PROGRAM BACKGROUND Free The Children has been operating in Kenya since 1999 within the Narok South District, working with both Kipsigis and Maasai communities. Free The Children concentrates its efforts on the Maasai Mara region since it is an area that has long been forgotten by the Kenyan government. The Maasai people, native to the area, face significant challenges, which threaten the survival of their vibrant pastoral culture. The Maasai people have little access to education and health care services. Maasailand also has the highest primary school dropout rate in Kenya, a direct result of: poor educational facilities, the need for children to tend to cattle and goats, and the lack of educational and health support. Many of the Maasai children who do go to school start their education late because schools are too far away from their communities. The organization’s beneficiaries in Kenya fall within the 23 per cent of Kenyans who live in absolute poverty, according to UNICEF 2004. In response to this need, Free The Children has engaged 10 communities in various locations in the Maasai Mara and we have built: 70 schools, libraries, water projects, latrines, kitchens and teachers’ accommodations. Within the partner communities of Free The Children, there are more than 40,000 community members engaged in development and education projects. Our team of community outreach and development workers consistently works with 100 active women, men, and youth groups. The health needs of the community are engaged through mobile clinics, trainings with the parent community on general health, workshops with traditional birth attendants, and seminars with the children and youth on sanitation practices. ORGANIZATIONAL PROFILE Free The Children was founded in 1995 by international child rights activist Craig Kielburger, when he was only 12 years old. Since, it has grown into the largest network of children helping children through education in the world. The primary goal of the organization is not only to free children from poverty and exploitation, but to also free young people from the idea that they are powerless to bring about positive social change and to improve the lives of their peers. Free The Children is unlike any other children's charity in the world, as it is an organization by, of and for youth. Since 1995, over 1 million individuals from 45 countries have been inspired to become involved in its innovative, results-driven programs. The organization works on both an international and local level. In the last 13 years, Free The Children has: • Built and equipped 500 primary schools in 16 developing countries; • Shipped $10 million worth of medical supplies to children in need; • Established nearly 2000 “Youth in Action” groups in 20 school boards across North America; • Addressed over 250,000 youth through leadership workshops and motivational speeches; • Facilitated international volunteer trips for more then 1,000 youth leaders. 2 COMMUNITY BUILDING: THE BASE OF SUSTAINABILITY key component of the foundation of society itself. The debate of scholars and politicians alike is not around its importance, but rather how to successfully build sustainable communities. “Decision-making in a sustainable community stems from a rich civic life and shared information among community members.” Centre For Sustainable Community Development, 2008 At Free The Children we recognize that community building is at the base of any sustainable development programming. To ensure that all our programs are sustainable, we work in partnership with the communities where we carry said programs. This participatory approach allows us to actively engage all stakeholders not only in our projects, but in the community itself. As a result, all community members see their participation as a long term investment in their future and that of the community as a whole. According to the Canadian Rural Partnership, a federal government agency, community capacity building “is an on going process that develops leadership in a community and engages citizens in developing a shared vision for their community.” Working in rural communities, at Free The Children we understand the importance of this shared vision. It is the first step towards creating a sense of ownership from the communities towards all our programming, which in turn ensures their sustainability. Through our community mobilizers, we engage all stakeholders at every step of the process. We have set in place a series of strategies and initiatives to make this happen. This approach enables the communities to: • identify its strengths and weaknesses, • mobilize internal and external resources to meet local challenges, • develop strategies for effective action, and • increase their individual capacity to take advantage of opportunities. The main activities we carry out to encourage community building are: Community Needs Assessment, Education Stakeholder Meetings and Awareness Days. COMMUNITY BUILDING Community building is a subject that has been studied by governments and individuals alike, as it is a COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT Our Community Needs Assessment are the first step toward a fruitful partnership with a community. The Free The Children team meets with local leaders, community elders, school headmasters, teachers, adults and children to determine the needs of the community and their shared vision for the future. These meetings take place to give a voice to all those involved, directly or indirectly, in our programs. This step is crucial to consolidate our partnership, as it requires a strong commitment from the communities to make our projects successful. All main stakeholders take part in these meetings, during which they are able to identify the barriers to education and create a vision for their future. Some of the main topics discussed include: 1. Girl Education - A focus on ensuring increased enrollment for female students. 2. Education For All - A vision and commitment from parents to ensure access to education for all children. 3. Community Support – All stakeholders, from the parents to the school leadership team, have committed their support to education by attending stakeholders meetings and committing their time to the projects. define their school action plan to ensure quality primary education. These gatherings have also proven to be an effective tool in gender sensitization, as women play a very active role in the discussion and decisionmaking process. The inclusion of women is essential as it shows the male community leaders how much Free The Children values women’s opinions and contributions. At the same time, it also motivates more women to take part in the discussions at mixed meetings as they have a larger sense of empowerment. In the last meetings most women spoke about their personal goals which included: • Sending children to secondary school, • Improving their mud home to a tin structure, • Building a latrine on their homestead Based on these discussions the women’s groups then develop action plans to reach these goals. EDUCATION STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS This initiative involves a series of meetings with the community chief, the school headmaster, school teachers, the school committees and local leaders. The purpose of these meetings is to evaluate current educational strategies, compare existing options, determine best-practices and continually re- Oloosiyoi’s school committee, and principal after an Education Stakeholder Meeting. 3 COMMUNITY BUILDING AWARENESS DAYS Students volunteering at the registration section during Awareness Day. Free The Children organizes several Awareness Days in the Maasai Mara. The purpose of these events is to discuss the communities' main challenges, provide them with pertinent information and discuss potential solutions to such problems. These events also provide a venue for Maasai and Kipsigi people to celebrate their success and their commitment to change as a community. All Awareness Days are hosted in a central location and several communities are invited to these great events. Members from various communities gather to hear advice from elders, women leaders, and local government officials while enjoying original dramas and poems written and performed by the youth groups. Women learning from a representative of the Kenyan Ministry of Health about the importance of water sanitation to prevent Malaria. Each Awareness Day has a specific theme assigned to address the main challenges that these rural communities face. Past themes have included “saying no” to: • • • • • child labor, alcoholism, drug use, female circumcision, and early marriages. Future themes will include peace and women empowerment. A representative of the Kenyan Ministry of Agriculture teaches various community members regarding tree planting. Free The Children: Making a Difference Your support is crucial to maintain these initiatives: • A new medical clinic that will service surrounding communities, providing health care and health education • A new high school that will service children in several communities • Many new classrooms, school kitchens and a library • New water systems , including several water wells If you would like to support a community in Kenya, please donate online at: www.freethechildren.com/donate To obtain further information please email: [email protected]
© Copyright 2024 Paperzz