Capacity Building Grant with funds from CRVPF

Scaling up PfR in Tanzania

Several parenting programmes are developed in high-income countries and have been adapted for use in sub-Saharan Africa. Makerere University Child Health and Development Centre developed the Parenting for Respectability (PfR) programme which is one of the few indigenous evidence-based interventions that has undergone rigorous evaluation with impact to reduce violence against children and improve spousal relations. CTP received a grant from Children Rights and Violence Prevention Fund CRVPF (2022 2024) to scale up the Parenting for Respectability Programme in four (4) clusters in Tanzania (2 clusters in Arusha, 1 cluster in Dares-salaam and 1 cluster in Mwanza). The four clusters comprise of 10 Organizations.

In collaboration with cluster organizations, the scale up of the PfR programme in Tanzania commenced with the adaption framework for the programme documents to allow independent organizations reflect upon the content and target communities to ensure that the content and other materials meet the needs parents and caregivers. After the adaption and translations of the programme content, 26 partner organization staff members from the 4 clusters; Kigamboni (7), Arusha VAC (4), Arusha City (4) and Mwanza (6) received a five days training of trainers in the PfR programme and the delivery mechanism.

Initial activities by clusters have commenced including; community entry visits; set up of community parental groups (including both men and women); selection local training for the local facilitators in the local language (Kiswahili) and delivery of parental sessions in more than 10 communities in Tanzania.

"The Parenting for Respectability programme is so impactful. Just a month after the training, my husband started to treat me differently, I have become the administrator of our finances, my children are peaceful following the feedback session we had right after returning from the training and so each day, I look forward to returning home to my family. My value for work and relationship with others at my place of work also improved!" narrated, the programme Coordinator

"This Parenting programme should not only be given to facilitators and trainers; it is also very important for officers like me working for Government and the various religious institutions because we guide and provide counsel to many people as well as supervise the work of all NGOs" explained the Arusha City Development Officer.

I am happy that we are getting a programme that has been developed in our context and it works to prevent violence because it starts with making the home environment safe. In most families violence sometimes starts even before the child is born. The programme is broad and tackles majority of the risk factors to violence not only for the children but also adults remarked one of the directors during the training of facilitators.

“I have been into violence prevention for over 30 years of work but I had not interfaced with a programme which is helpful in addressing multiple challenges at family level. This programme will help us partner with men and cultural leaders to reduce family violence as well as reduce poverty since partners will be working more closely with improved relationships Maama Hindu highlighted as the ED leading the scale in Arusha VAC cluster.
Lessons learnt

While scaling-up, the intervention should be contextually and strategically suitable for the community. Made a deliberate position to be carefully become flexible in the adaptation processes to ensure intervention acceptability of the programme
Working with committed organisation promotes a multiplier effects which enables sustaining of the PfR intervention
The process of adaption involved review of the processes necessary to move from evidence to impact in the different catchment communities. Programme should allow all parents and their partners including those with multiple partners.

Scaling up PfR in Kenya

Family strengthening and parenting interventions are increasingly being recognized as key strategies to address violence against children and adolescents. CRVPF is providing funds to partner 10 organizations in Kenya to address key risk factors to violence against children and spousal conflict including poor parental bonding and child attachment; harsh parenting and corporal punishment; poor gender socialization; and poor spousal relationships by parenting interventions, life skills building for children and adolescents and encouraging family saving.

While there are several parenting interventions that could be delivered in Kenya, the Kenyan clusters adapted the Parenting for Respectability (PfR) programme because of its uniqueness of drawing from parents' pre-existing motivation to enhance family respectability through children's appropriate behavior; its deliberate engagement of fathers/male caregivers and its combination of programming to prevent Violence Against Children and Intimate Partner Violence.

During the adaption and training process, programme content, illustrations and some mobilization strategies were reviewed to allow the possibility of targeting of young parents and as well as maintaining the core and those that need to be flexible for different context in which the programme is being delivered. These reviews allowed a smooth adaptation process and informed the mobilization and recruitment of young adolescent parents and those living in the slum areas of Kenya.

A total of 22 staff members from 4 clusters (Kilifi, Mwangaza in Mombasa and Korogocho and Mabatini in Nairobi) received a training of trainers in the programme and are currently delivering the same training to local facilitators who will be responsible for programme delivery at community level. Some of these have the actual training of 34 local facilitators who will support delivery of the PfR in 17 villages in both Nairobi and Mombasa. "This training has been very impactful to me. I am someone who grew up with a very strict father. Even when he educated us, he was very strict that you would fear to go near him and as a result, there was no relationship created that upto today, we struggle to connect thus I dont want that to happen with my children so I will try as much as possible to live like I have 3 months" said One of the Directors “We have not implemented a parenting programme that targets both men and women for prevention violence against children. PfR is more comprehensive as it tackles husband and wife relationships because those actually affect the wellbeing of children. I am excited and looking forward to better results in our community. – Explained, one of the project officers

Lessons learnt

In country leadership provides a suitable environment and strong systems to support the scale up strategy
Collaboration with implementation partners for community interventions require functioning and credible organization structures with staff committed to violence prevention
Strategic positioning key staff to support scaling of parenting intervention must be deliberate by organizations