The family strengthening programme in Mombasa started in December 2008

ACTIVITIES

Beneficiary recruitment
The programme has a total of 318 beneficiaries, 209 of them children.

Education support
Apart from support with school uniforms and other essential items,
August holiday tuition was organized from 10th to 28th August 2009 and 144 (56 boys 86 girls) children participated. Participants were awarded points on the closing day based on performance, personal hygiene and discipline.
 
School visits were conducted to two schools where FSP children attend. The visits are ongoing and a situational analysis will be done to identify areas of support.

In addition to the above, the SOS Children’s Village donated building materials and furniture to one of the community schools.

Medical support
A VCT (HIV/AIDS testing and counselling) camp was organized by the FSP in conjunction with the department of public health, local leadership, and local organisations. 172 people were counseled and tested by VCT counsellors from Tudor Hospital.

Psychosocial support   
Three kids clubs were established in the three locations. The first joint activity was conducted at the FSP office, Maweni where elections were conducted for group representatives from the three locations. 108 children participated.

The following were the outlined kid’s club objectives.

• to empower children so that they can speak for themselves
• to provide a safe place where the children can openly discuss their issues and gather information on topics that are relevant to them
• to provide an opportunity for the children to identify and nurture their talents
• to facilitate growth and development, cultivate a culture of care within community and help them cope with stigma and discrimination.
  

CAPACITY BUILDING

Training workshops
Two training workshops were conducted in the last quarter. Topics covered were; reproductive health and HIV/AIDS. A total of 35 caregivers and community leaders participated in the two workshops.

Vocational skills training
The FSP has established an informal partnership with two institutions in regard to vocational skills training. Ujamaa Center and Willing Hearts (local organisations) were more than willing to offer FSP beneficiary slots in their programme.

Support groups
The Family Strengthening Programme extends a helping hand to build strong partnerships with community based organizations. Strategic plans are ongoing to provide technical support to community self help groups that run, or intend to start, income generating activities for their self sustainability. A needs assessment has already been carried out to determine specific areas of intervention that the FSP will build up on the beneficiary capacity. Business and financial management, record keeping as well as team work and personal development were identified as the major areas that urgently need to be addressed. A series of training has been organised  to empower community groups on financial management.

COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT

Community management committee
Three community management committee meetings were conducted. The committee members serve as the link between the FSP and the community. They are also involved in the day to day running of the programme activities to ensure that the project is rooted in the community so as to enhance project ownership by community members.

Community health workers training
A two day workshop for Community Health Workers was conducted in September 2009. The community health workers were trained on basic counseling skills, the role of a community health worker, home based care, facts of HIV/AIDS and pre-test & post test of HIV/AIDS.  

Child protection committee   
A seminar on child rights was conducted. Participants were drawn from the community management committee, youth and women’s groups operating in the target area. A child protection committee was formed comprising six members from the three locations. The committee will serve as a voice for children in the community by sensitizing community members on the rights of children and also liaise with relevant authorities to protect the rights of children. The FSP will link the committee to government departments like the children’s department, the police service and other child-oriented organizations in the target area.

Networking and partnership
The FSP team participated in two meetings organized by Kisauni Constituency Aids Control Committee (CACC).

Five visits were conducted to World Food Programme, Feed the Children, Ujamaa Centre and micro finance institutions. The objective of the visits was to establish relationships with institutions with the aim of networking and forming partnerships in the area of nutrition, capacity building and financial support.