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Save the Children
Tel: +962 6 56574/11/12 and Nuzha office number +962 6 5654088
Fax: +962 6 5657414
E-mail: abuzaidk@savechildren.org.jo
Website: www.savethechildren.org
Contact name: Kholoud Abu Zaid
About the programme
Child-to-Child (CtC) started in 1998. Save the Children (SC) trained its local partners on CtC to use it with children aged between 9-14 years old. We adapted the CtC training manual from the original CtC manual, (an Arabic version of the manual has been developed but never printed out). SC directly implemented CtC with more than 45 children and trained more than 100 teachers and local NGO staff and more than 25 youth volunteers, education was the main theme. Activities covered the capital city Amman. Two local NGOs implement directly, two NGOs integrate CtC into their current activities. SC through Ta’leem Kids Program will use CtC with public school students. Some school teachers try to incorporate CtC in teaching English and Maths.
Child-to-Child activities
Improving community and school hygiene was the main theme. This was introduced in two schools. As part of education children identified bad wording and bullying in schools as a major challenge that needs to be addressed. School bathroom hygiene was a challenge identified by female students. Children managed at this stage to convince school administration to conduct an advocacy campaign in school about washing hands after using the bathroom and managed to equip the bathrooms with simple tools to ensure hygiene, this was with no support or interference from SC.
Encouraging child participation
First of all we trained teachers and NGO staff on the six steps approach and then we monitored delivery of the approach to children. We also conducted the sessions ourselves to measure the impact on children. We used the original six steps approach; children were encouraged to assess their community and schools through a tour around the neighbourhood. They were trained to collect information from certain people i.e. clinics, neighbours, parents, even the police station and from other peers in school and in the community. Children were trained on conducting interviews and asking and answering questions. Then children prioritised the information and verified it. Then children started planning for solutions, again creating guidelines for the solutions, collecting data, developing action plans and implementing activities. Children were assigned roles and responsibilities and then they evaluated interventions. It was highly important to encourage children’s engagement in each and every step along the way, this really kept them engaged and kept the momentum running.
Involvement of schools and communites
Previously a few NGOs and three schools were engaged in this project. Currently, plans are made to work with public schools. Child-to-Child activities have formed part of teaching and learning, through Maths and have been incorporated into overnight summer camps and day camps. Links are made between school and the community through local partners.
Parents and community members have been invited to a graduation ceremony planned and delivered by children themselves. Numbers were not tracked; however as a rough estimate more than 500 parents and community members attended and/or participated in CTC activities.
Delivery of Child-to-Child
NGO staff and the schools’ teachers were trained on CtC Training of Trainers (ToT). The trainers were SC staff; originally I was the main trainer as I assisted in developing the adapted CtC training manual. Mostly we used the same methodology; we did not make any changes. Many themes and ideas came out as results of ToT, however due to funding and this was not followed up. Our focus was Action research process through children’s active participation, including life skills related to decision making, data collection and engagement with local communities.
Child-to-Child Materials
We adapted a three-day training manual from the first CtC manual and from the Arab Resource Collective (ARC) materials, introduced into Lebanon in 1997.
None of the materials adapted were published due to funding shortage. We also developed training reports that included participant’s points of views about the training. We have a soft copy of the draft materials.
Further information
I would like to say that many years ago we adapted the methodology, it worked but no follow up work was done on this. Many recommendations came out to use CtC in education; currently we are focusing on education and on how to create interest among public school teachers to encourage student participation, inclusion and integration. We focus on this section because we are funding a project to facilitate Iraqi students into the formal education system in Jordan; we learned that there are many challenges regarding coping and acceptance. Our plan is to adapt CtC and to serve the purpose of the project we would appreciate any support in this domain. We have a plan; we have received many resources from colleagues however we are looking at scaling up within the public schools system in Jordan.
I was trained locally on CtC, I delivered CtC for children myself, I trained NGO staff and monitored their work, and I have gained a huge experience through a modest period of time. I would love to engage with those who work on integrating CtC into different aspects of children’s lives. I do believe that through CtC we can influence attitude and behavioural change among children and adults as well. I would like to share my experience with you and it would be great if I am included in your pool of CtC practitioners.
Date: 2008
Source: Kholoud Abu Zaid
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