White Orange Youth

Children stakeholders meeting report

9.02.2013 YWCA Moshi

1. Introduction

White Orange Youth ran a one day children stakeholders ‘meeting in Moshi on Saturday 9^th February 2013 at YWCA conference hall. The meeting target 41 participants from Moshi as it was a last stakeholders meeting for this project. All of the participants hold a role or position that has an effect on children’s development. Some of participants were even children from the White Orange Youth children’s clubs. The goal of meeting was to introduce the PSS concept to the participants and discuss and find the best way to help the children. There were both males and females present and the ages ranged from children to adults. The included a PowerPoint presentation, individual testimonies and a group discussion that encouraged participants to actively engage in conversation. The children participated in separate activities during the meeting in order to make sure they were comfortable and in same point they joined in the big group.

1. Purpose of the meeting

White Orange Youth organized this meeting with three main purposes. Currently, WOY is running a PSS program for children in Moshi. The program is unfamiliar to many people, especially those who work closely with children; therefore it was important to introduce this new concept so that they may know how PSS works and realize its importance in children’s programs. Another reason for conducting such a meeting was to strengthen the networks of people working with children by giving them an opportunity to meet and share their experiences with one another. They were able to get to know each other thereby increasing the opportunity to share resources that could make a difference in the children’s future. Furthermore, this meeting intended to encourage local government officials to incorporate PSS in the government’s budget planning. This meeting was a series of such a meeting conducted last year for the same purpose.

1. Participant’s profile and Selection criteria

This meeting targeted 41 participants from Moshi Urban as follow:

• We had three religious leaders from Muslim, Pentecostal the religious that are very common to the area/wards that WOY runs PSS activities.
• We had three local government leaders from Njoro and Majengo Ward (two among three wards that WOY run children clubs and PSS activities) the leaders that attended were Executive Ward officer, Ward community development officers.
• Moshi Municipality official (Municipality Social Welfare officer attended the meeting
• One political leader (Counselor from the Majengo Ward) and a councilor member of community welfare committee attended.
• Five orphanage centers representatives attended the meeting
• Two people from media (print media and electronic media)
• Police from Central (Gender and children desk) the desk concern the children and gender violence attended the meeting.
• Five NGO’s dealing with children in Moshi also attended the meeting
• Nine children (members of WOY children’s clubs) attended the meeting
• Nine guardian/parents of the children who are members of WOY clubs attended the meeting.

1. Meeting proceedings
   1. Opening

Meeting officially opened by Program coordinator by welcoming participants and thanking them for their presence and active participation

1. Introductions

Participants got opportunity to introduce themselves. They gave their name, where they come from, and there roles and organization they represent if applicable. Participants were very eager to meet one another.

1. Introduction about WOY

After the participants got to know each other, slides introducing WOY were presented. The introduction included “What does WOY symbolize”, “Mission”, “Vision” and “Establishment”. WOY also presented the “Recent and current WOY PSS activities” and the “Target group and geographical location”. After the presentation participants asked what methods WOY used to help children and if WOY is read to helping children in other wards because only three wards were targeted. Participants wanted to hear about the successes achieved by PSS and what changes WOY would like to make in the future. They also wanted to know about the challenges that WOY faced when implementing PSS activities. Others were curious about the demographic information of those children supported by WOY. WOY responded to all of the questions asked and participants were satisfied.

1. Introduction to PSS

The facilitator introduced the concept of PSS. Participants learned about what PSS means and why it is important to integrate into children’s programs. Participants learned about when WOY started working on PSS and where this model adopted.

1. PSS presentation

The PSS presentation was made through PowerPoint. The presentation taught the participants:

-          The meaning of the term psychosocial care and support (PSS)

-          How to understand the PSS wheel model and its indicators

-          Why focus on Psychosocial Support in the context of overall child care and support?

-          About the triple crisis of HIV/AIDS, poverty and conflict which has weakened the traditional social and security safety nets for children

-          Why do we use the term “psychosocial?” The facilitator answered this by describing the dynamic relationship between psychological and social effects of certain experiences and how they continually influence each other.

After the presentation, participants had time to ask questions and comment.

1. Participants were asked to mention number of children rights that they may know and to       give out some case studies regarding children rights violence experience

-One participant from Mkombozi gave a case study about a child who was raped and how they helped her as they work close with the Police Gender desk.

- Another participant give his experience of violation of the right of children particular the street children who by one way or another adults coaching them to steal some body properties by braking the window and get in to the house through small opens created by the adults

-Another participants shared how some big textiles companies exploited children by giving them a hard work to do even some time through the whole nights shift.

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1. Children right presentation

The facilitator (children right lawyer) introduced the children rights to the participants. She asked if invited children’s know their rights and able to mention several as follows:

• Rights to play
• Rights for education
• Rights for shelter
• Rights for quality and enough food
• Right for give out their opinions
• Right for being respected and
• Right to be protected

The facilitator emphasized that demanding the rights is going together with responsibility. He told the kids that they should fill full their responsibilities while demanding and or exercising their rights. She also argue that the mtaa chairman and ward executive officers should not be a barrier when member of community reporting the children rights’ violation event. She said some local leaders are irresponsible and sometime they demand bribe to solve the children problem that referred to them. Many people complained about this situation as they have experienced this situation for several time

1. Experience from Gender and children desk

The facilitator (A police women) share with participant what the desk is doing and what are the steps to be followed when reporting child’s rights violation case. She mentioned that every district of Tanzania has the desk and there are trained police that may handle children right violation cases in a children friendly ways. Furthermore she appreciated some of NGOs that advocacy the children rights for their good cooperation with the desk. Many participants were so interested to know more about the function of the desk and asked lot of questions which were responded back.

1. Experience from social welfare officer

The social welfare she inform participant how her department work to protect children rights, she mentioned that referrals to NGOs is one of the strategic they use to solve the case reported to the department.

1. Presentation from the counselor

The facilitator informed participants the meaning of counselor and the different between counselor and advisor. She said a counselor is a process that counselor empower the client to find solutions of his/her problem by the available resources that she/he has. The major part of counselor is to motivate and comfort client’s solution and not to propose him or her solution of the problems. Furthermore she said that before providing counseling service to the community is better to start from the family level. Counselor should start counseling to his children and wife/husband. From her experience she said that you can ask your children what kind of thing they don’t like at the family that may be caused by parents. Give them time to think and let them decided when to meet and talk about that.

1. Sharing hero book

A child from children’s club (Majengo Ward) sat in front of the adult group to share the progress they had made on their hero books. This was very interesting to most of the participants. The child that present his book wanted to be a medical doctor because is a best in science subjects he said.

1. Lessons learned

Meeting with different children’s stakeholders presented the opportunity to know what people are doing around the community thereby creating a network of references.

Participants were excited to learn about PSS because there is a great need for counseling services. Many people were able to get the contact information of the counselor.  

Having a dynamic background of participants created an interesting and variable environment for discussion.

1. The way forward

It was very important to create a network among these stakeholders so they may be able to update each other about the children’s issues in the future.

The ward executive office also promised to work closely with local government officers to increase funding for the PSS program.

Participants will start by counseling their family to see if the method is effective before going working with other children and adults.

Participants agreed the give out feedback on how they respond PSS in their work.

Participants should actively report children rights violation as soon as they arise.

School children should be taught about children rights and gender issue.

Would be nice to have more often meeting like this so discuss the critical issues that affecting children.

1. Closer

The meet finished at 16:30 in the afternoon and WOY thoroughly appreciated all participants who contributed their views and perspectives in the meeting.