Lifelong learning protection and development (LLPD)

Every child has the right to be protected, learn and develop

Group of adolescents reading a book
UNICEF Eswatini/2017/ Karin

Challenge

This programme component is aimed at achieving the following: “By 2025, all children and adolescents in Eswatini are protected from violence and HIV, are learning and are equipped with the skills to become active citizens”. UNICEF will focus on the following three priority areas.

Solution

Priority 1. UNICEF will support a risk-informed education system, strengthening it for improved learning outcomes and skills development, and building a stronger system, resilient to future shocks. Support will also be provided to explore innovative models of education delivery. The programme component will focus on four main areas: (a) the roll-out of quality early learning interventions to improve school readiness, thus enhancing learner achievement in later years; (b) quality teaching and learning to address repetition and dropout, which will include teacher education, training and professional development, curriculum development and the design of teaching and learning materials as well as learning assessment; (c) a safe, protective, inclusive and participative school/learning environment, including around mental health and psychosocial support and, in particular with the engagement of caregivers of children with disabilities to promote adherence to set standards and retention; and (d) standardized accountability frameworks across all education levels to guide and regulate education interventions.

The skills and employability programme will focus on the development of relevant, efficient and effective skills for adolescents and young people to improve their employability, productivity and competitiveness in the labour market. It further seeks to develop their creativity and strengthen their business and financial skills.

Priority 2. UNICEF will support the strengthening of the child protection system and promote positive social norms to systematically prevent violence against children and respond to violence, abuse and the exploitation of children and gender-based violence. Emphasis will be placed on three areas: (a) strengthening national, regional and subregional capacities for coordinated response to violence against children, including social service workforce-strengthening; (b) enhancing positive gender-transformative social norms for the prevention of violence against children and gender-based violence; and (c) empowering children and adolescents to exercise their rights to live free of violence, to seek help when abuse and violence occur and to build gender-equitable and non-violent relationships.

Priority 3. UNICEF will advocate for HIV prevention among adolescents to take the forefront of the national HIV response through multisectoral partnerships and advocacy for multisectoral interventions required to achieve HIV prevention. UNICEF will also promote the meaningful participation of adolescents and youth by empowering them to voice their views. To this end, UNICEF will partner with service providers and local and national authorities to create the physical and virtual platforms required for such participation.
35. To strengthen the national system with the aim to reduce adolescents’ and young people’s vulnerability to HIV, UNICEF will focus on: (a) high-level strategic, evidence-based advocacy, resource mobilization and leveraging; (b) strengthening the education system as a platform for HIV prevention, including supporting the guidance and counselling life-skills education programme (inclusive of comprehensive sexuality education, health promotion, gender and HIV and AIDS) of the Ministry of Education and Training; (c) integrating HIV into adolescent health and education and other services, including the prevention of early and unwanted pregnancy; and (d) ensuring the meaningful participation of adolescents and youths.

UNICEF will support increasing the emergency preparedness of schools, including during pandemics, including strengthening distance-learning programmes and improving protection systems and water, sanitation and hygiene facilities in schools. This will be accomplished in collaboration with government and civil society partners to enable communities and systems to be more resilient to shocks, while ensuring that services for adolescents and youths living with HIV are not interrupted during emergencies.

The main partners of this programme are government ministries, CSOs, bilateral and multilateral organizations, such as the United Nations agencies, the World Bank, the United States Agency for International Development, the European Union, Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund and the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief as well as academic and research organizations, the media and the private sector.

Resources

MobiSAM Report Conference Report

Social Accountability Monitoring for Sexual Reproductive Health Rights

See the full report

Situation Analysis of SRH

Including HIV and GBV Services for Adolescents and The Youth in Eswatini

See the full report

Adolescent Engagement on Sexual Reproductive Health Report

The evidence from this report will enable the Ministry of Health to provide targeted interventions towards the adolescents and young people.

See the full report

Adolescents and young people in Eswatini

Adolescents and young people in Eswatini – “Programmes for us, by us”

See the full report