A group of determined mothers tirelessly campaign for their children’s rights to free, inclusive education. Children from a school for learners with educational support needs become the leaders in a peer education movement to teach young people about human rights. Using posters and colour, children raise their voices to break the ‘conspiracy of silence’ surrounding child abuse and violence in South Africa.
Jean is the manager of the Empowerment Programme at Afrika Tikkun, a large South African NGO based in Johannesburg and Cape Town. HPOD and Beit Issie Shapiro are among Africka Tikkun’s partners. The Empowerment Programme focusses on embedding a culture of inclusion, child safeguarding and an understanding of human rights among the 4000 children and youth that access Afrika Tikkun community centres each day. Using an empowerment approach to mobilise marginalised groups of people (like families of children with disabilities, children and youth) from the five impoverished communities where Afrika Tikkun works, the Programme provides:
- innovative human rights and anti-bias education,
- supports the development of peer-led self-advocacy groups,
- supports advocacy campaigns
- and provides social support services on an individual basis to those who need it.