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What's New - Archive
May 2011· July 2010 · March 2010 · February 2010 · December 2009 · March 2009
Children Write for Children's Rights
July 2011 - The Bantwana Initiative's innovative child rights booklet, "Protecting Ourselves and Each Other," was recently featured in the inaugural issue of Complete Child magazine, produced by Uganda's Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development.
"Protecting Ourselves and Each Other" was produced by children for children, to inform them of their rights and responsibilities and to enable them to take action to improve child protection in their own schools. Bantwana's Western Uganda team encourages children to be involved in the design of the protection and psychosocial support programs meant to serve them.
Complete Child commemorates the "Day of the African Child" and celebrates Uganda's recent achievements in child rights, such as the launch of the National Strategic Programme Plan for Orphans and other Vulnerable Children. We're proud to have our work named as a national guide to best practices in child rights.
Bantwana Featured In Zimbabwe Youth Publication
May 2011 - New Age Voices recently featured the launch of the Young People Initiative, a joint outreach program developed by the World Education/Bantwana Children First project in Zimbabwe and supported by USAID. Selected young people, journalists, and Children First representatives will coordinate a Young People Radio Program, a Call-In Centre, and a newspaper column. The program aims to engage and educate young people in discussion, debate, and dialogue about issues that affect them including HIV and AIDS, sexual and reproductive health, entrepreneurship, and education.
New Age Voices is a newsletter that is circulated among youth, government, and NGOs working with youth to share news and best practices in youth programing.
Bantwana currently implements similar programs to improve the lives of OVC and their families in Swaziland, Tanzania, and Uganda. The Children First project in Zimbabwe is implemented through Bantwana in collaboration with John Snow, Inc. (JSI).
Bantwana to Improve Services and Support for Vulnerable Children in Northern Tanzania
July 2010 - Bantwana is pleased to announce that it will begin working in Tanzania to continue its efforts to support children orphaned and made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS. Over the next five years, the Pamoja Tuwalee project, supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), will work with communities and local government authorities to build the skills, linkages, and referrals necessary to create an integrated network of essential services needed by vulnerable children and their families in northern Tanzania.
The Pamoja Tuwalee project will improve the coordination of local government authorities, stimulate or establish village-level committees charged with the care of vulnerable children, and promote better collaboration among key ministries providing support for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC).
Through these efforts, Bantwana will strengthen key elements of the comprehensive care that vulnerable children need to become healthy adults. The program targets both vulnerable children and their caregivers and households with a strong focus on nutrition, adolescent-friendly services, livelihoods development for improved economic security, education, primary health care and HIV prevention, child protection, psychosocial and legal support.
Bantwana currently implements similar programs to improve the lives of OVC and their families in Swaziland, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. The Pamoja Tuwalee project in Tanzania will be implemented through Bantwana in collaboration with John Snow, Inc. (JSI).
Bantwana Featured on WBUR's "Here and Now" Radio Program
March 2010 - The Bantwana Initiative's work in Swaziland was highlighted on February 26, 2010 in a radio interview on WBUR's program, "Here and Now". In Swaziland, Bantwana is working with schools to provide a range of comprehensive services for children orphaned and made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS. The interview highlights the difficulties poor school children face--particularly in a country like Swaziland which has the highest rate of HIV in the world.
At the end of January, two Swazi teachers engaged in the Bantwana program, Welcome Mkhaliphi and Thulani Tfwala, and Bantwana monitoring and evaluation officer Mavis Vilane, visited Boston to speak about the struggles that young children and adolescents in Swaziland face and how volunteers are dedicating their lives to help these children cope and thrive.
Working with volunteers in local schools in Swaziland, a country with just under a million people and the highest HIV prevalence in the world, the Bantwana Schools Integrated Program (BSIP) is creating a model of integrated care that supplies vulnerable children and caregivers with nutritious food, health care, shelter, psychosocial support, and legal and other aid. The program also works to strengthen the capacity of schools, communities, and caregivers to provide and advocate for children.
According to Vilane, studies have shown that older children are more likely to feel the stigma of AIDS and less likely to have their basic needs met. This manifests itself in angry and violent behavior and high pregnancy rates. The goal of BSIP, she said, is to understand the issues behind such behavior, which may be mitigated by offering a range of services such as proper nutrition, clothing, and counseling. "In order to make the child psychosocially sound, we need to provide these basic services," she said. "You find that 10 years ago their parents died, but no one has really given the child attention. We have to take the child back to that development process and try to work them through it, just to give them hope that they can be better people as adults."
Listen to the interview on Here and Now »
Bantwana Featured in the Lincoln Journal
February 2010 - The Bantwana Initiative in Swaziland, working with schools to provide a range of comprehensive services for children orphaned and made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS, was highlighted in the Lincoln Journal on February 11th 2010. The article shows the great progress made by the program, how it impacts the childrens' life and behaviors, and how it mobilizes the communities.
