CHILDREN TO THE FORE! - SAfAIDS

Exploring issues: Exploring innovative perspectives on culture in order to re-instil positive values andredefine negative cultural practices, with a view to upholding children's rights and putting in placestrategies to prevent the spread of HIV. The roles of the individual, the family and, in particular, thecommunity, and how they relate to national and international institutions, are important in this regard.This handbook will further explore positive cultural practices in favour of the rights of the child.Developing skills: Trainers and facilitators can further develop their skills, giving them a broaderknowledge base on the rights of the child,culture and HIV in a local context. Although this handbook hasnot been produced for children as trainers, the information can help children build their knowledge onrights issues, community life, cultural issues and HIV. This will allow them to reflect, deepening theirperception and understanding of themselves.Children need to know that they are entitled to their rightsand to learn to make sure that these are respected.Processing information: Processing information enables workshop participants to recognise an issueor problem, and then develop an action plan that helps to deal with the issue at hand. The role-playsessions, community maps of positive and negative cultural practices, and the learning games, willenable participants to process issues in relation to HIV,within both a rights and a cultural perspective,andto develop their own solutions to problems.Having fun while learning: The participatory learning methodology used throughout this handbookoffers specially designed exercises and games, in order to maximise the benefit of the learning andtraining experience. It is community focussed and leaves a lasting and strong impact on trainers,participants and other stakeholders and beneficiaries. There are plenty of fun exercises which areintended to make the training an interesting,stimulating and memorable experience.Cascading knowledge and skills: Those who have been trained in the use of this handbook will gainknowledge and skills that enable them to return to their organisations or communities and further shareawareness of child rights and HIV.This is an important element of the cascade and trickle-down processof skills building that this handbook employs. The aim is to raise community awareness andpreparedness around issues of children’s rights and HIV.Structure and MethodologyThis handbook is guided by the following principles that encourage learning by doing, action andhaving fun – a cascading method of empowerment that seeks to benefit even the hardest to reachcommunities. Some features of the methodology are:• Adaptation of the Kelleher framework analytical approach, that empowers the individual and thecommunity to strengthen responses to issues that affect them most, using tools and resourcesthat contribute to favourable environmental change. Each of the activities has a ‘group sharingsection' that promotes this approach, allowing participants to share their experiences andcontribute, in a positive way, to strategies for creating positive change on the ground, usingexisting networks and legal instruments. Section 3 adapts the Kelleher framework to explorecommunity solutions for children around Identity and education. See Appendix 1 for theadapted Kelleher framework diagram.• Programmes that target children are important and more meaningful if they incorporate thevoices of children themselves. Much of the content in this handbook is presented through theeyes of children and adults from the community, in relation to the impact of HIV, stigma anddiscrimination, children’s rights, parental and community roles, positive and negative culturalpractices and violations of children.02Handbook on Child Rights and Culture