Child Protection Society
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Child Protection Society is a nonprofit organization which works towards building a Child-Friendly Environment in Zimbabwe. Child Protection Society programs cover the span of Zimbabwean provinces. The program implementation is funded by World Education International, UNICEF, UNHCR, Rodger Federer Fund, Firelight Foundation, CCPT, and Positive Action. Child Protection Society Strives to Build a child-friendly environment through the implementation of these programs that seek to change the lives of every Girl and Boychild.
Vision
Child Protection Society envisions a child-friendly environment that achieves full potential for every child.
Mission
Protection and Promotion of the well being of all vulnerable children, assisting them become self-reliant and responsible citizens.
Background
In the late 90’s the Society responded to the increasing challenges in child protection work due to the severe economic hardships in the country and the HIV/AIDS pandemic. CPS widened its scope of work and to encompass community-based child care, which includes promoting adoption and foster care. An advocacy project lobbying the policymakers for more child-friendly legislation on birth certificates was also initiated. The Chinyaradzo Children’s Home changed to Chinyaradzo Children’s Shelter. In 2002 house units were set up and a hospice was established, caring for the terminally ill children in our care. The daycare centers were further developed into Early Learning Centres providing educational daycare for children between 2 and 6 years.
Child Protection Society (CPS) is a Not for profit Child Rights Organization based in Belvedere, Harare with operations across the Provinces of the country. Child Protection Society was started as a membership-based organization in 1952, 5th March, and was registered as a welfare organization in 1977 with the Department of Social Welfare. Its original thrust was in the care of children in difficult circumstances. For more than 50 years CPS has been promoting the well being of children and protecting them from abuse, suffering, and neglect. The first CPS project was to establish a Children’s Home: Chinyaradzo Children's home, which caters for approximately 60 children, was opened in 1962. CPS also offered daycare service at Colin John Campbell Centre and Margaret Campbell Centre, for children from 2-6 years old.
Programmes
Child Protection Programme
Child Protection Society, by the name of the organization, aims to provide and create linkages to child protection services for vulnerable children. Children are also provided with child rights education to increase their knowledge on child rights issues, gender roles, and gender-based violence. CPS also works with various stakeholders in communities to provide linkages to services were direct support cannot be given. The program involves:
- Case Management
- Child Rights Education
- Parenting Dialogues
- Support to Child led CPCs and Adult led CPCs
Early Childhood Stimulation Programme
Early Childhood Stimulation (ECS) program provides guidance for caregivers with the children from the newborn period up to 5 years on how to stimulate the babies through play and communication. It encourages and supports sensitive and responsive interactions between caregiver and child, including during feeding. ECS sessions are designed to support caregivers of children to:
- Stimulate their baby/ child’s cognitive and language development,
- Engage in positive and responsive parenting
- Use optimal feeding practices to improve the nutritional status of their children and
- Utilise child health services including immunizations, child HIV testing, early ART initiation and adherence to ARVs for prophylaxis or ART for treatment.
- Ensure that children receive wrap-around services through linkages
- Enable early dictation of disabilities and developmental delays in target beneficiaries.
Adolescent Girls Empowerment Programme
The Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (AGEP) is a pilot program that is implemented by the Child Protection Society since the year 2014. It is an initiative specifically targeting the empowerment of adolescent girls, in practice, this initiative attracts beneficiaries who are of ages 8 – 24 years. Registered beneficiaries meet with trained female Community-Based Facilitators to discuss topics that include Sexual Reproductive Health, Leadership, HIV/AIDS, GBV, Human and Child rights, financial literacy, Communication, Job preparedness, child marriages and others as per need. As an extension of the program, females in the society from different business sectors are trained to be community bases facilitators to mentor the girls and provide guidance and emotional support while raising aspiration levels amongst the beneficiaries.
Extended Impact Programme
First implemented in four high-density suburbs of Harare from 2009 to 2012, the Integrated Management of Paediatric HIV/AIDS care and Treatment (IMPACT) model was expanded to 3 other high-density suburbs in a program implementing from 2014 to 2017.
Chinyaradzo Children's Home
The organization runs Chinyaradzo Children's home.
Livelihoods Programme
The Livelihoods Program is a Child Protection Society’s Economic Strengthening initiative for vulnerable households sustainability. These households are supported and equipped with knowledge and skills to equip them in developing sustainable income generating projects in a saving environment. Families are engaged in Internal Savings and Lending (ISALs) and Income Generating Projects to enable them to meet their basic household needs, finance their projects and eventually accumulate profitable assets. The program targets caregivers from various thematic areas including PMTCT mothers, ECD caregivers, Primary school caregivers, Child Care Workers (CCWs) IMPACT and Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (AGEP) beneficiaries. The vulnerable households are identified from the communities, schools, clinics and primary schools where we are supporting the OVC with direct school fees payment.
