Training and facilitation
Program overview:
Mkombozi believes that over the past 10 years it has achieved a critical mass of learning and experience that it must share with other childcare practitioners to increase its impact. This learning centres on Mkombozi's work in building inquiring learners, child protection, psychosocial support for vulnerable children and the identification and implementation of innovative services for children.
Through training and facilitation, Mkombozi shares its learning with its cohort of foster carers, mentors, other NGOs working with children and staff from the Arusha and Moshi Municipal Councils. This is in an attempt to ensure that Mkombozi's approaches to working with children are replicated and become institutionalized in the work of other actors in Tanzania.
Specifically, Mkombozi's training and facilitation services include:
- Training of MEMKWA facilitators;
- Identification, training and monitoring of mentors;
- Development of children's services in target communities;
- Training in methodologies for working with vulnerable children and youth.
Importantly, Mkombozi prioritises "new learning" for better and wider practice in working with vulnerable children through linking, sharing and learning between East African non-governmental and governmental agencies. This is because, within the development sector, there tends to be an assumption that training inevitably leads to improved practice and that trainers will train others who will train others, leading to a scaling up of the practice. However, Mkombozi's experience is that scaling up for improved learning and practice is not as simple as providing a couple of short courses to people. Consequently, we work towards new learning and replication by offering a package of "learning interventions" for our stakeholders (civil servants, community activists, children and young people). These include:
- development of a clear methodology in a practice handbook (e.g. child protection, Primary Years Programme, approaches to working with street children);
- training in this methodology through short courses;
- site visits to Mkombozi's "demonstration plots" so that other agencies can visit and use to learn new approaches for engaging, educating and protecting children;
- coaching of individuals to sustain the momentum from the training;
- leadership development opportunities;
- development of a community of practice of practitioners who come together in support groups and bi-annual sharing and learning meetings to discuss practice issues.
We consider this package to be an approach to advocacy since it builds a community of committed, skilled and thinking activists who are working with and for children and young people.
Current MEMKWA facilitator training team targets:
- To offer periodic and ongoing coaching and mentoring of MEMKWA facilitators.
- To train 18 facilitators trained twice yearly in week-long courses facilitated by Mkombozi trainers.
- To collect and analyse both baseline and monitoring data on dropouts and completion rates of MEMKWA students in target centres.
- To achieve 60% reduction in dropouts and 60% completion rate of students enrolled in MEMKWA centres where the MEMKWA facilitators are receiving training and coaching from Mkombozi.
Current mentor training team targets:
- Initially, to pair mentors with 18 children in care at Mkombozi residential.
- Then, to pair mentors with 30 children in care at Mkombozi residential centre and with 15 on the streets.
- Then, to pair mentors with 30 children in care at Mkombozi residential centre, with 15 on the streets and with 15 youth in employment.
- Then, to pair mentors with 30 children in care at Mkombozi residential centre, with 15 on the streets, with 15 youth in employment and with 40 with at risk children.
- Then, to pair mentors with 30 children in care at Mkombozi residential centre, with 15 on the streets, with 15 youth in employment and with 60 with at risk children.
Current child services team targets:
- To support Moshi Urban District to develop clear targets in education provision for vulnerable children and to budget for these in the annual planning and financing cycle.
- Initially, to coach 45 mentors receive so they can practice the principles and techniques in the handbook for working with children.
- Then, to coach 60 mentors and 40 foster carers so they can practice the principles and techniques in the handbook.
- Then, to coach 100 mentors and 60 foster carers so they can practice the principles and techniques in the handbook.
- Then, to coach 120 mentors and 80 foster carers so they can practice the principles and techniques in the handbook.
Current methodologies training team targets:
- To revise, strengthen and implement our "Child Protection Policy" following the "Standards of the Keep Children Safe Coalition".
- To host 3 NGO site visits each year so they can see our practice in action.
- To offer a 1-week course twice each year to train 10 NGO members of NNOC and TEN/MET and 10 representatives from Social Welfare department.
- To facilitate 5 representatives from Arusha and Kilimanjaro Social Welfare departments and Municipal Councils, 5 NNOC and TEN/MET member organizations to develop CPP in a 1-week workshop with 30 participants each year.
- Initially, to facilitate 2 wards in Moshi Urban District, 1 in Arusha, 1 in Moshi Rural to develop child protection policies for their schools and with their village councils.
- Then, to facilitate 2 wards in Moshi Urban District, 2 in Arusha, 1 in Moshi Rural to develop child protection policies for their schools and with their village councils.
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