Over the years, KAACR has experienced tremendous growth that has seen her implement various projects geared towards promoting the rights and welfare of children in Kenya. KAACR has implemented two strategic plans 2001 – 2010 and 2011 -2015, 2016 – 2020 and we have commenced implementation of 5-year strategic plan 2021 -2025 whose strategic objectives are:
i. Monitoring domestication of County, National, regional and international child rights
instruments
ii. Strengthening networking and building partnerships for increased visibility of Children
and youth
iii. Children and Youth empowerment
iv. Research, Learning and documentation
v. Institutional Strengthening and Technical Support to partners
TRACK RECORD
Since its inception, KAACR has taken a lead role among the NGO Community in advocating for and promoting the realization of the rights of children in Kenya. KAACR pioneered the child participation movement in Kenya through establishment of Child Rights Clubs in schools and children institutions.
The first clubs were established in 1992 in the then Kisumu Municipality as a pilot project and spread to Nairobi Province in 1995. To make the clubs to be felt throughout the country, KAACR published a Facilitators Manual for establishing Child Rights Clubs and so inducted a number of organizations on how to start and run the clubs. The clubs are now a common feature in many children institutions and this is exhibited by the increased awareness of child participation in Kenya.
KAACR played a lead role in compilation of Kenya’s initial report on the implementation of the CRC with the support of UNICEF Kenya Country Office. The 1st, 2nd and combined 3rd, 4th and 5th state party reports and the NGO supplementary reports were submitted to the UNCRC Child Rights Committee in Geneva, Switzerland and the NGO report on Kenya’s report to the African Committee of Experts on the ACRWC. KAACR ensured the participation of children from the districts to the NGO session in Geneva. KAACR spearheaded dissemination of the country report in 19 UNICEF focus districts in Kenya and continues to act as the lead agency in reporting to the UNCRC Committee in fulfillment of Article 44 on the Convention as it is the secretariat of the NGO CRC Committee.
Besides the UNCRC, KAACR has been involved in providing information on status of children for compilation and presentation of alternative reports on UN Convention Against Torture, UN Covenant on Social Economic and Cultural Rights (UNCSER) and Kenya’s report to the Human Rights Council besides other UN instruments. KAACR took a lead role in the UN General Assembly Special Session on Children (UNGASS) in New York, USA which culminated in the Outcome Document – a World Fit for Children.
KAACR coordinated the NGO sector in lobbying for the passage of the Children Act 2001. This process involved lobbying child-friendly lawyers to review the bill, working with the drafters in the Attorney Generals Chambers and lobbying parliamentarians through seminars to interest them to pass the bill. This resulted in the enactment of Children Act in March 2001. KAACR took a lead role among the NGO Community in advocating on inclusion of children’s issues in the constitutional reform process. KAACR spearheaded the process of recognition of children in the ongoing Constitution of Kenya Review Process in which the children have made gains on their recognition, protection and participation. Through its members, KAACR coordinated the mobilization
of views of children from all over Kenya on the proposed constitution and lobbied the delegates to support children issues. KAACR also organized for children to present their views to the Constitution of Kenya Review Commission. A lot of success was realized through this, as the draft Constitution of Kenya now has a section on children in the chapter on the Bill of Rights. KAACR’s former Executive Director was among the elected People’s Commissioners who put pressure on the government to embark on the constitutional review process. Through this, a number of people from the children sector were selected by the Constitution Review Commission as delegates and observers in the National
Delegates Constitutional Conference. This resulted in Article 53 under the Bill Rights in the current
Constitution of Kenya 2010 that addresses children’s rights.
As a way of strengthening the capacity of member organizations and CBOs, KAACR started a grantmaking programme which is already bearing a lot of fruits in the children sector. This started as a
response to the request by the NGOs and CBOs KAACR had trained on Rights-Based Programming
and Project Management. KAACR has undertaken this project on a pilot basis and has now published a
grant-making manual. Small NGOs and CBOs undertaking activities at the grassroots level in Kenya are
eligible to receive grants from European Union and USAID RFAs.
KAACR has undertaken research work and implemented projects in partnership with Save the Children,
ICCO Netherlands, HIVOS, Wellsprings Philanthropic Fund, United Church of Canada, ERIKS Partners,
Hope HIV UK among other agencies, that support children-led movements on adolescent health rights,
advocacy against negative practices such as early marriage, teenage pregnancies, female genital mutilation
(FGM), drug abuse, child participation, Advocating against Child Labour, Child Labour-Free Zones,
Alternatives to Corporal punishment, Child Protection, Child Rights Governance and awareness in five
counties, establishment of County Child Rights Networks across the country and sensitization on
children rights beyond the borders in collaboration with children agencies in Musoma, Tanzania, Jinja,
Kampala and Masaka in Uganda and in Zanzibar.
AS a national umbrella body, KAACR has cut out a niche for herself as a leading Child Rights
Organization with capacity to infiltrate governments and ensure that they are child friendly, by bringing
together a host of different types of agencies into loose structures know as County Child Rights
Networks (CCRNs) that are currently found in 22 of the 47 counties of Kenya, empowering children
through a child-friendly way of working that has ensured children grow into responsible youth and
adults who are responsible and gender sensitive and working with political/elected leaders to ensure
they become child-friendly and support budgets at county and national levels.
Convening of annual National CSO Sector Advocacy Workshops from CCRNs and other children based
agencies is one of the high points of KAACR. Now in its 12th year, the workshop has expanded beyond
the borders of Kenya as melting pot for exchange of ideas on children rights not only for Kenya but
EAC region. The 8th workshop brought together 100 participants from five East African countries i.e.
Uganda, Burundi, Tanzania, South Sudan and Kenya. KAACR was contracted by Catholic Relief Services
(CRS) through MWENDO project funded by USAID to conduct Orientation on Sexual Violence against
Children (SVAC) to 400 religious leaders from 5 counties in Kenya i.e. Nandi, Kakamega, Busia, Vihiga
and Nyamira.
KAACR Structure
KAACR highest decision-making body is the Annual General Assembly, which elects an Executive Board
to oversee day-to-day operations of the organization. The Executive Director oversees the running of
the secretariat that has 12 staff members of which three women and three men are in senior
management. The Annual General Assembly and the Board give policy direction while the secretariat
implements policy decision and programmers. KAACR has a management team consisting of the
Executive Director, Programme Manager and Programme Coordinators, which formulate the
Programmatic direction of the organization for discussion and adoption by the Executive Board.
CONTACT PERSON:
Executive Director, KAACR
P O Box 73637 00200, Nairobi, Kenya
Tel. +254 020 4450256/7, +254 722 780 224
Email: kaacr@kaacr.com, info@kaacr.com
Website: http://kaacr.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KAACR1
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KenyaChildren