsible because they are the future of our country.
John - South Sudanese father involved in the project.
AVSI’s Parenting Approach in Omugo
AVSI developed a parenting training program to target both young and older parents. The training equips parents with parenting skills to help them understand who they are, appreciate their children as they are, appreciate their parenting responsibility and adopt positive (authoritative) parenting behavior, values, skills and attitudes that enable them to accompany their children to maturity.
Results in the year:
- 3,137 children received Birth Registration Notifications.
- 26 legal outreach conducted.
- 4,092 people participated in legal outreach.
- 712 home visits.
- 514 people trained in child protection and legal services interventions.
- 1,488 parents trained in parenting skills.
- 265 foster parents identified.
- 522 girls trained in reproductive health and menstrual hygiene.
- 1,149 boys and men engaged in dialogues on GBV isssues.
- 1,066 youths trained in life skills.
- 4,731 people provided with psychosocial activities.
- 519 boys and men trained and made aware of gender equality and positive norms of masculinity.
- 133 teachers trained on child friendly approaches.
- 7 schools supported, assessed and became child friendly.
- 3,926 pupils attended dialogue sessions on child protection.
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