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SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN OF INCARCERATED PARENTS (SCIP)

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INTRODUCTION

SCIP is an AFIFA project driven by the understanding that every child needs love, comfort, and care of both parents at the very least. SCIP as one of the projects of AFIFA will also be run in the four counties; Kakamega. Vihiga, Busia, Bungoma. Children whose parents have been incarcerated are the target beneficiaries from all the learning institutions partnering with AFIFA.SCIP aims at protecting the child because it appreciates that more often than not, the lack of such ambience in the life of a child potentiates:

  1. Varying mental health problems, This results from time to time ridicule from fellow peers .the moment a child loses their primary caregivers, they are exposed to the harshness in the society either no one to protect them. They deviate to other means of survival that they were not accustomed to and have to figure out things on their own. They are forced to make both impromptu and bad decisions. With time, they reach a point where there is no white or black, its just grey and at this is critical stage for any child.

 

  1. Homelessness and reverting to street life. Due to lack of proper or assured shelter most of the children suffering from the incarceration of their parents often leave home or lose their homes. They leave home because the conditions of living at their guardians home is not favorable as a result of their basic needs not being looked into, as well as, losing their homestead properties to other relatives who seize opportunities to take ownership of the properties of the incarcerated family member.
  2. Dropping out of school. leaving school before completion is a normal course for children whose parents are serving time. They lose hope and thus disregard education. Some leave school because their needs at schools cannot be met, some are forced to stay at home because of fear of taunting and bullying from fellow peers
  3. Malnutrition; without a reliable source of income form their guardians, meals are hard to come by. Households that are child headed barely make it through a meal in a day. Malnutrition and diseases related to lack of proper nutrition creeps in, and as the say goes, a hungry nation is a sick nation and so is a poor nation.
  4. Early pregnancies and early marriages, this adversely affects the girl child. The bigger girls in a child headed household are always forced to leave school and get marriage so that they can provide basic needs to their younger siblings. This always turn out badly for once they are in the family way, they get added responsibilities than they can manage early pregnancies is also common for young girls who do not have any source of family support are lured into exchange of sex for their hygiene products. Most of these sexual relations are always unprotected for the girls are naïve, thus they get exposed to STIs and pregnancies.
  5. Entanglement with the criminal-justice system. It’s said that the apple does not fall far from the tree. This is a true and proud comment to make in situations where there is success or good performances originating from the genetically make up  of parents but it’s a sad and grave comment where a child whose parent has been incarcerated is involved due to lack of psychosocial support most if this children turn to habbits; such as,dealing drugs,shoplifting,burglary,e.t.c. that put them at loggerheads with the justice system.whenenver a child is arrested and put under juvenile sentence,they grow in to the habbit and tend to feel that’s the norm.they  become a force to reckon with for they get used to jail,become jailbirds and the vicious cycle of incarceration can never be completely dealt with.
  6. Extreme violation of human rights;most of the children whose parents are serving time o not have a voice in the community.they are stripped off their rights in day to day life.most suffer child labour,sexual harassment and defilement,their education is terminated.they get denied basis services because they are children whose parents acted against the law and so they are the immediate recipients of a vicious angry community who seek nothing but vengeance for the sins of their parents.

OBJECTIVES

SCIP as a project of AFIFA is geared towards creating a haven for the children of incarcerated parents.  It accesses these children through schools partnering with AFIFA under the SCIP project. SCIP provides psychological support and empowerment to enable those children to fit in the society despite lacking one or both parents due to incarceration.

SCIP works towards achieving its mission through the following objectives:

  1. Facilitating continuity in education
  2. Setting up psychological counseling programs
  3. Bridging the gap brought by the incarceration of parents by planned prison visits.
  4. Creating awarenesss on the omportance of upholding the laws of the land.
  5. Sensititising the community on human rights.
  6. Facilitating forums where children and teenegers can be taught about their rights and freedoms.

