KAMARANDI GIRLS RESCUE CENTRE working with CHILDRISE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

Background

The Kamarandi Girls Rescue Centre is a registered charitable children institution, established as in January 2022 with funding from ChildFund Korea. The main purpose of the girl’s rescue centre is to protect girls from child marriage, female genital mutilation (FGM) and other forms of gender-based violence prevalent in the region. It provides shelter, counselling, education and life skills to girls who are either rescued or ran away from abusive situations. Most important, the centre also works with families and communities to sensitise them on the importance of respecting and upholding girls' worth and rights, as well as facilitating reintegration.

Vision: To be the leading rescue facility for girls in the region.
Mission: To promote and safeguard the dignity and rights of girls to enable them realize their full potential.
The key objectives of KGRC
1. Advocacy for Children's Rights: To Conduct awareness campaigns and collaborate with local and national stakeholders to advocate for the rights of children, influencing policy changes for improved protection and upholding of these rights.
2. Comprehensive Care and Support: Provide immediate and comprehensive care, including shelter, clothing, nutritious meals, and medical attention, to rescued girls in need of protection, ensuring their physical well-being.
3. Psychosocial Well-being: Implement counseling programs to address the emotional well-being of rescued girls and extend psychosocial support, while also conducting outreach programs to destigmatize mental health issues within the wider community.
4. Educational Empowerment: Facilitate access to quality education for rescued girls, monitor their academic progress, and provide necessary resources to support their educational needs, empowering them through knowledge and skills.
5. Life Skills Development and reintegration: Design and implement programs focused on life skills development, including workshops and training sessions, to empower rescued girls with practical skills and nurture their talents for enhanced personal growth. Additionally, facilitate a structured reintegration process, collaborating closely with families and communities to ensure a smooth transition for the girls back into their original environments.

Management of the centre
The Centre is currently managed by Childrise Development Programme, overseen by a board comprising of representatives of Child protection champions from all the administrative locations/Wards within Tharaka Nithi County. Technical supervision of the operations of the centre is done by the Directorate of Children Services.
The Rescue centre has 4 staff members employed by Childrise Development Programme as follows: 1 social worker,1 Matron ,1 cook and 1 groundsman/watchman. As the centre continues to enrol more children based on need, an additional social worker and matron will be required. Efforts by the Board of raise funds to enable the centre to take up more girls has not yet born fruit.

Required Support:
Childrise project requests for support to be able to achieve the following activities:

1. Provision basic needs to rescued girls
The girls enrolled into the rescue centre are provided with basic needs that will include a balanced diet- (Cereals, pulses, rice, vegetables and fruits), clothing, girl’s essentials, medical care and education materials e.g. School uniform and supplementary books. This ensures their comfort as they continue with their education in the adjacent Kamarandi primary and secondary schools. Those girls whose stay at the rescue centre up to the time they complete grade 6, will be considered for scholarship to attend boarding schools
2. Guidance, psychosocial support, and counselling to rescued girls.
Psychosocial support addresses a person’s emotional, social, mental and spiritual needs – all essential elements of positive human development. Psychosocial support builds internal and external resources for children and their families to cope with adversity. It supports families to provide for children’s physical, economic, educational, health and social needs. Psychosocial support also helps build resilience in children.
All children need psychosocial support for their psychological and emotional wellbeing, as well as their physical and mental development. Some children need additional, specific psychosocial support if they have experienced extreme trauma or adversity or are not receiving necessary caregiver support.
The girls psychosocial support will be provided by the social workers and a team of teachers who have experience in guidance and counselling. The rescued girls will be offered career guidance and mentorship and psychosocial support
3. Training girls on life skills and socio-emotional well being
Life skills training will be conducted for girls in the rescue centre and will cover: self-awareness, self-esteem, coping with emotions, coping with stress and peer pressure resistance, interpersonal relationships, friendship formation and maintenance, peaceful conflict resolution, assertiveness, negotiation, effective communication and empathy, decision making, problem solving and creative thinking.
4. Support reintegration of girls back to their families/community
Meetings with the caregivers/parents of the rescued children (preparation for integration) – Through the support of the community champions, social worker, community leaders and DCS, meetings with the caregivers will be done in preparation of reintegration with their rescued girls to minimize stigma and lack of acceptance back in the families and community. Efforts will be made to improve the child’s home environment to make it safe before reintegration

