Children, families and community organisations in Kwale County are set to benefit from an education-focused initiative aimed at improving awareness of children's rights, preventing abuse and strengthening community protection systems.
The three-year project, dubbed Watoto Wetu Safer Futures, will be implemented by the East African Centre for Human Rights (EACHRights) in partnership with the Kwale Civil Society Consortium (KCSC).
The initiative seeks to equip civil society organisations and communities with knowledge and skills to protect children from abuse, exploitation and neglect while promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights.
EACHRights officer Maselino Waithaka said the project would assess existing child protection frameworks, local peacebuilding mechanisms and community resilience to identify gaps that require training and public awareness.
He said the initiative would also strengthen the capacity of community organisations to educate families and children on their rights and promote safer environments where children can grow and develop.
“The organisation is partnering with CSOs to strengthen child protection and sexual and reproductive health and rights in the county,” he said.
Waithaka said the project would work with civil society technical groups drawn from different fields to assess their training needs and equip members with the skills required to promote children's rights.
He added that improving knowledge among community-based organisations would enable them to identify cases of abuse, guide affected children and families towards appropriate support services and promote timely reporting of violations.
Civil society groups to strengthen child protection
Kwale Civil Society Consortium convener Fakii Omar said the partnership would strengthen the organisation's policies and mechanisms for educating communities and safeguarding children against all forms of abuse.
He said capacity-building programmes would enable member organisations to identify challenges affecting child protection and develop practical approaches to address them through community education and coordinated action.
Omar said strengthening collaboration among civil society organisations would also help improve public awareness of children's rights and encourage parents, teachers and other community members to take responsibility for children's safety.
“We are bringing together our strengths so that we can ensure all child protection mechanisms are effective in raising a responsible community,” he said.
He added that empowering civil society organisations would help them educate communities on child abuse, neglect and other violations while encouraging families to create safe environments for children.
Rights defenders call for protection of boys and girls
Rights defender Jaalim Mohamed said the initiative would help address child abuse cases in Kwale by increasing awareness of the risks facing children and the importance of reporting violations.
He said both girls and boys needed equal attention in child protection programmes, noting that boys were also vulnerable to sexual abuse and exploitation.
“Statistics show that the boy child is equally violated, with many being sodomized,” he said.
Mohamed said educating communities about the risks facing boys and girls would help challenge misconceptions that could prevent victims from speaking out or seeking assistance.
He added that stronger community-based education and protection mechanisms would encourage the reporting of abuse and help ensure appropriate action was taken against perpetrators.
Another rights defender, Patience Kanga, welcomed the initiative, saying it would promote awareness of children's rights and help address social challenges, including gender-based violence and other forms of abuse.
She said educating communities on child protection would help parents, caregivers and other stakeholders understand their responsibilities in safeguarding children.
Kanga added that the programme would promote inclusive learning and awareness, enabling children to understand their rights and grow up in environments free from abuse, exploitation and discrimination.
EACHRights officer Maselino Waithaka speaks during an interview at Kinondo in Kwale County on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, about the three-year Watoto Wetu Safer Futures child protection initiative.
Kwale Civil Society Consortium convener Fakii Omar speaks during an interview at Kinondo in Kwale County on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, about strengthening community-based child protection mechanisms.
Rights defenders attend a meeting at Kinondo in Kwale County on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, to discuss child protection, rights awareness and community safeguarding initiatives.
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