Advocacy and Lobbying

CALM Africa’s vision is to see every child enjoy their rights – Survival, Development, Provision, Protection, Participation, Entitlement and Responsibility – as enshrined in the International Convention on the Rights of the child and the Ugandan Constitution. But conditions, resources and services in Africa are not as yet equipped to ensure that these rights are protected. The lobbying and advocacy work of non-profit organisations, such as CALM Africa, is essential to ensuring that Africa’s children are not overlooked.

CALM Africa promotes, observes and protects the rights of children in general but particularly focuses on especially vulnerable children in the community. We work at all levels – from individual child orphans, to local and national Government officials – to ensure that information is available to inform effective public policy and that the much needed services reach all the way to those, within communities that need them most.

Raising awareness is the first step, and from there we can take a more solid position to advocate and lobby for change when needed.

We provide training and information to children and adults in local communities about the rights of children and the responsibilities. We lobby international NGOs, donors and Government to support children’s rights. Our aim is to use Rights Based Approach, so children are protected and assisted to shape their own future and participate in the development of their communities. CALM aims to achieve this by sensitising local leaders and opinion leaders on children’s rights, formation of children rights committees at sub-county level and running 24 Radio programmes on advocacy. We support, wholeheartedly, the adoption and implementation of universal primary education and work with local leaders to identify and work with families within communities which cannot afford to send their children to school.

We have established a variety of youth programmes addressing the areas that the youth tell us are hindering their progress and the development of communities. Involving local leaders is key to progress, and we seek to educate and inform them on the issues and ensure they are privy to the feedback, insight and recommendations we receive directly from the youth. On these issues, where appropriate, we offer seminars, workshops and organise public (but peaceful) rallies to raise awareness and advocate for change. And as education in East African countries continues to catch up with their population, we translate human rights materials into traditional local language to raise awareness at a grass-roots level.

We also definitively and without reservation speak and act out on abuse and violence against children. In these regrettable situations, our primary concern is the rehabilitation of the child, but we will also work with local authorities where appropriate to prosecute offenders. On all of these issues, our ability to influence relies entirely on our credibility as an information source. We regularly conduct research on the issues on-the-ground by surveying communities and producing reports. CALM Africa’s people are also kept abreast of international developments in the areas relevant to our operations and act as a thought leader on the local interpretations of international events.

Our relations with local leaders and government are beneficial to both parties. While maintaining good relationships ensures we are able to inform and influence policy, we are also able to assist the leaders by communicating their policies into communities through the schooling system and our community outreach programmes. We also represent the work that Uganda and other East African countries are doing in this area at international conventions profiling the determination and positive outlook for the future that our people have. And international relations are further benefited through the involvement and education of international volunteers.

We teach our youth that rights come also with responsibilities, and through the education programmes provided in seminars, youth groups and our formal education systems, we equip the youth with the skills and confidence they need to lobby for change on their own behalf. We teach that they have a responsibility to participate in discussions and contribute to the formulation of solutions on issues that affect them, and by doing so they will further improve their skills and enhance their knowledge, and the cycle of poverty will, one day, be replaced with the cycle of empowerment.