Our Projects in Africa

Our projects aim at the rehabilitation of children in need and at the sustainable improvement of their living situation. In order to prevent future violations of children’s rights, we empower civil society structures to develop a protective and fostering environment for children. We support African States via their local representatives to effectively implement children's rights.

Our projects thus follow a holistic approach that intervenes on three axes (children, civil society and the State), is participatory and sustainable.

Children in situations of distress:

• Consultation and orientation
• Vital care, medical, psychological and legal assistance
• Family, school and professional reintegration
• Material support for school-attendance, an apprenticeship or the start of an income generating activity
• Follow-up visits

State representatives and bodies:

• Advocacy at mayors, police, gendarmerie, and representatives of the judiciary
• Training of these agents in children’s rights, the particular issues of the project as well as their roles therein
• Equipping them with the according national and international legal texts
• Formalizing partnerships for the protection of children
• Elaborating and distributing best practices

Civil society:

• Awareness-raising for members of local associations, civil society organizations, unions of women, children and adolescents, the media as well as parents, teachers, school principals, religious and traditional authorities
• Functional training of these agents to take appropriate action and raise awareness in their environment
• Creation of local committees for child protection in communities as well as follow-up on these committees
• Formalization of partnerships with the media to spread reports and interactive radio broadcasts on the issues of the project
• Training of responsibles and establishing a chain of agents for an appropriate and concerted treatment of cases of (sexual) abuse, exploitation, neglect, forced marriage, trafficking and the detainment of children

Since 1996, we have implemented more than 80 projects with our local partners in 10 African countries.

Our current and recent projects:

In close cooperation with our African partner organizations, we have been contributing to implementing children's rights in African countries for 25 years.

For example for

Picture above: Drama performance with children in our project in Ivory Coast. Children have a right to participate in cultural activities.

© Jacky Naegelen