YOUTH ATTEND PEER TRAINING ON CHILD PROTECTION

Two of our youth attended a peer training in Eldoret on 4th and 5th November that was organized by an Ex-Street Community based organization in conjunction with Save the Children. The thematic focus of this seminar was the area of child protection and covered sensitive issues such as child abuse and violence.

In total, 18 participants attended the two day training. Participants were always on time, allowing an accurate adherence to the schedule. Common lunches as well as tea breaks allowed the participants to mix informally and share experiences. One of our youth, Leah Nyambura who attended the training aptly puts it this way: “The two days were very exciting as we learnt many things that concern children and youth. I learnt new things and gained so much in this seminar. This has had a huge impact in my life”. “We were given advice on how to interact with children in an appropriate way - by building confidence, listening patiently and placing oneself at the same level as the child”.

Simon Wambua equally describes his experience during the group tasks as humbling. “The facilitators guided us through the definition of a child and described the distinct phases of childhood development. They explained that children had specific needs that depended on their age and that fulfillment of these needs was vital for the child to fully develop”. “We engaged in group work to list the effects of child abuse on children, families and communities. We also discussed how events affecting the latter two groups could have an indirect impact on children, who were thus exposed to triple danger (once directly, twice indirectly). They both promised to share the knowledge gained with the children and fellow youth.

All participants who attended the seminar in its entirety were awarded a certificate.

By Fredrick Ochieng, Youth Leader Coordinator