SCHOOL MANAGEMENT COMMITTEES TRAINED ON ANTI- CORPORAL PUNISHMENT AND ANTI- BULLYING POLICIES

 

Training on anti- corporal punishment and anti- bullying policies of the school management committees of the 12 schools in Kibiito town council was held at Kibiito Primary School organized by RIC-NET and RIDE AFRICA. The members in attendance were the chairpersons and members of SMC and PTA from Kibiito primary school, Kibiito SSS, St Francis Rwengwara, Bubwiika P/S, Moset P/S, St Adolf P/S, St John’s P/S, St. John’s H/S, St Elizabeth P/S and Light SSS.

 Training started with the over view of the project and VAC explained to the participants how it is faced by children in homes, at school and in the environment and the purpose of the meeting was clarified as how to end violence in schools through the policies in schools. Discussions on the different causes of violence in schools were held where unfriendly rules and regulations, sexual harassment, corporal punishments and insecurity were suggested among others.

Presentations on the anti corporal punishment and anti bullying policy were made and discussions were made where by the children’s body should be involved while making the rules and they should be agreed upon by the pupils and then sent to the administration to choose what can be adopted. Awareness of why the rules in the school so that the children are made aware of them and this can be done through the spot checks so that the children cannot see the rules as punishment in the school and explaining the consequences of the behaviors being fought to the pupils and students. It was agreed from the training, that the policies should be revised and awareness should be made to the students and pupils.

 

PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS TRAINED ON GENDER AND SPOUSAL RELATIONSHIPS.

 

Parents and caregivers in Kibiito town council enrolled in the parenting groups of Maligo , Kyakahinda  A, B and Kagoma A and B have been trained on gender and spousal relationships two of the modules   of the parenting for respectability Program. (PFR)

oburungi bwa maligo group during the sessions

The community based facilitator introduced Gender sessions to the parents and caregivers on a weekly basis for one hour and 30 minutes every day. This module was trained to improve the parents understanding on gender and how society expectations hinder or facilitate children to reach their full potential. It is also intended to draw a clear distinction between gender, sex, gender roles and sex roles.

The overall goal of the gender module is to help men and women examine the relationship between being a man/boy and being woman/girl and how these can be used to promote non violent relationship within a family. At the end of this training the parents and caregivers had improved their understanding of how gendered power impacts on the lives of boys, girls, women and men; improved relationship between men , women, boys and girls within a family; involvement of men , women , boys and girls in making family decisions; reduced negative cultural , social norms and practices.

During experience sharing

The spousal relationship module was trained too and its main goal is to improve marital relationships in order to promote god parenting. It also aims at building marital relationships in order to promote good parenting and addresses issues regarding communication, spousal violence and resolving conflict.  At the end of the training parents and caregivers had improved knowledge about communication between spouses, reduced incidences of violence between spouses, reduced excessive use of drugs/ alcohol , improved constructive ways of resolving disputes among spouses and improved hygiene among spouses. “I thank RIC-NET for this program because I have learnt before attending this program we would have misunderstandings with my spouse and we quarrel in front of our children not knowing they were being affected but after these sessions we have changed and now we finish everything from our bedroom without our children knowing since we are both in the parenting groups.” Said a member of oburungi bwa maligo group.

PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS TRAINED ON BONDING AND ATTACHMENT AND DISCPLINE OF CHILDREN

 

   Children are born very dependent on their parents and need a loving and secure environment for their growth. Family is seen as a safe place where parents are expected to provide care, attention and guidance for children.  As RIC-NET continues to train parents and care givers on Parenting for Respectability (PFR), the members of Kyakahinda united group, kyakahinda farmers, Oburubgi bwa maligo , Bright group, Kam kam group, Tugoborre group, Tukwatanize group, Tunywane group, Twimukye group and Twekambe group  were trained on Bonding and attachment and discipline of children  two of the modules of PFR  in Kibiito town council.

The main goal of bonding and attachment module is to strengthen family bonds and improve relationships. This module has five sessions and was trained for five weeks. The activities in this module supported parents and caregivers to go through a process of becoming more sensitive and aware of child’s needs, provide loving care for positive child development outcomes. At the end of training this module, the parents had gained skills on bonding and attachment with their children through parent child interaction, parent child communication and parental provision of children’s needs. 

During the bonding and attachment 

Later on the parents were taken through the Discipline module which has three sessions and this was trained in three weeks. This module addressed the harsh disciplining practices and it aimed at supporting parents and caregivers appreciate that the process of encouraging good behavior and practices among children is not a straight line. It requires a lot of consistence, modeling and discipline. The parents /caregiver’s ability and commitment to adapt the non harsh disciplining methods through creating awareness on the positive disciplining techniques was built. At the end of the training, the parents had appreciated and adopted the use of positive disciplining practices of their children.

