Investing in Children and their Societies (ICS SP)

Our Child Domestic Work (CDW) project accompanied various project participants, including Community Development Workers (CDWs) and Persons with Lived Experience (PWLEs), to the National Job Fair in Kisumu. The two-day Job Fair, organized by the Ministry of Social Protection, State Department of Labour and Skills Development. was themed "Unlocking Employment Opportunities," exposed the participants to employment opportunities and services offered by the State Department, equipping them with valuable insights and resources to enhance their career prospects. This initiative is part of our ongoing efforts to empower our community and foster sustainable development through increased access to employment opportunities. #JobFair2024 #EmploymentOpportunities #YouthEmpowerment #SkillsDevelopment #CommunityDevelopment #JobMarket #SocialProtection #CareerGrowth #KisumuEvents #UnlockingOpportunities #ProfessionalDevelopment #WorkforceDevelopment #NetworkingEvent #LabourAndSkills #EmpoweringCommunities #EconomicGrowth Terre des Hommes Netherlands in Africa Amref Health Africa UK UNICEF Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN) Global Parenting Initiative Parenting for Lifelong Health Tanzania ECD Network NURTURING CARE Beatrice Nyakwaka Ogutu Kudely Sokoine Sabrina Majikata Njeru Nancy Macrine Otuge Lovender Otieno Dennis Kitsao Dennis Chirchir Joseph Ogol Evance Aundo estelle akissi kouadio Ruth Amamo Calvin Onyango Sharlyne Odiyo Connie Ndeleko UNICEF Parenting for Lifelong Health Global Parenting Initiative The Freedom Fund polycarp musonye Moureen Ochieng Calvin Onyango Women for Women International UN Women

Poverty, HIV/AIDS, living with a disability, violence and conflict are among the factors and challenges that force thousands of children to be separated from their parents and caregivers each year. Through the Changing the Way We Care (CTWWC) initiative, and in partnership with Catholic Relief Services and government, we promote family-based care for vulnerable children. In 2023, we implemented actions that prevented unnecessary family separation and facilitated the reintegration of separated children back to their families- once these are stable and safe. We continue to identify the best alternative family-based care options for those children who are unable to live with their biological families.  #EndChildPoverty #FightHIVAIDS #SupportDisability #EndViolence #ConflictResolution #SafeCommunities #ChildRights #Communications #ProgramManagement #StakeholderEngagement #ContentCreation #SocialMediaStrategy #EventPlanning #MediaRelations #InternalCommunications #WorkshopFacilitation #ProjectImplementation Terre des Hommes Netherlands in Africa Amref Health Africa UK UNICEF Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN) Global Parenting Initiative Parenting for Lifelong Health Tanzania ECD Network NURTURING CARE Beatrice Nyakwaka Ogutu Kudely Sokoine Sabrina Majikata Njeru Nancy Macrine Otuge Lovender Otieno Dennis Kitsao Dennis Chirchir Joseph Ogol Evance Aundo estelle akissi kouadio Ruth Amamo Calvin Onyango Sharlyne Odiyo Connie Ndeleko UNICEF Parenting for Lifelong Health Global Parenting Initiative The Freedom Fund polycarp musonye Moureen Ochieng Calvin Onyango Women for Women International UN Women

Learning and safety go hand in hand and schools provide a valuable entry point for working with children, families and communities to end violence against children. From 2021 to 2024, ICS SP in partnership with Wellspring Philanthropic Fund and Eriks Development Partner have implemented the whole school project to prevent violence and improve learning outcomes across 44 primary schools in 6 counties in Kenya. Investing in Children and their Societies (ICS SP) works to create safe and nurturing environments for children's development by collaborating with local communities, partners, schools, and government since 1994. This initiative has positively impacted 35,200 learners, 930 school leaders and teachers, and 26,400 parents/caregivers. It has also built the capacity of 220 government stakeholders and influenced policies and programs of various educational and social development institutions in Kenya. #ChildDevelopment #SafeLearningEnvironments #Education #CommunityCollaboration #ViolencePrevention #ChildWelfare #ICS_SP #KenyaEducation #WholeSchoolApproach #ParentalEngagement #TeacherSupport #GovernmentPartnership #PolicyInfluence #ChildProtection #LearningOutcomes Terre des Hommes Netherlands in Africa Amref Health Africa UK UNICEF Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN) Global Parenting Initiative Parenting for Lifelong Health Tanzania ECD Network NURTURING CARE Beatrice Nyakwaka Ogutu Kudely Sokoine Sabrina Majikata Njeru Nancy Macrine Otuge Lovender Otieno Dennis Kitsao Dennis Chirchir Joseph Ogol Evance Aundo estelle akissi kouadio Ruth Amamo Calvin Onyango Sharlyne Odiyo Connie Ndeleko UNICEF Parenting for Lifelong Health Global Parenting Initiative The Freedom Fund polycarp musonye Moureen Ochieng Calvin Onyango Women for Women International UN Women

