Home > CtC worldwide > Africa > Zambia > Child-to-Child Livingstone
____________________________________________________________________
Zambia

Child-to-Child Livingstone, Zambia
Address: PIBI, Livingstone, Zambia
Telephone: +260 320025
Fax: +260 321987
Contact: Christopher Syamwenya

Child-to-Child Activities

Our main aims are:

1. To provide basic education to disadvantaged children;

2. To improve the living conditions of families;

3. To make children grow as responsible people. We are also interested in gender issues and for example, speak of sharing gender roles equally in homes. Finally, we promote children's rights: children decide what sort of activities they would like to undertake.

Children are from an urban context. Over 1,000 children and 200 adults are involved. The children are of primary school age and include both boys and girls. College students also take part in the activities. We also work with street children (my organisation has started some community schools for these children with more emphasis on girls' education). The adult workers involved are primary school teachers, social workers, health workers and college lecturers.

How Child-to-Child Activities are Introduced and Children's Participation

Child-to-Child activities are introduced through classroom teaching. Group work is much encouraged to build children's self-esteem, self-confidence and decision-making. Children are encouraged to think for themselves, for example, we give them homework based on how they can help parents and the community at large to keep homes clean. In carrying out the activities, we hope to develop thinking, practical, behavioural and communication skills in children.

School-based Child-to-Child Activities

Thus far, there are 5 associated schools involved in the programme. Children engage in cleaning and beautifying their school surroundings, cleaning classrooms, digging pits for rubbish, visiting other schools to disseminate health messages, visiting the local community to discuss health issues, and at the college, all lectures include health issues.

Parents are involved in the management of community schools which have been established as an initiative of the Child-to-Child group.

Committees have been formed and include participation by local health workers. At times a health worker is invited to school to talk to children on health issues. Sometimes a joint meeting is conducted where both health and education workers talk to members of the community.

Monitoring and Evaluation of Child-to-Child Activities

We conduct meetings, workshops or seminars where all schools meet to report on their successes and failures. We encourage schools to visit each other. By so doing, they are able to learn from one another. At these meetings, a way forward is planned. The changes we have seen as a result of the activities are as follows:

1. Pupils' performance has improved;

2. Pupils' attendance has improved;

3. Children are cleaner;

4. Children help with keeping their homes clean;

5. Parent/school links have improved.

Training

Pupils, school teachers, student teachers, newly employed lecturers and community members, including health workers, all receive training which in the past has been provided by UNICEF officials, Ministry of Education officials and health personnel. The content of training events focuses on Child-to-Child methodology, health issues (especially how to look after ourselves), participatory learning and action (PLA) methodology.