At the end of January, Lincoln resident and Bantwana Senior Advisor, Tom Haslett, invited teachers Welcome Mkhaliphi and Thulani Tfwala, and Bantwana monitoring and evaluation officer Mavis Vilane to Boston to speak about the struggles that young children and adolescents in Swaziland face and how volunteers are dedicating their lives to help these children cope and thrive. As Tom explains, “It's easy enough to talk about a program, what it does, and why it's important. But it's something else entirely to visit and experience it for yourself. Since we can't bring the world to Bantwana, I thought it would be great if we could bring a critical component of Bantwana—such as these dedicated teachers—to our world, for a brief but valuable cultural and informational exchange.”
Working with volunteers in local schools in Swaziland, a country with just under a million people and the highest HIV prevalence in the world, the Bantwana Schools Integrated Program (BSIP) is creating a model of integrated care that supplies vulnerable children and caregivers with nutritious food, health care, shelter, psychosocial support, and legal and other aid. The program also works to strengthen the capacity of schools, communities, and caregivers to provide and advocate for children.
According to Vilane, studies have shown that older children are more likely to feel the stigma of AIDS and less likely to have their basic needs met. This manifests itself in angry and violent behavior and high pregnancy rates. The goal of BSIP, she said, is to understand the issues behind such behavior, which may be mitigated by offering a range of services such as proper nutrition, clothing, and counseling. “In order to make the child psychosocially sound, we need to provide these basic services,” she said. “You find that 10 years ago their parents died, but no one has really given the child attention. We have to take the child back to that development process and try to work them through it, just to give them hope that they can be better people as adults.”
Read the article in the Lincoln Journal »
Child Rights Radio Campaign Raises Awareness in Zimbabwe
December 2009 - More than two million Zimbabwean children are benefiting from a radio awareness campaign on child rights by Bantwana’s Children First project.
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| A young girl, who has benefitted from Children First's OVC programming, catches a celebratory balloon at the launch of Children First's radio program in Harare, October 2009. |
Launched on November 5, 2009 in Bulawayo, Zimbawe’s second-largest city, the campaign features a weekly radio drama program. The program highlights the rights and protection of children as its centerpiece and is aired on Radio Zimbabwe.
The program includes two radio dramas. The first, “Kuziva Mbuya Huudzwa” (listening to your grandmother yields life wisdom) in Shona, focuses on creating awareness of children's rights. Each week it depicts different OVC characters encountering different socioeconomic challenges and how they overcome them using the law and members of society who understand children’s rights. The second, in Ndebele, "Luthando," follows the story of an orphaned child (Luthando) as he navigates the difficulties of being an orphan in society. With each show, the child encounters different child protection issues which are addressed by the radio presenters.
In order to create the radio shows, the Children First project invited script writers and producers to submit creative concepts for the radio drama and materials which would highlight children’s issues and their rights, based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. The writers then presented their scripts to a panel of OVC and child rights experts as well as some OVC themselves, who were instrumental in selecting the winning scripts which would then be further reviewed and edited for play on the air.
Broadcast over 26 weeks, the radio drama program is complemented by workbooks and exercise packets educators can use to guide discussions with children's groups. Children First is also providing schools with interactive CD recordings of the dramas and other educational and social support messages. In addition to Radio Zimbabwe listeners, program organizers plan to reach an estimated 55,000 students through "listener groups" established in 53 schools and community-based organizations in the Harare and Umzingwane Districts.
The launch in Bulawayo marks the second phase of a campaign begun in Harare in October and focuses on protection of children from all forms of abuse. "We are excited about this campaign, which is both fun and educational," said Susan Kajura, Chief of Party at Children First. She said special emphasis will be given to orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC), but the dramas also target OVC caregivers, child protection committees, teachers and school development committees all over Zimbabwe.
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| Children First puts children at the center of all its activities. These young girls and boys, all bene- ficiaries of Children First's OVC programming, are excited to be a part of the radio program's launch ceremony in Harare, October 2009. |
USAID’s Health and Education Team Leader Peter Halpert also hailed the program. "We enthusiastically support the radio drama, which seeks to raise awareness among children on ways to protect themselves against abuse and what to do if it does occur." Children First is funded by USAID through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which works to mitigate the impact of HIV and AIDS on orphaned and vulnerable children.
Learn More about Children First.
Bantwana Initiative Supports Schools in Swaziland
March 2009 - World Education's Bantwana Initiative generated significant press in Swaziland when it gave out funds to schools in the Lubombo region. Bantwana staff presented 10 school directors with E20 000 each (about US $2,000) at a ceremony held on January 30, 2009.
The funds were given as part of the Bantwana Integrated School Program which is working with school committees and schools to provide a range of comprehensive services for vulnerable children. The program also works to strengthen the capacity of schools, communities and caregivers to provide and advocate for children.
The Bantwana Schools Integrated Program addresses the specific needs of adolescents to ensure that they have access to school, or to vocational and other training, and have the opportunity to develop into physically and emotionally healthy adults. The program improves the lives of children receiving services and strengthens the capacity of their schools, communities and caregivers to provide and advocate for them.
Read the article in the Swazi Observer »
Learn More About the Bantwana Schools Integrated Program (BSIP) »