Violence against children is a pervasive global issue, constituting a severe violation of human rights affecting millions annually. In Kenya, the VAC Survey 2019 reports alarming statistics, with half of children experiencing violence, predominantly physical, perpetrated mainly by parents and caregivers. Through collaboration with parents, schools, community leaders, and government bodies, Investing in Children and their Societies (ICS SP) seeks to prevent violence in various settings - home, school, and community by fostering better caregiving practices, enhancing the capacities of duty bearers, and advocating for sustainable policies. Moreover, we aim to prevent violence against children and ensure access to quality care and services for affected individuals. #ProtectChildren #ChildProtection #KenyaVAC2019 #SafeHomesForChildren #CommunitySafety #ParentingForPeace #StopChildAbuse #BetterCaregiving #StrengthenDutyBearers #SustainableChildPolicies #QualityCareForChildren #ICS_SP Terre des Hommes Netherlands in Africa Amref Health Africa UK UNICEF Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN) Global Parenting Initiative Parenting for Lifelong Health Tanzania ECD Network NURTURING CARE Beatrice Nyakwaka Ogutu Kudely Sokoine Sabrina Majikata Njeru Nancy Macrine Otuge Lovender Otieno Dennis Kitsao Dennis Chirchir Joseph Ogol Evance Aundo estelle akissi kouadio Ruth Amamo Calvin Onyango Sharlyne Odiyo Connie Ndeleko UNICEF Parenting for Lifelong Health Global Parenting Initiative The Freedom Fund polycarp musonye Moureen Ochieng Calvin Onyango Women for Women International UN Women

We know that tackling child labor is complicated due to the social and economic issues in our communities. By regularly analyzing these situations with the community, we have found the main causes of child labor in different areas. With this knowledge, we have created solutions and projects to address child domestic work, child labor in the service industry, and in agricultural supply chains. We work with partners to help children return to school and raise parental awareness about the risks of child labor. We also provide social protection and job opportunities for poor families, increase monitoring through social service workers and labor inspectors, and advocate for more actions and resources for child labor monitoring, remediation, and law enforcement. #ChildLabor #SocialIssues #EconomicRealities #CommunityAnalysis #RootCauses #ChildDomesticWork #ServiceIndustry #AgriculturalSupplyChains #EducationForAll #ParentalAwareness #SocialProtection #LivelihoodOpportunities #WorkforceSurveillance #LaborInspectors #ChildLaborMonitoring #LawEnforcement #ChildRights #CommunitySupport #ProjectSolutions Terre des Hommes Netherlands in Africa Amref Health Africa UK UNICEF Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN) Global Parenting Initiative Parenting for Lifelong Health Tanzania ECD Network NURTURING CARE Beatrice Nyakwaka Ogutu Kudely Sokoine Sabrina Majikata Njeru Nancy Macrine Otuge Lovender Otieno Dennis Kitsao Dennis Chirchir Joseph Ogol Evance Aundo estelle akissi kouadio Ruth Amamo Calvin Onyango Sharlyne Odiyo Connie Ndeleko UNICEF Parenting for Lifelong Health Global Parenting Initiative The Freedom Fund polycarp musonye Moureen Ochieng Calvin Onyango Women for Women International UN Women

There is a greater appreciation for social behavioral change (SBC) work rooted in Indigenous people’s experiences, expertise and voices. However, much must be done to amplify practitioner experiences with implementing programmes that work with and for people. This critical conversation presents an open discussion on Indigenous and community-led approaches for decolonise social norms, gender and agency work. We want you to share your knowledge and experiences in elevating your Indigenous history, culture, and knowledge. We want to hear your voices on aspects that make a program decolonial, how you effectively harness Indigenous knowledge to decolonise SBC interventions and constraints that your experience. This discussion shall be kick-started with Indigenous people and practitioners sharing how Twaweza - ni sisi and Investing in Children and their Societies (ICS SP) (ICS - SP) put communities at the centre to harness and/or build their agency and apply it in creating the change they desire. Twaweza - ni sisi and @ICS - SP have a long-standing presence in Eastern Africa. Please follow this link to register: https://lnkd.in/gbvF48gj #IndigenousVoices #DecolonizeSBC #SocialBehaviorChange #CommunityLedApproaches #IndigenousKnowledge #GenderEquity #Agency #EasternAfrica #Twaweza #ICS_SP #CommunityLeadership #IndigenousKnowledge Terre des Hommes Netherlands in Africa Amref Health Africa UK UNICEF Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN) Global Parenting Initiative Parenting for Lifelong Health Tanzania ECD Network NURTURING CARE Beatrice Nyakwaka Ogutu Kudely Sokoine Sabrina Majikata Njeru Nancy Macrine Otuge Lovender Otieno Dennis Kitsao Dennis Chirchir Joseph Ogol Evance Aundo estelle akissi kouadio Ruth Amamo Calvin Onyango Sharlyne Odiyo Connie Ndeleko UNICEF Parenting for Lifelong Health Global Parenting Initiative The Freedom Fund polycarp musonye Moureen Ochieng Calvin Onyango Women for Women International UN Women

