Positive parenting: how families in Kilifi County are benefiting from a pilot programme
Supporting parents to create a safe and healthy family environment
It’s a warm sunny day, with the gentle breeze from the Kenyan coast rustling through coconut trees as cattle graze in the hilly fields of the small village of Kiringo in Kilifi County. Agnes Juma, mother of five, is busy with chores outside her palm-thatched house. She feeds her chickens with her son while her husband, Daniel Katana, seated under a palm tree, looks on with their baby in his arms.
Agnes is a beneficiary of the National Positive Parenting Programme, a pilot scheme of the Nutrition Improvement through Cash and Health Education (NICHE) programme. NICHE is a cash transfer programme that helps vulnerable families reduce poverty and fight malnutrition, through cash top-ups and counselling on nutrition and child wellbeing practices. The Positive Parenting Programme in Kilifi aims to address children’s security and safety concerns and enhance responsive care by parents and caregivers.
Janet Bahati is a Child Protection Volunteer serving in Kaloleni sub-county as part of the programme.
“I visit 68 different homes and keep an eye out for cases of child abuse and neglect” she says. “I visit Agnes’ home at least once a month and if she has an emergency, she calls me” explains Janet.
Daniel, Agnes' husband, is actively involved in the day-to-day running of their household and has received valuable support to help him be a better parent. He speaks highly of the visits by Janet, who has taught him new parenting skills, such as how to create a safe and happy environment for their children to thrive in.
“When there is a good relationship between mother and father, it’s easier to find a solution whenever there is a problem”, he adds as he plays with his children.
UNICEF is working with the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, alongside other partners to help address rising cases of violence against children through various means including, piloting this programme. “The programme is rolled out under the Directorate of Social Development”, says Everlyne Bosso, Social Development Officer in Kaloleni sub-county in Kilifi. “It helps parents in bringing up their children well,” she adds.
“UNICEF’s role has been to provide technical support for the conceptualisation of the National Parenting Programme and providing evidence-based approaches and guidance on designing an effective parenting programme for the entire life cycle of a child from early childhood to adolescence,as well as from a violence prevention perspective,” says Yoko Kobayashi, Child Protection Specialist.
Every week Agnes and her friends attend community group sessions organized by trained facilitators, where they get to learn more about parenting based on the National Positive Parenting Training Manual.
The sessions give participants an opportunity to engage with their peers on common issues within their households and provide a safe space to express themselves and solve problems together.
“When I go to those groups, I feel happy because I am at least able to get some knowledge. When I laugh with my friends, I am able to reduce stress and my heart is more at peace” says a cheerful Agnes.
The programme has been made possible with the support of the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children, the Government of Japan, USAID, the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) UKAID and the World Bank.
