Helping the Most Vulnerable Children - Annual Report
ST LUCIA NURSING AND ORPHANAGE
HELPING THE MOST VULNERABLE CHILDREN IN ARUSHA
ANNUAL REPORT (January 2009 - December 2009.)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
St. Lucia highly commends the funding for bringing positive changes in the livelihoods of the children who are the most vulnerable children in Arusha. This has been possible due technical support got from Save the Children. We also commend the department of community development at the municipal council of Arusha for identifying the most vulnerable children in all wards, streets and villages of Arusha. Also the department of community development has established committees called the Most Vulnerable Children Committee in each street and village. These committees have been with children and have coordinated all activities and mobilization. All these have facilitated work and have ensured the services reach the neediest children. Moreover, we would like to appreciate government leaders at the district, ward and street or village level, influential people for their support to the project and other minded organizations for exchanging information and best practices.
INTRODUCTION:
St. Lucia is the Sub - Sub recipient of the Global Funding for the most vulnerable children in Arusha. Principal recipient is "Pact" and "Save the Children" is the sub recipient. The project aims at provision of basic needs and children rights to the Most Vulnerable Children in Arusha. Services provided in this project includes, food and nutrition, shelter, health, educational support to primary school, secondary education and vocational training, psychosocial support and protection. These children are not identified by St. Lucia but by the community under technical support and supervision of the district department of community development. After identification, St. Lucia goes to verify against their priority needs.
Below are children who were identified to be among the most vulnerable children. Left is a child who lives in the house seen behind him. Right is a disabled child. These pictures were taken during verification.
TARGETS
Relatively, this year 2009, the target has almost doubled from 3004 Most Vulnerable Children in 2008 to 7070 Most Vulnerable Children. The increase was due to the identification process being done in nine extra wards to make a total of 17 wards. This means St. Lucia covers all wards in the Municipality of Arusha.
MAIN ACTIVITIES IN 2009
- Strengthening and coordinating mechanisms at the district and community level.
- Introducing the project in the nine new wards to make seventeen wards covering the whole municipal of Arusha.
- Community mobilization to participate effectively in the project. Community was involved right from the outset during identification of the most vulnerable children, then in the verification and finally in the plans for distribution. The community has played a role in construction and renovation of houses, in making follow up to the children and helping them with psychosocial and material support.
- Follow up on the children who received services in 2008 and address their issues. Some of the issues include the parents who sold items given to children or care givers who used items for themselves such as mattresses and mosquito nets.
- Capacity building to the implementing partners and care givers to provide quality services, mobilization of resources and sharing the project objectives and indicators.
- Verification of the Most Vulnerable Children. This was a crucial exercise carried by St. Lucia.
- Monitoring and evaluation of the project related activities, services and beneficiaries.
- Data collection and analysis with the objective that St. Lucia updates data and to know state of affairs and how to respond. For example, there was a follow up on the updates of immunization among the children served by the project, school attendance and psychosocial support.
- Participated in research such as the base line survey of the children living in Arusha in which the findings helped to expand the knowledge of the children
SUCCESSES
There are several noticeable achievements witnessed this year. Such as;
- The project has been able to reach 76% of the children identified to be the most vulnerable children in Arusha.
- The project has benefited families economically. For example, one child at Madukani had a hen. His family told him to sell his hen so as to buy food for the family. As he was about to sell, he was told by the leaders that he will be given food by St. Lucia the following day. The boy and his family postponed to sell the hen waiting for the food. The following day he received food. Since the hen was not sold it laid eggs and hatched several chicks. After some months the child and his family had many chickens and therefore they sell in bulk and buy other animals, some family utensils, food and caters for other domestic expenses.
- The project has provided basic needs to the children which are essentially their rights. One child at Majengo A passed her primary exam in 2007 and was selected to join secondary school in 2008. Due to poverty and lack of support she did not go to school the whole year. She has no shoes, no uniforms and she had no money to pay for school fees. This girl ended up in the streets as a day worker in garden and markets. After St. Lucia heard about her, followed her and talked to her. Then St. Lucia went to the school which she was selected to join, requested for her to commence in 2009. After involving other stakeholders, the child was admitted in this year. St. Lucia is sponsoring her education and gives her school fees, uniforms and school materials.
- Behavioral change among the Most Vulnerable Children due to psychosocial support and provision of food and non food items and beddings. Some children who were in the streets changed drastically and now are going to school.
- Access to health care has increased among the most vulnerable children. This was possible due to follow up on children. For example, one child at Ndarvoi was about to die due to hernia, but through the health insurance, was operated and now he is going on well.
- About 21 children who were street children have started primary education after receiving school uniforms and materials. Majority were in Kirika B in Sombetini ward and Darajani in Unga Limited ward.
- St. Lucia has built capacity of implementing partners such as the most vulnerable children committee. Capacities included documentation, skills of community mobilization and provision of care and support to the most vulnerable children.
The government leaders of Kijenge Kusini in Kimandolu organized a party to celebrate Easter with the most vulnerable children identified and served with St. Lucia. This has been the effort of St. Lucia to ensure that the community takes a leading role in helping these children.
Children with their leaders having lunch |
Children delivering their speech expressing appreciation and problems they face |
Children dancing after all being done |
Below are some of the Most Vulnerable Children sponsored for their vocational training by the Global Fund project. These girls have varied backgrounds. Some were roaming in the streets others were day workers or maids in local hotels and clubs.
A child who had a hernia operation. Now he is fine. At the time he was sick, his care taker had no any money even for transport. |
Adam Bashiri is attending vocational training. His training has helped him so much he is no longer on the streets and is now accepted and valued in his community. He hopes to finish in 2010 |
Pictures showing the positive outcomes of community mobilization. One of the activities in this project.
Mobilization of the community for construction |
After Mobilization, things changed. |
CHALLENGES
In the implementation of this project, St. Lucia has faced several challenges. These are,
- Based on the target of 7070 for this year, the project has not reached over 2200 children identified as the most vulnerable children
- Deviance behaviors shown by the children in the families, communities and schools. Some of them were arrested and locked up in police cells, some were attacked by their previous hooligans who felt betrayed after they stopped robbery due to educational sponsorship from St.Lucia.
- Most of the children sponsored by this fund in Arusha have high need of rehabilitation, psychosocial and life skills education to fit in school life and their communities. This is due to the threatening life style which they are used to. They are violent and they don't conform to the school rules. They are drunkards, truants, sneakers, some use illicit drugs, they use abusive language, they beat other children, they steal and most girls have developed sexual relations with multiple partners.
- How to help the children who are bread winners or head of families. For example AM who is a girl sponsored for her secondary education has to sell tea or porridge every evening and throughout the weekend. JS makes local brew and sells every evening after her vocational training.
- Building the capacity of the Most Vulnerable Children Committee to carry out community mobilization activities and ensure the children get assistance such as psychosocial support, protection and care.
- The community expects so much from St. Lucia such that it has created dependence. This is a very big challenge because after termination of the project the lives and welfare of the children may not be sustained by the community.
- Late disbursements of funds have delayed the effective implementation of the project and have affected the children. Effect was on issues such as school fees in which most of the children were returned home for some time to collect school fees.
- The budget and target set for various services will not be enough to cater for all identified to be the Most Vulnerable Children in Arusha. There are over 2000 children who will not be assisted.
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