The Joining Forces For Africa (JOFA) Project Outcome Monitoring Baseline Survey conducted in Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya in 2021 revealed that 68.8% of children faced physical forms of violence. Results of the subsequent Mid-Term Review conducted in July 2022 indicated that 55% of children were still facing physical violence which was the most alarming child protection risk within the camp.
Through the project interactions with children, majority of fostered children reported to have experienced physical and humiliating forms of punishment at the household level.
“My mother was very hostile, and the situation at home was horrible. She could beat me, deny me food and even lock me outside whenever I made a mistake.” A child reported.
How JOFA tackles this situation
In order to address this challenge, JOFA Project adapted Parenting without Violence (PwV) common approaches targeting children, and their parents and caregivers.
Parenting Without Violence sessions are structured for eight sessions with two children to adult interaction sessions in between where parents and caregivers are joined by children. Children meet after every two weeks for their nine sessions to allow them practice what they have learnt together with the families.
The project has engaged 3044 children aged 10-17 years and 3449 parents and caregivers in the joint child to adult interactions. Some of the sessions covered included; Children’s needs and rights, getting to know one another, my life, and our community. During the joint sessions, children also communicate their needs through drawings, illustration, drama, poems, and dances.
“We have learnt about friendships, being safe and communicating with our fathers, mothers, caregivers, other family members and friends in a healthy way. We also have time to talk and to share our feelings with adults about what we have experienced, and about our lives and our dreams for the future and the adults listen to us.” A child reported.
To ensure sustainability, the project collaborated with the UNHCR, Judiciary of the Republic of Kenya, the Directorate of Children Services and community leaders to strengthen institutions and legal frameworks through the launch of a Children Court Users Committee in Kakuma, which will promote law and address foster parenting gaps to ensure children are not at risk of abuse within their families.
Our solution
The PwV approach has enabled JOFA Project to work with children, caregivers and communities to support families to better communicate and solve problems together, and encourage adults to view children as rights holders and understand their children’s development.
Parents who have been trained now acknowledge that parenting issues cut across to both male and female. Holding joint sessions for both male and female parents and caregivers together allows them to learn from each in terms of the challenges they experience and how they can support one another to address challenges.
Some parents and caregivers have confessed how the PwV activities enabled them to solve household problems together with their children which is contrary to their old practices where they viewed their children as if they could not make informed decisions on some issues.
“I used to treat my children harshly and thought they could not make informed decisions on some issues. These trainings have opened my eyes to the reality that children need to be listened to, and this has enabled us to solve household problems together with my children.”
Community Child Protection Volunteers have also reported that there is an increase in the number of child protection concerns reported to them compared to the situation before introduction of PwV activities in Kakuma Refugee Camp. Parents and caregivers have been upfront in reporting and referral of child protection cases, and this has contributed to change of harmful social norms which encouraged violence against children.
Keep up to date on the progress of the project by signing up to JOFA’s quarterly newsletter
Get the latest news, case studies, learning briefs, voices of children, and more.
This publication was produced with the financial support of the European Union.
Its contents are the sole responsibility of Joining Forces and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.