During the roleplay in resolving conflict with children

RIC-NET CARRIES OUT ADVOCACY MEETINGS ABOUT CITIZENS AND PROTECTED ANIMALS PEACEFUL CO-EXISTENCE IN KASESE DISTRICT

 

During L.Katwe and Kisinga consultative meeting

Rwenzori Information Centers Network (RIC-NET) in partnership with Safer world and TPO is implementing a five years project on Addressing the drivers of conflict in Uganda; implemented in 14 districts in Uganda including Kasese. Baseline research was carried out and identified the issues of problem animals and the relationship between the citizens and the national park as one of the key conflicts in the Rwenzori region, especially Kasese.

consultative meeting with Central and Karusandara

As part of the approach to learning and building partnership for peaceful coexistence, RIC-NET conducted three consultative meetings for seven sub-counties of karusandara, Central division, Lake Katwe, Kisinga, Nyakatonzi, Mukunyu, and Nyakiyumbu  neighbouring queen Elizabeth national park  in Kasese district was organized targeting local leaders and selected members of the communities whose crops were destroyed by wildlife during the last four years. The overall purpose of the consultative meetings was to generate key issues and receive evidence from affected communities by problem animals that will be shared with key stakeholders from both district and central government to come up with lasting solutions to problem animals and a harmonized strategy on revenue sharing and compensation.

consultative meeting with nyakiyumbu, mukunyu and Nyakatonzi 

From these meetings, key advocacy issues and recommendations for resolving conflict with problem animals and building a harmonious peaceful existence with grass-root citizens bordering the national park were developed. Each sub-county chose one person to represent them at the district leader’s reflection meeting that was to be held at Verina gardens in kasese Municipality.

 

GROUPS TRAINED IN A HANDS ON SKILL

 

men and women with their baskets after the training

From the baseline survey carried out in Kibiito town council Bunyangabu District by RIC-NET and RIDE-AFRICA with funding from CRVPF in 2021, it was found out that 36% of the children and adolescents had ever experienced some form of violence in the past one year. More females 55% had faced violence than their male counter parts 45%.  It was also found out that the main cause of violence is mainly poverty among others.

men and women during the training

It was on this that the two organizations embarked on and looked for a way to minimize on the poverty among parents and caregivers in Kibiito town council and decided to train these people in a hands on skill (basket weaving) that is very cheap in buying materials, accessibility of the materials, ready market for the products produced and the time and capital needed to start in this skill as a business.

10 groups of men and women with membership of 210 in Kagoma B, C , Kasaali A, Kasaali B, Buwiika A, B, C, Kahogo, Rwengwara and Nkimbiri  were trained in this basket weaving. They embraced and appreciated the idea and were very quick to master the skill. A group of 10 women in Kagoma C mobilized themselves bought the materials and started weaving baskets and are now a known group for selling baskets in Kagoma trading centre.  There are change stories from people that practiced the business and cases of violence due to lack of basic needs has reduced among the children in Kibiito town council.

group of women in kagoma C

RIC-NET CARRIES OUT MOBILIZATION MEETINGS TO SENSITIZE COMMUNITIES ON PVAC IN BUNYANGABU DISTRICT.

A brief meeting with the LC1s pf the cells

 It was at the beginning of the year 2022, and RIC-NET had to mobilize people and sensitize them about prevention of violence against children through the Parenting for Respectability program (PFR) and enroll parents and caregivers in groups to be taught and sensitized about parenting.

Parenting for Respectability is a 12-16 session program designed to help parents acquire skills they need to prevent child abuse and to reduce partner violence. It is divided into five modules: Bonding and attachment, positive discipline, Gender, spousal relationships and father involvement in parenting. It is delivered in groups and on a weekly basis to parents and caregivers by community Based facilitators. (CBFs). 

During the sensitization meeting in Kyakahinda A

RIC-NET held a brief meeting with the chairpersons LC1s of the selected and remaining cells in Kibiito town council in Bunyangabu district to explain about the project and its objective. This was done for the chairpersons to understand the program and to help in mobilization of the people so that RIC-NET staff can sensitize these mobilized people about prevention of violence against children and to form groups of people that have adopted and liked the program to be taught about PFR.

