From Monday, October 30th, to Friday, November 3rd, 2023, the Korogocho Cluster partner (comprising Slum Child Foundation and PaaMoja Initiative) and Mabatini Cluster partner (including Oasis Mathare, Dime Youth Camps Association, and Wanawake Mashinani Initiative), with support and funding from Children’s Rights and Violence Prevention Fund (CRVPF) through the Prevention of Violence Against Children (PVAC) Program, collaboratively organized a training session in Nairobi, Kenya. The objective of the training was to enhance the skills of Community-Based Facilitators (CBFs) from both cluster partners. 22 facilitators were trained to serve as trainers of trainers (TOTs), mobilizers, coordinators, and facilitators for Parenting Learning sessions within their respective communities. The training served as a follow-up to the previous one, which concentrated on Bonding and Attachment, as well as Gender and Discipline.
The training was centered around Spousal Relationships and Male/Fathers’ involvement, both which are modules in the Parenting for Respectability manual. This manual was developed by Makerere University Child Health and Development Centre. CRVPF and its development partners, supported by the Centre for Parenting (CTP), undertook a thorough review and revision of this manual. The aim of this was to address and mitigate violence against children by incorporating targeted strategies aimed at improving parental skills. Having found success among CRVPF partners in Uganda, the manual’s impact expanded further with the support of CTP. It is now actively utilized by partners not only in Uganda but also in Kenya and Tanzania, marking a significant extension of its reach and effectiveness in combating violence against children.
The sessions were dynamic and interactive, incorporating reflections and personal experiences shared by Community-Based Facilitators (CBFs). These facilitators play a crucial role in CRVPF’s parenting programs, specifically designed to prevent violence against children in homes which often originates from poor parenting skills and practices and poor spousal relationships. Therefore, it is important to consistently renew and fortify their skills and knowledge. CBFs are selected for their unique position as parents or caregivers, and they actively participate in parenting groups within their local communities. This inherent connection to the community equips them with mobilizing and facilitation skills. Their role as program participants, community members and parents/caregivers, enhances the effectiveness of CRVPF’s parenting initiatives, creating a dynamic synergy between their personal experiences and their ability to mobilize and facilitate discussions within their local areas.
The first few days of the training focused on module 4 which is about spousal relationships and their impact on violence against children in homes. It aims to improve marital relationships, leading to improved parenting and outcomes like better communication between spouses, reduced spousal violence, and decreased alcohol/drug abuse. The training sessions involved group discussions, reflecting on the interconnection between poor spousal relationships and violence against children. CBFs emphasized the need for unified parenting, open communication, and addressed a growing trend of alcohol abuse by parents because of poor spousal relations, highlighting the risk it poses to children in terms of abuse and violence.
The last few days of the training, introduced module 5, focusing on “Positive Father’s/Male Involvement” to improve family relationships, parenting and reduce violence against children in homes. The module aims to boost fathers/male caregivers’ involvement and confidence in caregiving, expecting outcomes like improved understanding of parental power, better relationships with their children, lightened caregiving burden on mothers, and decreased gender-based violence. The emphasis was on acknowledging the role of fathers as crucial to children’s well-being. CBF’s shared barriers they had identified which hinder father’s involvement in parenting, including social norms, unplanned pregnancies, poverty, and busy work schedules. The benefits of father involvement were highlighted, linking it to better academic performance of children, reduced likelihood of violence being perpetrated against children, higher household income, and many more. Themes like men as heads of the family, fatherhood, caregiving, and power dynamics in parenting were also explored, culminating in feedback sessions and action plans. Participants expressed the need for tailored sessions for young, as well as addressing challenges in blended families.