Elimination of Violence Against Orphaned Girls
Example: Walk us through a specific example(s) of how this solution makes a difference; include its primary activities.
Marketplace: Who else is addressing the problem outlined here? How does the proposed project differ from these approaches?
Founding Story
Kathryn
Dansky
Children's Heaven
, Addis Ababa
, Addis Ababa
More than 5 years
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Operating for more than 5 years
We aim to protect vulnerable orphaned girls from all forms of violence and to provide support and assistance when violence has occurred. By establishing a violence prevention and support center for at-risk orphans, we provide sanctuary for girls who have experienced great tragedy in their young lives. The girls who receive services at Children`s Heaven have lost one or both parents and many have experienced abuse at home or at school. Pregnancy, infection with HIV and emotional scars are familiar consequences. Primary roles of the center will be to advocate for the girls and navigate the legal system on their behalf, educate teachers and community leaders about the prevalence of violence against orphans, and offer counselling and rehabilitation services to victims at Children`s Heaven.
At Children's Heaven we have periodically conducted a counseling program to strengthen the girls both emotionally and physically so they will be able to defend themselves when they are most likely to experience abuse, in school and on the streets. This emotional support is enabling the teens to learn crucial communication skills to assert themselves, and to defend themselves physically and verbally. This program is offered to our teen girls from time to time, depending on the frequency of volunteer visits from local professional counselors who assist us. The counseling program has given the teens confidence to be better young women, to improve their lives, and to realize that they have power and need to use it appropriately and effectively. We are gratified when these efforts lead to improved school attendance and learning new skills that can be translated to jobs.
At the local level, we aim to reduce acts of violence to orphan girls through the activities described. We plan to develop an effective reporting system among all relevant parties to facilitate monitoring of activities and the number of incidents. The reporting tool will be made available to other social services organizations and NGOs. Collaboration among stakeholders is necessary to develop this system but it will benefit the entire community, and will serve as a template for other communities and cities that experience a high incidence of violence against orphaned girls. Staff and Board members who are associated with this project will disseminate information about challenges and successes through social media such as FaceBook, through written reports and at professional meetings.
Establishment and public recognition of the Violence Prevention and Victim Support Center
Write a job description for the Coordinator of the Center, hire the Program Coordinator, open the Center, identify mentors.
Develop culturally sensitive materials to use in the parenting program, schools, girls clubs, and community.
Identify/invite stakeholders to participate in Violence Prevention Coalition, develop strategic goals for coalition.
Reduction in the number of reported incidents of violence against orphan girls in their homes, schools and community.
With consensus among stakeholders, design and implement the reporting system that will be used by local organizations.
With the participation of our stakeholders, conduct 3 community awareness events and establish 3 Girls Clubs.
Sign contracts with schools who agree to adhere to the Code of Conduct that reflects violence prevention practices.
We help girls who have lost one or both parents to AIDS to obtain food, clothing and shelter, stay in school, and learn skills necessary for healthy adulthood. We partner with two local organizations, Consortium of Christian Relief and Development Associations (CCRDA) and Ellilta (EWAR), who help us render quality services that address physical, mental and social needs. We honour our partners who have been instrumental in making Children’s Heaven such a success at the local level. Without mutual commitment, we could not have accomplished as much as we have during the past 7 years.
Children’s Heaven has signed a operational agreement with the government of Ethiopia to offer basic services through its Community Based Child Development Program. This partnership has already begun to provide basic services and will expand to include these services in Woredas 1, 2, 3 and 4, in the city of Addis Ababa city, Kolfe District. These operations, and collaboration among staff, provide the groundwork for the next phase, which is to launch the innovation – Elimination of All Forms of Violence Against Orphaned Girls – within the same locations and populations.
We are well positioned to achieve success. Ethiopia has signed the United Nations Convention of Child Rights agreement, and government agencies have workable policies and guidelines regarding orphan girls. Our goals mesh with the goals of the African Child Policy Forum (ACPF), a non- governmental, independent pan-African policy advocacy organization, which works for the realisation of child rights. The work of ACPF is inspired by universal values and informed by global experiences and knowledge. The forum aims to provide opportunities for dialogue to contribute to improved knowledge of problems facing African children. Most importantly, our Staff and Board are deeply committed to our vision and goals. The girls themselves and their extended families share this commitment.
Due to the stressful nature of working with girls who have been physically or sexually abused, our staff would benefit from mentoring by experienced counselors. To help us identify action plans and monitor progress, we may need assistance with project management tools. Sustainability goals include sales and donations through our website, thus training in social media would be a great help.