Learning to listen to children, Zimbabwe
In Zimbabwe, a country where one in four adults is HIV-positive, local groups, particularly churches, were some of the first in the world to provide community-based support for orphans and vulnerable children. However, while giving vital emotional, social and practical help, by their own admission much of their work has tended to be for, rather than by and with, children.
In 2004, the Alliance, working in collaboration with the Southern African AIDS Trust, received a request from a network of churches that wanted to increase and improve the involvement of orphans and vulnerable children in its support programmes. The network reaches all provinces and religious denominations of the country, supporting a range of volunteer-based activities, such as feeding programmes and home visits, particularly for children who are destitute.
In response, in partnership with the Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative for Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (REPSSI), the Alliance carried out ‘training of trainers’ workshops with the network in the towns of Bindura and Bulawayo. The week-long courses involved 18 pastors, who act as co-ordinators for the network. They started by building their understanding of the ideas and challenges involved in participation, and raising their awareness of key issues, such as safety, communication and problem solving with children. They then involved children – a total of 46 between four and 18 years old – to help the participants to put their learning into practice. Fun methods, such as games, drawing and
drama – many from the Alliance’s ‘A Parrot on Your Shoulder’ guide – were used to break down barriers, build trust, identify needs and develop plans.
The workshops highlighted some of the real-life obstacles to participation, including traditional models of education and parenthood that see adults as the experts and prevent them from really listening to children. However, they also helped to identify a series of practical recommendations. For example,
while children suggested that caregivers should involve them more in day-to-day decision-making in their homes, adults felt that churches should have special counsellors for children.
As a result of the workshops, the pastors decided, among other steps, to set aside time for children’s activities in the programmes of their churches and to encourage more members of their congregations to become volunteers.
Meanwhile, the network decided not only to repeat the training in other provinces, but to change some of its own practices. This involved moving from a way of working based on ‘welfare’ and ‘assistance’ to one based on children’s rights. Overall, the organisation is now more sensitive to the involvement of children, not only in theory but also in practice. For example, it invited two children to participate in its annual planning activities, while it is also preparing to work with its members to ensure the involvement of children in church committees.
