A 15-month-old European Union (EU)-funded Child Protection Project is about to come to an end and according to the coordinators not only have many parents been reached in the target communities, but they have observed marked changes in parenting skills among residents.
The Help & Shelter-coordinated project, which was co-funded by the Atlanta-based Concerned Citizens Against Domestic Abuse, was done in Sophia, Hague, Zeelugt and Good Hope.
The project, which comes to a close this month end, aimed to raise awareness of child protection, non-violent discipline and alternative parenting methods within the target communities. It also sought to introduce standard protocols for child care and health caregivers in the community, to enhance their ability to detect child abuse and their responsibility within the child protection system.
According to project coordinator Colin Marks, at a round table session yesterday on the project, they also