Justice and Human Rights Zambia Project #57257

Sport, Art and Therapy for 50 children in Zambia

by Undikumbukire Project Zambia Ltd

Project Report | Nov 10, 2023
Children go back to School

By Chabu Kapota | Communications Assistant

Group Counselling

As Undikumbukire Project Zambia (UP Zambia) we express our gratitude for the support received from you and local fundraisers since January 2023. Your continuous financial assistance has helped us give help to children who are at risk of coming into conflict with the law through sport, art and therapy.

Following the conclusion of the mentorship program for teens in Chainda, Misisi and Kanyama communities, the social support team has diligently conducted routine family follow-ups with both children and guardians who participated in these programs throughout the year. This has allowed UP Zambia to assess the ongoing needs of the families and provided continued support.

UP Zambia’s commitment to holistic support is reflected in the continuation of family therapy programs and follow-up sessions. Notably, 70% of Chainda boys are now back in school, and the girls have also resumed their education. Their expressed motivation and acknowledgment of the ongoing support from our social support team highlight the transformative impact on their choices and educational pursuits. The guardians of these children are equally impressed and grateful for your assistance and local fundraisers.

A highlight of our accomplishments is the successful implementation of the Shield pilot project that focused on the sexual violence of children in correctional facilities in both Katombora reformatory school and Nakambala Approved School. The positive response from the children shows the effectiveness of the project. We extend our heartfelt appreciation for the financial support that made this project possible, contributing significantly to the rehabilitation and well-being of these children in correctional facilities.

Another highlight is our success story that involves a child offender released from Lusaka Remand Correctional Facility after two years in custody. UP Zambia social support team provided continuous therapy during his time at the correctional facility, and upon his release, they facilitated his return home. The Social Support team located a suitable night school, provided necessary stationery, covered school fees, and ensured his successful enrollment and attendance. Presently, the boy is thriving in grade 8.

UP Zambia extends sincere appreciation for your support and our local fundraisers. The progress made in reintegrating children into society, providing education, and offering therapeutic interventions demonstrates the tangible impact of our collective efforts. As we move forward, we remain committed to supporting children at risk and in conflict with the law for a restorative juvenile justice system.

Permalink

Jul 14, 2023
Update on the teens from the Mentorship programmme.

By Chabu Kapota | Communications Assistant

Katombora Art lessons

Thank you for the financial support that you and local fundraisers have shared with us during and after the Mentorship programme. We have always been delighted to share with you the progress we have made with the programme for teens.

Over the past 6 months after the mentorship programme for teens ended, our social support team have made routine family follow-ups with children and parents that took part in the mentorship programme. We have also started a pilot project called Shield that we are facilitating at Katombora Reformatory School and Nakambala Approved School.

During the Family follow-ups, the boys in Chainda and Kanyama expressed gratitude for the mentorship programme and they stated that the programme helped them believe in themselves and they have started thinking of becoming better versions of themselves. They have also shared some of their favourite topics they had during their group counselling such as drug abuse and sexual abuse.

Amazingly, those that didn’t want to go back to school during the mentorship programme are now expressing interest to go back to school. Visits with the parents have proved to be fruitful. The parents have expressed gratitude for the continued positive change of behaviour of the children and they feel the relationships with their children have improved.

UP Zambia is also currently running a version of the Mentorship programme at Katombora Reformatory School and Nakambala Approved School under a pilot project called Shield. The project is seeking to understand the cycle of sexual violence in detention facilities through activities such as counselling, Art lessons/Art therapy, Sexual Reproductive Health Education and sports.

The focus of the Shield Project will be on 150 children from Katombora for a period of 10 weeks and 50 children Nakambala Approved School for a period of 5 weeks.

We hope to carry out a 3^rd cohort of the mentorship programme in an additional community in Lusaka called Matero and to run a similar project like Shield in Kamwala Remand Correctional Facility in the next half of the year 2023 if funds allow.

We thank you all for the support you have made to this programme through your financial support.

Chainda boys take part in a marathon

Permalink

Mar 20, 2023
40 Children Complete Mentorship Program

By Chabu Kapota | Communications Assistant

Final Art Projects

40 CHILDREN FROM KANYAMA RECEIVE 9 SESSIONS OF COUNSELLING, ART AND SPORT

With your support and local fundraisers, we are excited to inform you that 40 children from the community of Kanyama were enrolled in UP Zambia’s 2nd mentorship program which started on the 5th of October, 2022, and ended on the 23rd of December 2022.

The goal of the mentorship program was to help rehabilitate children that are at a high risk of going into a custody/detention facility to reintegrate into society and prevent them from committing offenses.

The 40 children completed 9 sessions of group counselling, 9 sessions of football training, and 9 sessions of art lessons with the help of Undikumbukire Project Zambia (UP Zambia) Social Support team.

The Group counselling helped children learn from each other and develop the freedom to share ideas and personal experiences. During group counselling sessions, the topics covered included goal-setting, substance abuse, Negative peer influence, positive conduct, showing respect to guardians and elders, psycho-social life skills, anger management, sexual reproductive health, sexual violence, and gender-based violence.

In addition to the group counselling sessions, children had the opportunity to choose between Art and Sports tracks. The goal of these activities is to serve as a coping strategy to help reduce the urge of children using substances and also to reduce the time spent in communities being idle resulting in more drug use or unwanted behaviour that could lead to arrest.

The art lessons were in 3 hour weekly sessions that focused on drawing and painting. The 14 children that participated in the art lessons enjoyed each of the activities and gained confidence as they worked towards their final art pieces. The art facilitators also reported seeing a significant improvement and development of individual skills for each child. The National Arts Council provided free studio space for the teachers and students to do their work.

26 children chose the sports track and participated in weekly football training. The National Youth Development Council (NYDC) provided free training and pitch space for the sports sessions.

During the period of the mentorship program, UP Zambia held weekly support groups for the parents and guardians of the children participating in the mentorship program. The goal of these sessions was to create a supportive network for parents of at risk team, who are also impacted by stigma in the community. These sessions allow parents to share coping strategies as well as participate in discussions led by UP Zambia family therapists to identify root causes of their children’s’ risky behaviours. The topics discussed are designed to complement the group therapy sessions with the children, allowing families to work together and feel a sense of progress.

Some of the notable impacts were of this cohort of the Mentorship program included:

Guardians reported their children reduced their substance use habits and this was evidenced by no longer going back home intoxicated.
Children were showing greater respect to their elders at home.
Kanyama Police Station reported that the number of cases involving children reduced during the period of the mentorship program.
Several children exhibited an eagerness to go back to school and engage in more positive and impactful activities.
Some children in the program, both boys and girls alike showed an interest in sports and arts and exhibited a lot of talent in football.
All participants, especially guardians, reported improved mental well being
Guardians reported better and improved relationships with their children.
Children also reported better and improved relationships.

UP Zambia has been encouraged by the results of this program and we thank you all for your support in making this program possible through your financial support.

We hope to carry out a 3^rd cohort of the mentorship program in an additional community in 2023.

Parent Support Group Meeting

Sports session with Coach

Teen Group Therapy Session

Links:

UP Zambia Website

Permalink

‹ 1 2 3 ›

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.