From Faith to Action - Faith to Action Initiative

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Protecting Children from AbusePreventing Gender-Based Discriminationand ViolenceIn African countries, HIV/AIDS disproportionately affects girlsand women. In the most severely affected regions, fi ve girls areinfected for every one infected boy between the ages of 15 and19. Social inequality and their roles as caretakers put girls atgreater risk for dropping out of school. Economic dependencelowers their status in society and makes them more vulnerableto exploitation, early marriage, sexual abuse, and HIV infection.Girls who have been orphaned are especially at risk. Manycommunity groups raise awareness around these issues andwork to strengthen and protect the rights of girls and women.They give girls and young women tools to resist unsafe sex andsexual abuse. Some programs offer shelter, medical treatment,counseling, and legal advice to girls who have been abused.Ensuring Children’s Safety and WellbeingCommunity and faith-based organizations play an importantrole in supporting the safety and wellbeing of children withinfamily care. They may help screen and monitor foster familyplacements to make sure children are not mistreated orneglected. Workshops and training in parenting skills helpcaregivers to better understand and meet children’s needs.Awareness campaigns in schools, churches, and othercommunity centers aimed at recognizing and preventingchild abuse help make the protection of children a sharedresponsibility and concern. While the care of children mostoften falls onto the shoulders of women, it is also vitallyimportant to nurture men’s roles as caregivers, teachers,and mentors.The Girl Child Network (GCN), Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe“ To me, death was the better option to choose than life. But only beforeI learned of the Girl Child Network...” The life stories of the girlsassisted by the Girl Child Network are tragic and all too common.Founded by high school teacher Betty Makoni, a survivor of childhoodabuse herself, the organization works to combat child sexual abusein high density, farming, and rural communities. Through “GirlsEmpowerment Villages” and “Girl Child Clubs,” GCN’s supportincludes both treatment and prevention. The Villages provide a safespace where girls from rural areas receive medical care, legal aid, andcounseling as they recover from abuse. GCN’s advocacy and outreachhelp create safer communities by raising awareness and promotingcommunity-wide prevention. The Clubs give youth skills to addressthe challenges they face in their homes, schools, and communities.Girls meet regularly to share with and support one another, and tolearn about their rights and how to access services and opportunities.Starting with a single club, the organization has established more than100 clubs with over 20,000 members across Zimbabwe.Fatherhood Project, Dalbridge, South AfricaThe Fatherhood Project was initiated in response to increasing casesof child abuse in South Africa, the high rates of absence of men fromhouseholds, and the growing need for caregivers due to orphanhoodand HIV/AIDS. The project works to increase men’s protection andcare of children through raising awareness and providing information.As part of their advocacy campaign, The Fatherhood Project createda traveling exhibit featuring 120 photographs depicting men in caringand protective relationships with children. The exhibition featuresphotos taken by children and students, as well as by professionalphotographers. The project also provides workshops, seminars, andlectures in partnership with community leaders and local and nationalorganizations.Protecting children from abuseand neglect is a community-wideresponsibility. It is vital to nurturemen’s, as well as women’s, rolesas caregivers, teachers, and mentors.16
Protecting Children’s Legal RightsSafeguards Their FutureOrphaned children are at high risk of being separated fromtheir siblings, losing their rights to education and familyproperty, and being mistreated by caregivers who do nothave their best interests at heart. Some groups address theserisks by offering programs that help both adults and childrenunderstand and protect their legal rights. They may helpparents write wills or record spoken wills to ensure the bestpossible care for their children after their deaths. Some groupshelp children get the legal identifi cation they need to protecttheir rights to their family’s land and to an education. Theymay walk children through the legal process of reporting andprosecuting abuse, or help families access the social servicesto which they are entitled. Some organizations engage inadvocacy to change local and national customs and laws toensure that children receive the protection, education, andcare that is every child’s birthright.Law and Development Association (LADA),Monze, ZambiaLADA works in a rural area where property grabbing, widowinheritance, child abuse, and early forced marriages are common.They provide free legal advice and assistance to about 70 peopleeach week. LADA’s efforts have tremendously reduced propertytheft, helping many orphans and widows secure their right toproperty, including land, pensions, and other family items. Theirapproach involves the entire community — they train chiefs, villageheadmen, local court justices, police offi cers, and members of thecommunity in women’s and children’s rights, referral options, andother services. Community paralegal volunteers run legal centers andrefer complicated cases to the police, the courts, and to LADA stafffor prosecution and legal representation. A special effort is made toinclude women in the leadership. LADA’s “paralegal kids” programtrains children in their rights and empowers them to report abusedirectly to the police or LADA members.Masiye Camp Mobile Law Clinic, Salvation Army,Bulawayo, ZimbabweWhen Masiye Camp discovered that many orphans and vulnerablechildren had diffi culty accessing legal, medical, social, andpsychological services, they established a Mobile Law Clinic thatcombines these services and brings them directly to the children.Operating out of a colorful thatched roof trailer, the unit visitsKids Clubs and schools on a rotational basis. The team either givesadvice on the spot or refers the matter to an appropriate serviceprovider. Follow-up visits are done by individual paralegals. TheMobile Law Clinic also holds community awareness workshops foradults on the legal, medical, social, and emotional needs of orphansand vulnerable children. A major focus of their legal services ishelping children get birth documents, which are needed to accessan education and other services.Empowering youth to understandand protect their legal rightsis one of the best ways to ensuretheir safety and wellbeing.17
Page 2 and 3: Dear Reader .......................
Page 4 and 5: Africa Is Being Ravaged by HIV/AIDS
Page 6 and 7: The family is the most important so
Page 12 and 13: Providing Home-Based Care, Health &
Page 14 and 15: Ensuring the Right to an EducationH
Page 16 and 17: Supporting Children’s Social and
Page 20 and 21: Each of the activities described in
Page 22 and 23: Institutional care issometimes need
Page 24 and 25: From Response to PreventionA growin
Page 26 and 27: Helping families and communities ca
Page 28 and 29: The devastating impact of HIV/AIDS
Page 30 and 31: Many of the following resources can
Page 32 and 33: From Faith to Action was written an
Page 35 and 36: REPSSIREPSSI is a regional capacity
Page 37 and 38: Photo CreditsKaren Ande: Pages 1, 8
Page 40: For the millions of children across

From Faith to Action - Faith to Action Initiative

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