In Kenya, 32% of households had a child or caregiver reporting violence at home in 2020.
In Nairobi, 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 7 boys experience sexual abuse in informal settlements.
The ‘Joining Forces for Africa (JOFA) – Protecting Children from Violence during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond aims to reduce the levels of physical and emotional violence against children that have risen in Kenya.
World Vision is the lead for the JOFA project in Kenya and also implements project activities in Kakuma refugee camp. Implementing partners Terre des Hommes and Save the Children are implementing JOFA activities in Busia, Bungoma, and Nairobi.
At national level, all 6 Joining Forces Alliance agencies are involved in joint actions, such as a national behaviour change campaign and several advocacy activities. The total budget for the JOFA project in Kenya is over €2.1m over 3 years.
Between the 23rd of November and the 9th of December 2020, the JOFA project conducted an initial assessment of child protection needs during the pandemic in Kenya.
Physical violence and sexual abuse, were identified as top protection risks for all children in Kenya, whilst FGM/C is also a concern, particularly among Somali populations.
Child, Early and Forced Marriages (CEFM) and early pregnancy rates are high in border areas and vulnerable children in Turkana face risks of family separation, sexual violence and exploitation, domestic violence, becoming street children, and CEFM.
In light of this alarming data, the JOFA project in Kenya is focused on:
- Strengthened national and local protection and response systems.
- Improved protection for children in resilient families, communities and institutions in the context of COVID-19 and during recovery phase.
- Increased capacity and agency of children to prevent and respond to violence against them during COVID-19 crisis and recovery phase.
- Increased learning and sharing of knowledge and best practices related to child protection approaches.
The JOFA project in Kenya is implemented in Kakuma, Busia, Bungoma, and Nairobi.
To tackle violence against children, the JOFA project in Kenya is using a strategy based on positive parenting and combining different technical approaches and methodologies such as:
Parenting Without Violence is one of the approaches used in Kenya. Developed by Save the Children to tackle the root cause of violence against children in homes by addressing violence. It is an amalgamation of various Parenting approaches such as the Real Fathers, Youth Resilience, and Positive Parenting among others.
Core to JOFA’s activities, caregivers, fathers, mothers and children, are involved in nurturing respectful, loving, and non-violent homes. JOFA in Kenya recognizes that each person in the family has a part to play in ending violence against children through extended research. It is a child centered framework that focuses on a child as an active citizen in the context of their family, community, and society.
JOFA’s activities in Kenya are providing opportunities to strengthen mothers, fathers, caregivers and the wellbeing of children.
In Kakuma Camp alone, more than 5,000 people were engaged in the Parenting without Violence sessions or through child rights and child protection sessions in Child clubs.
In addtition to these approaches, Kenya is part of the JOFA transnational campaign to advocate for positive parenting. The campaign aims to change behaviours and create awareness about the risks that children are facing.
Learn more about JOFA’s transnational campaign to advocate for positive parenting.
Child participation in child protection activities in Bungoma and Busia counties, and in Kakuma refugee camp
Our methodologies
Our approaches in Kenya
Child Participation and Advocacy
Parenting Without Violence
System Strengthening
LATEST UPDATES FROM KENYA
- The parenthood school
In 2021, Joining Forces for Africa (JOFA) Project introduced the Parenting without Violence (PwV) approach in Bungoma County. The program aims to equip parents and caregivers with the necessary skills to solve problems in partnership with their children, in order to prevent physical and humiliating punishments in households. The PwV sessions involve children, fathers, mothers, caregivers, and communities in an effort to transform gender norms, power dynamics, and culturally accepted practices that contribute to violence in the home. […] - PlanZ: empowering children to end violence
Abiya is among 210 children from Korogocho in Nairobi, Kenya, who have been enrolled in PlanZ – a child participation model implemented by the JOFA Project. PlanZ a Human-Centered Design methodology that empowers children and equips them as active agents of change to come up with solution and ideas to ending violence against children. […] - Two years teaming up with children
After the results of the Joining Forces For Africa (JOFA) Project Child Protection Needs Assessment at the end of year one and the subsequent Mid-Term Review conducted in July 2022 revealed the need for further psycho-social support interventions, TeamUp was incorporated into the JOFA Project implementation in year two and three. […]
LATEST PUBLICATIONS FROM KENYA
Joining Forces for Africa: Mid-term review summary
Joining Forces for Africa: Learning series on child participation
Needs assessment report: Protecting children during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond
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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