Preventing Child Separation (PRECHISE)

Context

It is estimated that over two million children up to the age of 15 live away from home in Nepal. Most of the residential care sites are dominantly run in uncontrolled and un-protective environments, housing children from the poorest and most vulnerable segments of society. Research has shown that growing up in an institution harms the physical, emotional, mental health and well-being of children. It also has societal consequences: these children risk being deprived of adulthood as engaged citizens. Generally, there seems a need of certain level of enhancement of knowledge and understanding among policy makers, donors and the general public of the harm caused by institutionalization and the existence of better alternatives. That's why ATOS and CWISH have joined forces for this new project ‘Preventing Child Separation’ supported by the Civil Society Fund (CISU), Denmark.

Goals of the Project

The project’s main objective is to contribute to a broader and deeper understanding that a child should not be separated from his or her parents and community. The target group includes: youth, donors and the general public. The project has 4 immediate objectives:

• Sustain and enhance capacity of key advocates of parental care rights and de-institutionalization
• Create strategies that seek to deter individuals from becoming perpetrators of trafficking
• Stimulate reflection and public debate of the value of good child care and the harms of institutionalization.
• Enhance disaster preparedness for effective and protective responses to children at risk

Value of the project

The value of this project is that the activities in Nepal ensure that citizens in general will have access to evidence based knowledge. This will influence their decisions and actions regarding child separation and protection. Moreover, it will facilitate interactions, dialogue, and capacity strengthening and network consolidation among key child protection actors.

Partnerships

• ATOS (Alternatives to Separation)
  • Prevents children’s unnecessary separation from their family and tries to find local alternative families based care services for children without parental care.
  • Project role: provide financial and technical support, monitor project outcomes, participate at seminars, coordinate contact to facilitators and facilitate meetings.
• CWISH (Children-Women in Social Service and Human Rights)
  • Human rights organization and pioneer in the field of parental rights.
  • Project role: day-to-day management, project monitoring, progress and financial reporting, install a project quality assurance team, secure gender sensitive norms.
• KMC (Kadambari Memorial College):
  • Higher educational institute providing short-term courses and degrees in social work.
  • Project role: responsible for development of two systematic training packages, one for field staff and another for management staff of child rights focused NGOs and government bodies, and quality control of course materials, piloting and reviewing of materials.

Actual interventions

• Development of two systematic training packages for field staff and for management staff of child rights focused organisations;
• Online resource hub: accessible, up-to-date information on parental rights and related issues;
• Engagement with local communities: “find new paths” workshops
• A social activist media campaign on the harms of separation and institutionalization(through newspaper articles, video/ radio PSAs, social media campaigns. key ring message, forum theatre and media core group meetings and campaigns)
• Disaster management: Disaster preparedness training to address partialities open for local NGO’s working within the field of child protection and formation of response network.

For more information, visit our website https://stopchildseparation.org/