Let me begin by saying thank you so much to all of you for your generosity. This project would not be possible without your assistance whether financial or emotional. Thank you for all the advice too.

Thank you to the GVRC team for all the help in the preparations we are currently undertaking to ensure the smooth implementation of this project. Thank you for all the advice but most importantly for giving me and all those who contributed to this project, an opportunity to make a difference, no matter how small, in the lives of these children.

As some of you know, I returned on Tuesday this week from the Republic of Gambia where I was on an internship programme. (I was interning with the Gambia Committee on Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children (GAMCOTRAP). The traditional practices include Female Genital Mutilation, Gender Based Violence and Forced Early Marriages. It was quite an enriching experience both culturally and academically.) This blog was to come up the latest Tuesday evening but unfortunately I lost my hand luggage which contained all my important things, my charger included. Fortunately, I received the bag late last evening (Friday 22^nd) and I am happy I can finally give you all an update on the project.

Many of you, know the project as “Let children be children” because that was the title I used to fundraise on Middstart. However, Let children be children is the first part of the one big project: “Helping abused children heal while moving towards a society free from Gender Based Violence.”The second part of the project is the “Child Abuse Awareness campaigns targeting school children.” This part of the project was funded by Middlebury College’s Alliance for Civic Engagement (ACE) Cross cultural programme.

Let children be children- Refurbishing the Children counseling rooms

Proposal and Implementation steps:

i) Four different secondary schools near the four branches of Nairobi Women’s hospital will be contacted on the possibility of three students from each school volunteering to paint the children counseling rooms on one of the days in June.

ii) Before the painting, the three students will have a session with a facilitator who will talk to them about Gender Based Violence. They will also have a tour of GVRC and briefed on its work. It is expected that these students will share everything they learn with their friends in school and at home.

iii) Afterwards, these students and I will paint the rooms under the supervision of a professional painter.

iv) Lunch and tea break will be provided for the volunteers. They will also be awarded certificates.

v) Toys will be purchased for the counseling rooms after the rooms are ready.

vi) The process will be documented so that the pictures can be used for the report following the successful completion of the project.

vii) Some paintings (with the consent of the children) will also be framed and hang all around the walls of the counseling rooms. As these paintings are definitely bound to tell a story, I feel this will be crucial in assuring all the children who visit the counseling room that they are not alone in their situation.

Updates on this part of the project:

We have gotten in contact with three Secondary schools all located near the three currently open branches of Nairobi Women’s hospital to help with the painting of the rooms.

The schools include:

1. State house girls
2. Dagoretti High School
3. Laser Hill high school

All the schools managements asked as to check in this coming week for confirmation.

Meanwhile, we are getting cost quotations from different painters and also looking at samples of their work.

Child Abuse Awareness campaigns targeting school children

Proposal and Implementation steps:

i) Once I receive funding, with the help of GVRC personnel, three school managements situated within localities that have been identified by the Gender Violence Recovery Centre (GVRC), as those with the highest incidences of Gender Based Violence (GBV), will be consulted on the possibility of availing their students for the awareness campaign on one of the afternoons in June. After approval, a date for the campaign will be set for each of the schools.

ii) Each school will then be requested to ask its students to compete in writing an essay that addresses the issue of child abuse in our society and a deadline for submission set. Having a writing competition prior to the awareness campaign will allow the children to think about the issue beforehand and make the campaign more of a sharing session.

iii) To promote child participation in decision-making, we will work closely with Plan International (an organization that promotes children rights to end poverty) to come up with a panel of about 10 students from each school to form the essay-marking panel The panel will read all the submitted essays and decide on the three best from each school.

iv) On the day of the campaign in each school, the students will be educated by facilitators from GVRC, Plan International and Childline Kenya (works closely with GVRC to provide rescue services for abused children as well as free counseling) on the ills of gender violence and the importance of respecting others irrespective of gender, GBV warning signs, the prevention measures they can take and where they can get help in case of abuse. Fliers with this information will also be given to the students and some given to the libraries in the schools so that there can always be some copies for reference.

v) The winners of the essay writing competition will be given their prizes which will include trophies, books and bags. Snacks will be provided to all students to encourage attendance.

vi) After the campaign, some of the essays and information shared during the campaign will be compiled into a report that can also be disseminated to other schools to help resolve GBV issues.

Updates on this part of the project:

Three school managements have already been contacted.

1. Lower Kabete Primary school in Nairobi
2. Arap Moi primary School in Kajiado
3. Shadrack Kimalel Primary school in Nairobi

While we are still waiting to hear from Arap Moi primary school, Lower Kabete has given us the go ahead to hold the campaign on Tuesday 26^th of July and Shadrack Kimalel has allowed us the 2^nd of August.

This will be a whole day affair which will involve the essay writing, the marking, a sensitization session on gender based violence with emphasis on child abuse (courtesy of GVRC, Plan international and childline Kenya) and finally the awards ceremony for the best essays.