5. Support vulnerable girls in the community with scholarships
Vulnerable children within the community whose parents cannot afford boarding fees and who are victims of sexual violence will be awarded scholarships worth ksh30,000 per year. Efforts will also be made to link more girls/boys with the children’s department and county government bursary scheme for assistance.
Children admission procedure

Kamarandi girls rescue center is meant to provide temporal shelter for girls of age 7 to 17 years from the following abuses: Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), sexual (defilement) and forced marriage. The girl may either be a victim of such or exposed to such risks. This is confirmed through pre-admission needs assessment done by the social worker or the children department.
The girls shall be placed through the department of children services having a care committal order from the children’s court or a letter for temporal custody from the Children’s department.

Upon admission girls are offered with boarding facilities which include a bed with all necessary bedding materials, basin, a pair of slippers, plate and spoon, cup, toiletries and other girl’s essentials to ensure a comfortable stay for the girls at the center. The matron takes an initiative to introduce the procedures, rules and regulations of the center to the enrolled girls to ensure their comfort and safety at the center.

The Safe House offers young women opportunities for case management and community reintegration. While with us, the girls receive counselling, medical treatment, educational opportunities, temporary shelter, and have other immediate needs met.

Education

While admitted at the center, the management will ensure the girls continue with their formal education by enrolling them in the nearby public schools for learning continuity. The children shall be provided with scholastic learning materials and provided ample time for personal study in the evening and over the weekends. The center will endeavor to establish good relationship with the schools nearby for behavior and academic monitoring, as they support services such as life skills development, education services, mentorship and psychosocial support to both rescued girls and others within the community. The learning process of the girls in the center shall be closely monitored and their report books scrutinized regularly.

Outcomes and Lessons Learnt/Challenges
a. Outcomes
- Education and Skill Development: The rescue center focus has been on providing quality education to the girls, ensuring they have access to formal schooling at Kamarandi primary and secondary schools. This will empower them with knowledge and skills to pursue better opportunities in the future and for self-development.

- Health and Well-being: The center has been able to ensure physical and mental health of the girls by providing regular medical check-ups, vaccinations for young children, and access to counseling services besides promoting a healthy lifestyle through nutrition and regular recreational activities and sports. Girls are also supported to participate in school athletics, music festivals and ball games.

- Empowerment and Life Skills: The center offers workshops and programs that focus on building self-esteem, confidence, leadership skills, and decision-making abilities. This will enable the girls to become independent individuals who can make informed choices.

- Legal Aid and Protection: Collaborating with Department of Children Services and the police department, the center has been able to provide legal aid services to the girls and ensuring their rights are protected and violations are severely punished. This includes assistance in cases of abuse, child marriage, or any other form of exploitation.

b. Best Practices

- Empowerment through Education: Education is a powerful tool for empowering girls and breaking the cycle of poverty and exploitation. Providing access to quality education should be a priority in a girl’s rescue center. This includes formal education as well as vocational training to equip girls with practical skills for their future.

- Holistic Approach: A holistic approach is crucial when operating a girl’s rescue center. It involves addressing not only the immediate needs of the girls, such as shelter, food, and healthcare but also their emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Offering counseling services, recreational activities, and mentorship programs can help in the healing and development process.

- Community and Stakeholders Engagement: Building strong relationships with the local community is essential for the success of a girl’s rescue center. Engaging with community leaders, parents, and other stakeholders can help create awareness about the center's mission and gain support. Collaboration with local organizations and government agencies can also enhance the effectiveness of interventions.

Challenges;
1. Inadequate funds for food and girl’s essentials
2. Lack of a reliable and consistent donor to support rescued girls