In school settings, violence can seriously harm students' physical, social, and mental well-being, as well as their academic performance. We use the Whole School Approach in public primary schools to prevent violence and improve learning outcomes. So far, we have trained teachers to create engaging and safe classroom environments, established safe spaces for children to learn about rights and life skills, encouraged active involvement of parents, families, and the community, and supported school leadership with clear policies and accountability measures to ensure inclusivity. #WholeSchoolApproach #Education #StudentWellbeing #ViolencePrevention #SafeSchools #ChildRights #ParentalInvolvement #CommunityEngagement #TeacherTraining #InclusiveEducation #Accountability #LifeSkills #LearningOutcomes Terre des Hommes Netherlands in Africa Amref Health Africa UK UNICEF Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN) Global Parenting Initiative Parenting for Lifelong Health Tanzania ECD Network NURTURING CARE Beatrice Nyakwaka Ogutu Kudely Sokoine Sabrina Majikata Njeru Nancy Macrine Otuge Lovender Otieno Dennis Kitsao Dennis Chirchir Joseph Ogol Evance Aundo estelle akissi kouadio Ruth Amamo Calvin Onyango Sharlyne Odiyo Connie Ndeleko UNICEF Parenting for Lifelong Health Global Parenting Initiative The Freedom Fund polycarp musonye Moureen Ochieng Calvin Onyango Women for Women International UN Women

At Investing in Children and their Societies (ICS SP), our mission is to create safe and nurturing environments for children to reach their full potential. Over three decades, we have worked to prevent thenegative experiences of underage pregnancies among girls from limiting and defining the potential and future of children and young people. To help more young mothers like Irene, we implement the Gender transformative skillful parenting programme to break the cycles of hardship. Click the link below to learn more about our Gender Transformative Parenting Program and its impact in the society. blog: https://lnkd.in/gCQRJZ3k #GenderEquality #SocialNorms #GenderNorms #EmpowerWomen #EndViolence #CommunityLeadership #EqualityForAll #TransformativeChange #PositiveChange #GenderJustice Terre des Hommes Netherlands in Africa Amref Health Africa UK UNICEF Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN) Global Parenting Initiative Parenting for Lifelong Health Tanzania ECD Network NURTURING CARE Beatrice Nyakwaka Ogutu Kudely Sokoine Sabrina Majikata Njeru Nancy Macrine Otuge Lovender Otieno Dennis Kitsao Dennis Chirchir Joseph Ogol Evance Aundo estelle akissi kouadio Ruth Amamo Calvin Onyango Sharlyne Odiyo Connie Ndeleko UNICEF Parenting for Lifelong Health Global Parenting Initiative The Freedom Fund polycarp musonye Moureen Ochieng Calvin Onyango Women for Women International UN Women

UNICEF's Global #ParentingMonth reminds us to care for our parents. When parents are well, their children have more opportunities to learn, play and grow. Investing in Children and their Societies (ICS SP) ensures that young mothers and fathers in Kenya have the support and community to provide nurturing care for their children and care for their own well-being. Beatrice Ogutu, director at ICS SP, Africa, shares more about the success of their Gender Transformative Parenting Program in a guest blog: https://lnkd.in/gCQRJZ3k

Destructive gender and social norms, alongside stereotypes, constitute significant barriers to achieving gender equality and fostering equitable development. Effectively addressing these norms, which perpetuate inequality and restrict access to opportunities based on gender, demands robust policy and program interventions. Beyond the implementation of enabling policies and services, the real challenge lies in transforming attitudes and beliefs a process that requires time and sustained effort. At Investing in Children and their Societies (ICS SP) , we employ diverse methodologies to promote positive gender norms from early childhood onwards. We collaborate closely with community institutions, local leaders, and religious figures to identify and reinforce norms that prevent violence and uphold gender equality. Through these initiatives, we are steadily dismantling longstanding disparities and inequalities. Our efforts are yielding transformative outcomes: fostering equitable relationships, encouraging shared caregiving responsibilities, reducing instances of family violence and exploitation, and amplifying the voices and decision-making power of children, young girls, and women. #GenderEquality #SocialNorms #GenderNorms #EmpowerWomen #EndViolence #CommunityLeadership #EqualityForAll #TransformativeChange #PositiveChange #GenderJustice Terre des Hommes Netherlands in Africa Amref Health Africa UK UNICEF Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN) Global Parenting Initiative Parenting for Lifelong Health Tanzania ECD Network NURTURING CARE Beatrice Nyakwaka Ogutu Kudely Sokoine Sabrina Majikata Njeru Nancy Macrine Otuge Lovender Otieno Dennis Kitsao Dennis Chirchir Joseph Ogol Evance Aundo estelle akissi kouadio Ruth Amamo Calvin Onyango Sharlyne Odiyo Connie Ndeleko UNICEF Parenting for Lifelong Health Global Parenting Initiative The Freedom Fund polycarp musonye Moureen Ochieng Calvin Onyango Women for Women International UN Women