Community mobilization meetings were held in Kagoma A, Kyakahinda A, Kyakahinda B, Maligo and Nyakahangi . The project was explained to the people and most appreciated the program and 10 groups were formed in the above cells each containing 20 people per group.  The people appreciated the program and each group chose the  day and time appropriate for all of them to be having the sessions. “ I am very glad for this program that is going to start in my village and to tell you the truth there is a lot of violence in homes and am so sure we are going to learn a lot from you and I request and urge people that have joined the groups to always come for the sessions so that we can increase our knowledge and skills on parenting so that Kyakahinda B can be a better place for us to live in. Thank you “the chairperson Kyakahinda B said.

Chairperson Kyakahinda B giving his remarks

 

 

Ellie writes about RIC-NET work with the Batwa

Adapted from the article by Eleonora Tomassi, https://faces2hearts.eu/east-southern-africa/the-batwa-peoples-struggle-for-tomorrow/

“Today the Batwa people are a marginalised minority of environmental refugees. They have little access to farmable land and many have been reduced to a life of extreme poverty, with begging as their only means of survival. As an ethnic group they face a real danger of complete extinction.

Learning about these people's recent history made me feel more conflicted than any of the projects I'd visited thus far. Their desperate turn to drinking and the resulting violence are easy to condemn, but sadly also easy to understand. Seeing the physical toll their situation had taken on them was heartbreaking, but it paled in comparison to the emotional suffering written in the lines of their faces.

I was relieved to learn of the wonderful work local NGOs, funded heavily by the European Union (EU), are doing to help improve their situation. RICNET, which stands for Rwenzori Information Centres Network, is one of these organisations. They work with fringe communities to help them overcome poverty, social exclusion and give them a voice.

RICNET is a member of the Rwenzori Consortium for Civic Competence (RWECO) whose main aim is to empower citizens in the Rwenzori region. The consortium was formed in 2008 as a coalition of Hivos partners in the region, but their projects depend on generous EU support.

The Batwa people are not the only community these NGOs are working to support. Their focus extends to women, youth, people with disability and those living with HIV/AIDS. They are also striving to help different tribes in the area get along, mediating past conflicts and setting the foundation for easier cohabitation.

They have set up a clever network of so-called "foot peace ambassadors". These community members are trained to promote peaceful co-existence through activities like drama performances, sports matches and cultural events.

But it was the Batwa people whose story truly tugged at my heart strings. The fear of being ostracised is one all of us can relate to. No human can thrive when they are made to feel unwanted at every turn, shunned by the outside world. Perhaps this is why the difficulties these people face as they try to integrate into the local community were so tough for me to swallow.

Theirs is an uphill struggle, every step forward met with resistance. After thirty seven of their children finally began attending a Catholic school in the area, they were faced with harsh bullying from their classmates for anything from their smell to their old clothes.

Yet for the first time in many years you can see glimmers of hope in the people's eyes. They are done allowing others' prejudice to define them and are beginning by addressing some of the harmful stereotypes. They have passed a bye-law that prohibits alcohol consumption during day time. They have started producing handmade crafts to sell to visitors. They have even started a church in hopes that it will help them back on their feet.

That's not all - ten of their youth even undertook vocational training in hair dressing and tailoring. Their next challenge is obtaining the hair styling tools and sewing machines necessary to open their own businesses.

These improvements would not be possible without the help of RWECO, RICNET and, of course, the EU. The Batwa community's gratitude was obvious as soon as we arrived. Their King, Nzito Jofuley, even honoured us with a ceremonial dance. As I watched the determination on his people's faces I knew they were ready to fight for the rights they'd been denied for so long.

After much clapping and laughter, I bought two ornate bowls from the selection they laid out in front of me shortly after my arrival. Despite their hardships the Batwa people clearly know a thing or two about beauty. Their ability to transform something ordinary into a thing of magic gives me confidence that they'll be able to transform their lives as well.”

By Ellie

TRAINING PARENTING GROUPS ON IGAs (SHOPPING BASKET WEAVING)

Parents in kasaali A and B villages were trained on IGA’s whereby they basically trained in the weaving of shopping baskets. The skill was to help them raise their incomes so as to improve the standards of living in their families and also increase on their saved incomes in their VSLA groups

. It was a three days training which took place on Tue 30th ,Wed 1st and Sat 4th 2021 in kasaali A and B villages .The training had a total number of 50 participates. 

 Parents were so impressed with the new skill gained and thanked RIC NET for granting the opportunity.

Parents showing results on the final day of training.

Some parents who found difficulties due to eye problem were allowed to come along with their children and grandchildren on the next day so that they can also learn and help them in case of difficulties back home.

 Parents were so much pleased .it is of great pleasure that we acquired this skill which will help us increase our incomes, keep us busy in our homes helping to reduce unnecessary quarrels and meet each other as a group for developmental ideas like on how to get market for our finished baskets instead of spreading rumors.