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Pakistan

Child-to-Child Resource Centre

Name of organisation: Child-to-Child Resource Centre, Directorate of Schools and Literacy, NWFP, Pakistan.
Address: House No 63-A, Street 6, Defence Officers Colony Peshawar Cantt.
Tel: +92-091-275703
Mobile: +92-091-0300-5965672
Fax: +92--0937-9230353
E-mail: childtochild_rcpsh@yahoo.com
Contact: Mohammad Shakaib Jan, Coordinator, Child-to-Child Resource Centre

ORGANISATION OF CHILD-TO-CHILD ACTIVITIES

Child-to-Child activities begin initially in 2002, when we started training for the teachers of three Districts of NWFP, namely Kohat, Hungu and Haripur. Later on, the programme extended to some other Districts like Swabi, Upper Dir and Swabi as well. So far we have trained one thousand teachers in the Child-to-Child approach covering over 500 primary schools and more than twenty thousands students. The civil society organisations at the District level were the implementing partners, whose staff members were trained by us as master trainers. Later on they imparted trainings to the local primary school teachers in their respective Districts. The whole programme is being supported by UNICEF, and provides funding to conduct CTC activities at the Primary school level.

Due to the overwhelming support and encouraging results of the approach, in 2003 a thematic workshop was arranged at Peshawar for the establishment of a Child-to-Child Resource Centre. The main purpose behind the establishment of the Child-to-Child centre was to promote the mass mobilisation by school children in their respective communities through the Child-to-Child approach and to give children the chance to participate fully, to express themselves and make them reliant.

Beneficiaries of the Activities

The approach is presently being implemented in four Districts. So far more than 20,000 students have practically demonstrated the six-step CtC approach since 2002. Students of 1 st -5 th class aged 5-11 years participate in the activities. Both boy and girl students actively participate in these activities.

The Activities

The health of the community can be improved and promoted through the active involvement of the school-age children. The Child-to-Child approach emphasises children as partners to transfer health knowledge and skills beyond school and into the family and community and acting as an agent of change in the community. The most effective theme of this approach is to involve children in decision making rather than merely using them as communicators of adult messages. The main focus of utilising the Child-to-Child approach as an effective tool is to create awareness among children and communities affected by water- and sanitation-related diseases. Being an illuminated way of engaging children in improving the sanitation, health and hygiene conditions at the school and community level, impressive results have already been achieved. Currently this approach is limited to health and hygiene education but efforts are being made now to address child abuse through this approach with the active coordination of Save the Children Sweden.

Children’s Participation

During the four days of training detailed discussions were held on various sanitation approaches. One of the special features of the trainings is to actively involve students in the identification and planning about the cleanliness drive in their respective schools through the six-step approach. Efforts are made to thoroughly involve students in this active learning method through videos, stories and best-success examples at the school level. During the training first of all teachers were provided with basic information and know-how about the CtC approach and later on they practically demonstrated it through children. For this purpose various actions are taken to solve the issues like:

• Role-plays.
• Debate Competitions.
• Poem Writing.
• Walks.
• Tableaux.
• Meeting with the Government Line Agencies (GLAs).
• Discussions at the PTA (Parent Teacher Association) meetings.

Health in and out of School

In each district where the approach is being implemented, target schools have been identified for this purpose. Target schools are those schools where, apart from training, water and sanitation facilities are also provided. A total of 521 schools have so far been involved throughout the Province and the number is growing each year due to far- reaching and encouraging results.

Presently we have made some headway to incorporate Child-to-Child approach in lessons taught at the primary level. Teachers apply the six-step approach in the health related lessons through active involvement with the children. This technique has yielded positive results and the school and community environments are improving gradually.

Through the formation of environmental committees we are currently working on the formation of nature clubs at the school level for the preservation of the environment at community level.

Moreover, the VNF (Volunteer Network forums) and the PTAs (Parent Teacher Associations) are personally taking interest in these activities initiated by the children for the improvement of health and hygiene conditions in their locality.

Monitoring and Evaluation of Child-to-Child Activities

Our monitoring and evaluation takes place at three levels:

At first, the group involved in carrying out CtC activities evaluate its progress and the outcome of their planned action as a part of the CtC approach. The positive changes brought about in a particular area are not only shared with other schools of the area but with all the Districts implementing the CtC approach. This provides an opportunity to every individual involved in implementation of this approach to evaluate their shortcomings and overcome them. At district level social organisers are responsible for evaluating CtC activities in the respective schools where this approach is implemented. This team visit the schools twice a week to regularly monitor the ongoing activities at the school level. Moreover, the female team members of the social mobilisation team carry out follow-up visits at the community level to monitor the impact of the CtC approach as well. Lastly the CtC Resource Centre team visit each focal district twice a month to monitor the implementation process.

Training Activities

Primary school teachers are given training in CtC. Firstly two master trainers from each district are provided with training, who later on train the teachers in their respective districts. The areas or theme of trainings are:

Basics of health and hygiene education,

Components of sanitation;

The six-steps of the CtC approach;

Why and when child participate, etc.

The trainings are conducted.through the active involvement of children, based on life skills

Use of Child-to-Child Materials

We are currently using the CtC materials available in English, but are also working to translate them into regional languages for lasting effect at the school and community level. We have developed materials for the school teachers, volunteer network forums and elected representatives. We have also been issuing our quarterly CtC newsletter, printed comic books, developed videos, etc. Presently we are using our own manual/material, which has been published with the assistance of UNICEF. These are not locally available but can be provided the Child-to-Child Resource Centre.

Date: 2005
Source: Child-to-Child Resource Centre