By Chabu Kapota | Communications Assistant
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:
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 3rd cohort of the mentorship program in an additional community in 2023.
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