Successful Art events in Kenya and Madagascar!

The TdH NL SCROL team, in partnership with Childline Kenya, successfully organised the SCROL child-led art event on the 2nd and 3rd of November 2023, in a primary school in Kisumu county, Kenya.

Key highlights

The art event brought together 18 children between the ages of 9 and 14 years to share their thoughts, views, knowledge and understanding of Online Child Sexual Exploitation (OCSE), how to prevent and protect themselves from OCSE, and the reporting mechanisms available.

Discussions and Insights

Children took part in engaging activities during the event;

🧑‍🎨Oral presentations: The children actively participated in oral presentations to identify the forms of OCSE in Kisumu, their effects, and the roles of parents, caregivers, and law enforcement agencies in protecting children.

🎨Art session: The children later proceeded to translate their thoughts into captivating art pieces, showcasing the valuable lessons they had learned through the SCROL programme. The amazing art will be showcased on our online channels and also showcased to various audiences through exhibitions during strategic events.

🧕Powerful messages: During the interactive oral session, Ruth Okumu, the SCROL Project Assistant engaged the children to convey messages targeting other children, parents, and the government, all of which will be incorporated into the ongoing SCROL Online Safety Champions campaign.

Some of the powerful messages they shared are indicated below;

🧒¨I can now use the internet safely. I will not send my photos to strangers,¨- 13-year-old boy from Kisumu.

🧕¨When you log in online ask your parents to help you and do not chat with strangers,¨ 9-year-old girl from Kisumu.

🧑‍💻The Government should bring in more teachers to teach us about SCROL and how to use the internet so that children are not exploited,¨12-year-old boy from Kisumu.

Overall, the children were extremely happy to be part of the art event as it was both educative and fun. ¨I want to thank TDH and Childline Kenya for giving us our SCROL teacher and helping us to be safe online,¨ an 11-year-old girl stated.

The successful art event was part of the 6-months SCROL Online Safety Champions campaign initiative. The campaign´s call to action is directed at Government officials, law enforcement agencies, children, parents, and communities, urging them to collectively "Play their role" in putting an end to Online Child Sexual Exploitation.

Terre des Hommes Netherlands Madagascar team, in partnership with our local partners, ALT & FAFAFI, organised a successful art event in the last week of October and early November, in two sites of the FAMAHA project. Both art events were carried out in primary schools in Benato and Ankaroka, Betroka, Anosy Region.

Key highlights

🎨In total, 25 children took part in the art event with the theme ´Freedom from Child Exploitation.´ A presentation of other art events in other countries was displayed which made the children happy and excited since they are not used to seeing such presentations and pictures. Thereafter, the team proceeded with the art event and children shared their views and thoughts through the drawings and discussions.

Discussions and Insights

🎨The art event provided a platform for the team to gauge the level of knowledge and understanding of what the children consider to be child exploitation. Most of them mentioned that child exploitation is the fact that they are forced to make money or to get zebu in case of zebu herding, for their families in their context.

As the children were drawing, they had in-depth discussions and different views on exploitation. They mentioned that adults assign them to do house chores that they do not consider to be ´exploitation´. Interestingly, most of them made drawings of children going to school depicting ´Freedom from Child Exploitation´ as that is their fundamental right.