A fair chance in life
Every child has a right to reach his or her full potential without discrimination.
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Challenge
Creating an environment favorable to the rights of the child in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) requires budgetary allocations and public spending in the social sectors, taking account of deprivation among children, particularly the most vulnerable. Creating an environment favourable to the rights of the child involves effective collection of tax revenues, responsible fiscal policy, concerted effort to fight corruption at all levels, and budgetary allocations that support social sectors, particularly health and education, and that must grow at least at the same pace as the level of economic growth.
Solution
Communication for development
In its own work and when supporting its various partners, UNICEF insists that every programme includes an element of genuine community participation, within communication for development programmes. It is when communities adopt appropriate habits and good practice that a fundamental change in favour of children can take place.
Despite the progress made over the past decade, the situation of children and women in DRC remains precarious. In addition to operational purposes linked to basic services, this situation is explained by the low level of adoption of Essential Family Practices, which promotes better survival, education and protection of children. 71% of parents in DRC report having adopted at least three of the five essential family practices.
In order to improve health of children, in addition to the adoption of Essential Family Practices, the average rate of utilization of health services should be increased, which according to the World Health Organization (WHO) is only 25%. It is also worth mentioning the existence of perceptions, beliefs and social norms that are unfavorable to the realization of the rights of women and children.
Child and adolescent participation and engagement
Children and adolescents represent more than half of the total population in the DRC. Too often, the specific needs of adolescents are not prioritized, even though they have the potential of becoming agents of positive change.
Supporting adolescents can have multiple intergenerational and multi-sectoral impacts. Children and adolescents represent 54% of the population in DRC. By the time they have become teenagers, they have survived health problems related to their first years of life in a precarious country, and still, they must continue to face a multitude of challenges to their development and their legal and social protection.
Communications work with the media on the situation of children is another key aspect to help create an environment favorable to the rights of the child. The Young Reporters actively contribute to the media coverage of child issues in the DRC.
Social policy, research and evidence
Surveys and date collection
UNICEF is dedicated to conducting research and surveys to make its programmes and targeting more robust. The Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), initiated in 2017, will shed new light on deprivations experienced by children in each of the provinces of the DRC. Specific knowledge gaps will be addressed by studies that will focus on the effects of urbanisation on children with a gender perspective, the combined effects of urbanisation and climate change on children, measures to render cities ‘child-friendly’, and child-sensitive approaches to urban governance.
To build national capacity for data collection, analysis and use, UNICEF trained more than 100 national partners in the MICS questionnaire, water and anthropometric tests and use of ‘computer assisted personal interviewing’ tablets.
Cash transfers
The cash-based approach has become a key tool in humanitarian response plan. UNICEF is exploiting this approach since 2008, with its Alternative Response Plan for Community in Crisis (ARCC) and results confirmed that indeed cash-based interventions contribute to improve children and families' well-being.
The theory behind the ARCC approach is that conflict-affected families in the DRC confront a vast variety of needs depending on the specific events they have experienced, the geography of their place of refuge or return area and individual family circumstances. The cash transfer programme increases resilience of communities in crisis. According to a post intervention monitoring report, 82% of beneficiary households are now able to buy food of sufficient quality and quantity for their consumption while school attendance has increased by 33% amongst school-aged children.
For every child, a fair chance
UNICEF works with partners across the Democratic Republic of Congo to promote policies and expand access to services that protect all children.