MAIN ACTIVITIES

SCIP’s main activities are centered around the wellbeing of the children suffering from the effects of parental incarceration, both by physical, social and psychological growth and development.

SCIP engages in the following activities:

  1. Sourcing for and award of scholarships along the learning continuum of the AFIFA scholars in primary, secondary and post secondary levels, while providing the necessary learning supplies
  2. Distribution of school uniforms, home clothes, footwear and school bags to needy AFIFA scholars
  3. Sponsoring school lunch programs to needy SCIP scholars in AFIFA partnering schools to ensure that they have at least a meal a day.
  4. Supply of personal hygiene products to affected girls in AFIFA partnering schools.
  5. Providing psychosocial support through events and mentorship programs
  6. Offering opportunities for connectivity in the global village through a regulated penpal platform.
  7. Identifying, nurturing and development of skills and talents through the After School Program (ASP) within schools partnering with AFIFA.
  8. Offering temporary accommodation and/or constructing houses to families without proper and standard shelter.
  9. Establishing and setting up a child friendly recreational facilities at a centralized area within the four counties of operations.

SELECTION CRITERIA

SCIP intends to use a fair and just way of identifying and taking on board children who suffer from the effects of incarceration of their primary care givers.

The following table shows a tentative selection form;

Table 1.0;learners entry form

  NAME AGE GENDER SCHOOL CLASS GUARDIAN’S NAME CONTACT    
                   
                   
                   
                   

Figure 1.0;data collection process.

Correctional unit(prisons)

To reach the targeted learners   AFIFA will follow the followingdata collection process;

Local authority of home area;chief,assistant chief
Family/home
church
school
AFIFA evaluation  ,vetting and verification  committee
Data collected
Processing of the various data colected
Provision of respective services
Decision making

ICE PROVIDERS AND PARTNERS

SERVICE PROVIDERS

SCIP  intends to work with the following service providers and partners;

  • Available primary caregivers.
  • Teachers
  • Local authorites
  • Religious leaders
  • AFIFA community workers;-fields officers for various units in under SCIP.

PARTNERS

  • Correctional units within the counties of operation
  • SOS
  • MTI
  • FIDA
  • COMPASSION
  • INICEF
  • WORLD VISION
  • LEARNING INSTITUITIONS
  • PUBLISHING FIRMS
  • LEGAL FIRMS
  • VARIOUS MEDIA SERVICES

RESOURCE PESONS AND FORUM

SCIP is tasked at;-awareness creation, reduction of stigma,uncuffing families,production of quartelly journals,service provision e.t.c.thus it requires resource persons such as;-

  • Reformed ex-convicts
  • Prisons welfare personnel
  • ……………………………………..
  • ……………………………

As well as forums such as;-

  • Faith groups,churches,mosques….
  • Pastoral training instituitions
  • Media houses
  • Chief’s baraza
  • Seminars

SCIP SERVICE DELEVERY ORGANOGRAM

SCIP services will trickle down the following format

Figure 2.0;service delivery organogram

BOARD OF TRUSTESS(AFIFA)
DIRECTOR
COUNTY PROJECTS COORDINATOR

(BUSIA,KAKAMEGA,VIHIGA,BUNGOMA)

 

PRORAMS MANAGER
SCIP PROJECT OFFICERS
UNIT MANAGERS
BASIC NEEDS

Ø  Food security

Ø  Shelter

Ø  Schoolbag

Ø  Home clothes

Ø  School lunch

Ø  School uniform

 

PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT

Ø  Hygiene products

Ø  Youth mentorship

 

SCHOLARSHIP

Ø  Tuition fees for learner in primary,,secondary and tertiary learning instituitions.

AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS(ASPs) and Recreational facility
EXCHANGE PROGRAMS/PEN PALS
FIELD OFFICERS
TECHNICAL STAFF(PROFFESSIONAL)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONCEPT  OF SCIP PROJECTS

  1. AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS(ASPS)

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Post Has One Comment

  1. Tyson

    Recomendable

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