Children don’t usually get the chance to tell their elected leaders what’s on their mind, especially in the developing world. These bright young ones from Kampala, Uganda, however, were selected by a child rights consortium to appear before their parliament to discuss how violence in their community affects them. Following their appearance, I was able to sit down with them personally so they could share their message with the rest of the world.
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My latest video for Catholic Relief Services is the third of a trilogy showcasing the IMPACT program in Malawi. This piece, an excerpt from which is shown below, deals with community-based child protection programs. In Malawi, one out of three children has experienced abuse before they reach the age of 18. Malawi, in and of itself, is no more dangerous for children than other countries in the area. The problem has been that those working to protect children, from the next door neighbor in the rural village to the Malawi Social Welfare Department, have not been working in coordination with one another. Children have suffered as a result. In some instances cases of abuse have gone unreported, and perpetrators have gone unpunished. IMPACT has successfully connected the various stakeholders through the deployment of family care volunteers and the mobilization of an Orphans and Vulnerable Children Committee in each community where[…]
Read MoreI recently completed a couple of weeks in Ethiopia’s Oromia Region. I’ll likely complete four or five videos once the dust settles, literally. Here’s the first. Werdi is the lead mother and manager of ChildFund‘s Early Childhood Development center in Fantale, Ethiopia. In a rural area where girls traditionally don’t receive an education, she’s a bold supporter and advocate for social change in her village. ChildFund‘s work relies on individuals at a community level. The ECD program in Fantale prepares young ones for primary school, and insures they receive proper nutrition and medical care during their crucial early years. It is also successfully navigating complex social customs in order to bring about change in the lives of young people and families.
Read MoreIt’s good to be back at work in Uganda again. Of the all African countries I frequent, it seems to be the place where I spend most of my personal time, but where I actually work the least. For this assignment I traveled with Tracey Spicer, an Australian journalist and news anchor who was reporting on the work of ActionAid for the Daily Telegraph and other editorial and broadcast outlets. Spicer highlighted ActionAid‘s work on women’s rights and domestic violence in Eastern Uganda. She knows first-hand what it’s like to experience gender discrimination. Her firing in 2006 from Network Ten (via email) after returning from maternity leave garnered much attention in the media and started a nation-wide debate about gender discrimination in the workplace. Since then she has been bringing to light the stories of voiceless women who have faced hardship or abuse. Click on the article above to read[…]
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