Children & Youth Advocacy Programme

Under this programme KAACR has established and supported child rights clubs in schools and the community. The main aim is to teach and promote the rights of children as enshrined in the UNCRC. Presently there are 33 clubs in Kisumu region and 28 in Nairobi with a total of 2000 members. Activities undertaken include, contribution of articles in Magazines and local media and teaching boys and girls about their rights through radio programmes.

Clubs in both areas also celebrate the DAC in June and Universal Children's Day in November with planned activities including special events to raise awareness on child rights among school teachers and other policy makers with in the sphere of education. KAACR produces materials to support this programme such as the Children's Rights Club Facilitators Manual which guides the teacher on how to start and manage the child rights clubs, posters, brochures and stickers.

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Advocacy for Legal and Policy Reforms

The 1999 Constitutional Review Act seeks to ensure that the constitution has mechanisms that will ensure protection of children. KAACR has taken a leading role among the NGO community in advocating on inclusion of children's issues in the proposed reform process. The children's Caucus, a lobby group made up of 30 NGOs has been converted by KAACR for this purpose.

In addition, KAACR co-ordinated the NGO input into the preparation of a national report on the implementation of the CRC. The 1st Country report has been submitted to the UNHCR monitoring committee in Geneva. With support of partners, KAACR spearhead dissemination of the report in 19 UNICEF Focus Districts in Kenya. KAACR continues to act as the lead agency in reporting to the UN Monitoring Committee on CRC in fulfillment of Article 44 of the Convention. KAACR together with the Children's Caucus is in the process of preparing a complimentary report to the CRC Geneva Committee.

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Counseling, Referral and Monitoring on Child Abuse and Neglect

This programme is implemented as a psychological skill development for social workers, lay counselors, as well as community support groups. The primary objectives are:-

• To strengthen networking among agencies supporting Children in Need of Special Protection (CNSP) e.g street and slum children, orphans etc.

• To improve the quality of services provided by NGOs, police and chiefs to CEDC

• To strengthen documentation of cases of CEDC

• To improve counseling services offered to CEDC by front line workers

• To improve counseling among Secondary school Teachers

• To introduce alternative approaches of working with child drug victims

• To offer direct counseling (referrals) to abused children and families

The unit has mainly focused its activities in Nairobi Province. This programme focuses on training social workers, lay couselors police officers and chiefs on various skills of working with children.

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Gender Awareness

KAACR have been working in the education sector with the aim of advocating for a gender sensitive education system, which provides equal opportunities to boys and girls. The organization also advocates against gender based violence, focusing on the elimination of harmful practices, sexual harassment, rape, early marriage and excessive domestic workload placed on girls. Pilot projects have been initiated in Kwale district at the coast of Kenya (Girl Child Education Awareness Project); Kiambu district in Central Kenya (Advocacy against Sexual Harassment and Assault of Girls) Kenyatta University (Gender Violence Awareness Campaign), Nairobi and the Vihiga District - Western Kenya (Gender Violence Awareness Project) and Kuria district - Western Kenya on (Advocacy against female genital mutilation)

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Information, Communication and Documentation

The purpose of this programme is to provide service to the core programmes through production of advocacy materials and liaison with the mass media. The unit is also involved in the production of audio-visual advocacy materials and liaison with the mass media. The unit is also involved in the production of audio-visual advocacy materials and resourcing relevant books, videos and other materials on children. The programme also has a resource and documentation centre for use by researchers, students and children frontline workers on reference to children issues. It continues to document events crucial to KAACR programmes as well as keep track of emerging agencies working with CEDC.

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