Child Marriage Prevention Programme
CARDO has established a Child Marriage Prevention Task Force.
Project: “Child Marriage Prevention Programme, Sierra Leone”
Summary
CARDO will establish a Child Marriage Prevention Task Force that will develop empowerment meetings providing substantial information regarding child rights and future opportunities to 150 young girls (30 young girls per community), as well as child marriage implications to 100 community elders (20 community elders per community) from Portloko, Kambia, Tonkolili, Pujehun and Kenema, raising awareness about this harmful practice and their potential role as agents of social transformation.
Overall objective: to raise awareness on child marriage implications within most vulnerable communities to this harmful practice. Specific objectives: to a) empower young girls’ on their rights and future opportunities, b) foster community elders understanding on child marriage as a harmful practice for girls, families and society, and c) promote communities free from child marriage in Sierra Leone.
Main activities: 1) Integrate the Child Marriage Prevention Task Force, 2) Young Girls’ Empowerment Meetings,
3) Community Elders’ Awareness Meetings, and 4) Presentation of “Child Marriage Impact in Sierra Leone” report (visibility).
Target groups and final beneficiaries
The target groups of this action are young girls between 16-18 years old and community elders, both from most vulnerable communities to child marriage in Sierra Leone, providing information on child marriage implications, empowering young girls’ and community elders on their potential role as agents of social transformation. This action will raise awareness in young girls’, community elders and society in general, about child marriage as a harmful practice, through the implementation of meetings and material development by the Child Prevention Task Force.
In the bigger scheme, Sierra Leone society, as well education and health systems represent important final beneficiaries. Child marriage hinders girls’ development being deprived of their fundamental rights such as health, education, and wellbeing. Girls lack of access to education and economic opportunities obstruct Sierra Leone’s poverty reduction. Girls face considerable health complications from early pregnancy and childbirth, contracting HIV/AIDS and suffering domestic violence. The Sierra Leone society, as well education and health systems will benefit from raise awareness on child marriage, empowering young girls’, fostering community elders understanding on child marriage as a harmful practice, and promoting communities free from child marriage in Sierra Leone.
Relevance of the Project
This project is highly relevant to the Hilden Charitable Fund call for proposals. Firstly, since the project will integrate the Child Marriage Prevention Task Force, inter-institutional commitment on child marriage prevention will be developed, contributing information from relevant areas on addressing this harmful practice. Secondly, the project will empower young girls from Sierra Leone communities on their rights, encouraging them to endeavor future opportunities avoiding their involvement on early marriage. Thirdly, as the project will result on community elders becoming agents of social transformation that will foster child rights within their communities, girls equal conditions and human rights respect will be enhanced by community members with high influence on families and society. Finally, since a “Child Marriage Impact in Sierra Leone” report will be developed and disseminated to different spheres with considerable influence on child marriage prevention, expanding the project’s scope and possible impact.
The Project
Activity 1 – Integrate the Child Marriage Prevention Task Force.
Activity 1.1 – Entailment with relevant institutions for child marriage prevention. CARDO will implement the necessary entailment activities with Human Rights Commission, Community Leaders and Health Institutions.
Activity 1.2 – Integrate the Child Marriage Prevention Task Force (CMPTF). The CMPTF will be integrated by a representative member named by Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone, Health Institution, CARDO Project Manager and Community Leader.
Activity 1.3 – Develop information briefs and materials. The CMPTF will develop informative materials on relevant areas to prevent child marriage, empowering young girls and raising awareness within their communities. Relevant topics will be developed on two different approaches considering young girls and community elders.
For young girls some of the topics addressed will be:
- From Sierra Leone Human Rights Commission: human rights, child rights and gender equality.
- From Community Leaders: child marriage impact on girls’ opportunities.
- From Health Institutions: ill-effects of child marriage and child bearing under the age of 18.
- From CARDO: access to education and its positive effect, life skills and possible future opportunities, and young girls support networks.
For community elders some of the topics addressed will be:
- From Sierra Leone Human Rights Commission: child marriage legal and human rights implications.
- From Community Leaders: child marriage impact on girls, families and society, and awareness about Community Elders influence in society.
- From Health Institutions: ill-effects of child marriage and child bearing under the age of 18.
- From CARDO: education positive effect to society and possible actions Community Elders could perform as potential agents of social transformation.
Activity 1.4 – Monitoring and evaluation of CMPTF integration. By monitoring CMPTF integration, CARDO will be able to ensure the Task Force creation process has been following established means, the activities are been carrying out and material has been developed. CARDO will develop reports and evaluations of the project process.
Activity 2 – Develop Young Girls’ Empowerment Meetings
Activity 2.1 – Call for young girls from most vulnerable communities to child marriage. The CMPTF will disseminate meetings’ information through social media, web page, posters and flyers within communities.
Activity 2.2 – Young girls’ registration to empowerment meetings. Young girls will fill a basic form that will contain contact information, school grade, if any, and their own thoughts about the topics that will be addressed.
Activity 2.3 – Young Girls’ Empowerment Meetings (YGEM) will be provided. The meetings will consist on providing information about relevant topics, performing didactical activities and providing support material. The one hour sessions will last one week per community, 4 sessions per week, one session per CMPTF Member.
Activity 2.4 – Outcomes Reports will be developed. The CMPTF Members will gather substantial information about young girls’ feedback and analysing outcomes. From this activity will result 4 YGEM Outcomes Reports.
Activity 2.5 – Monitoring and evaluation of YGEM. By monitoring YGEM, CARDO will be able to ensure the registration process has been following established means, the activities are been carrying out and material has been provided. CARDO will develop reports and evaluations of the project process.
Activity 3 – Develop Community Elders’ Awareness Meetings
Activity 3.1 – Call for community elders from most vulnerable communities to child marriage. The CMPTF will disseminate meetings’ information through social media, web page, posters and flyers within communities.
Activity 3.2 – Community elders’ registration to awareness meetings. Community elders will fill a basic form that will contain contact information and their own thoughts about the topics that will be addressed.
Activity 3.3 – Community Elders Awareness Meetings (CEAM) will be provided. The meetings will consist on providing information about relevant topics, performing didactical activities and providing support material. The one hour sessions will last one week per community, 4 sessions per week, one session per CMPTF Member.
Activity 3.4 – Outcomes Reports will be developed. The CMPTF Members will gather substantial information about community elders’ feedback and analysing sessions’ outcomes. From this activity will result 4 CEAM Outcomes Reports.
Activity 3.5 – Monitoring and evaluation of CEAM. By monitoring CEAM, CARDO will be able to ensure the registration process has been following established means, the activities are been carrying out and material has been provided. CARDO will develop reports and evaluations of the project process.
Activity 4 – Organising presentation of the report: “Child Marriage Impact in Sierra Leone” (visibility)
Activity 4.1 – Develop “Child Marriage Impact in Sierra Leone” report.
CARDO will gather information from meetings and Outcomes Reports, analysing the information and developing the “Child Marriage Impact in Sierra Leone” report.
Activity 4.2 – Report presentation will be organised. Through this activity the project outcomes will be disseminated to different spheres with considerable influence on child marriage prevention, as well as to public in general. This material will be also available through the CMPTF web sites and social media.