Protection Services for 100 Rural Kenyan Children

Earlier this week, Mirai Future of Kenya reached out to and visited a number of community volunteers with whom we worked with during our Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) partnership project (2021-2023). The primary goal of this was to get their opinions and recommendations for our Nafasi project, which we hope to begin in December. These volunteers were a part of a bigger group that the chiefs and the assistant chiefs of Mwala Sub-County chose to participate in training on preventive measures against child abuse and early pregnancy. They are all conversant with the ground-level concerns related to child protection as a result.

One of the key issues we discussed with them was finding an appropriate location to rent as part of the pilot program. We received several suggestions including several public schools around the area that fit our requirements as mentioned in the previous report. We managed to tour one of the schools that most of the volunteers suggested to check out the amenities. We also received advice on how to guarantee the children's safety once they leave the centre. The volunteers proposed, in addition to the buddy system idea we had earlier, that community volunteers from each sub-location could connect with children from the same area and go home together, or they should choose youth leaders to lead the various groups back home.

We also received guidance on how to publicize the event and encourage children and young people to visit the facility. Most volunteers identified churches as ideal places and also schools just before students break for their December holiday. Parental consent is crucial before engaging the children and we intend to get it before allowing them to come to the safe space (Nafasi).

The volunteers did, however, have multiple instances of how child abuse and defilement cases were still increasing. In order to settle the cases informally, they also discovered collaboration among village leaders, medical professionals, government officials, and parents of the victims. One outstanding example is the way salon proprietors in Masii Town acted as middlemen between older males and younger ladies, including high school students, with the intention of performing sexual acts. The owner of the salon receives a portion of the proceeds after enabling this. The volunteers consistently conveyed the message that, in order to promote behaviour change and lower the number of defilement and child abuse cases, parents and the general public need to be made more aware of these issues.