CONCEPT SUMMARY SEVEN (7):
Rights Awareness through Talent of the Malawian Child

PROJECT SUMMARY AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES

Overall Goal

“To disseminate information and raise awareness on issues affecting children and youth – such as HIV/AIDS, child labour, juvenile justice, right to education, right to health, etc – through music.”

Specific Objectives and Expected Results

i. To empower and inspire children to speak out, defend and claim their rights
ii. To empower and inspire children to be self-reliant and financially capable through music
iii. To develop children’s talents and provide musical production training
iv. To create child-to-child role models who can inspire other children
v. To produce audio CDs and DVDs, which will act as tools for income-generation for underprivileged children

Project Description

Child Rights Information and Documentation Centre (CRIDOC) have entered into a partnership agreement with a Malawian popular musician, Peter “Pine” Mawanga of the Amakhala ku Blantyre fame, to effectively implement a project entitled, “Rights Awareness through Talent of the Malawian Child.” Peter Mawanga is a famous Malawian musician who has made a commitment to inspiring and caring for orphans and vulnerable Children (OVCs) in Malawi. Testament to this is his role in establishing an interactive initiative called “The Malawian Child.”

Peter has worked with children at the Salima Aids Support Organization (SASO) to form a band and choir, now an established children’s music group in Malawi called SASO Music. In 2004, SASO Music released their album, ‘Ana a SASO’ (Children of SASO) which has sold over 8000 copies both in the UK and Malawi. The revenues from the album allow these children, most of them orphans, to buy food, clothes and other essentials. They have conducted several public performances, including a FIFA/BBC World Service Trust AIDS awareness football match and their official album launch was held in Lilongwe, Malawi’s Capital, following a series of interviews and television appearances on their music video. The success story of this pilot project is, therefore, the inspiration behind this particular proposal which aims to set up a similar children’s music group in Lilongwe.

Since its establishment, CRIDOC, as per its mandate, has been involved in the documentation of different kinds of resources relating to issues affecting youth and children, ranging from various research reports, pamphlets on many child-related issues, books, posters, documentaries, etc (some are documented on its website www.cridoc.net)

CRIDOC’s mandate is, however, not only to document such issues but to also disseminate them to the public as well as to other strategic stakeholders. Replicating the Salima-based “Ana a SASO” project in Lilongwe would be one the most feasible, interactive and hence effective means of disseminating such information to – and raising awareness about the same among – the public, as opposed to using the conventional/monotonous means like press releases, posters, etc, as has been the case in the past with many other NGOs working in the same field.

Another aspect of uniqueness of the project is that it is sustainable as it will generate income on its own not only to help children in their own ways, but also to enable the project to continue to the subsequent phases.

Another yet unique aspect of the project is that it is enhancing the participation of the affected children themselves in the actual implementation of project activities, vis-avis the dissemination of information and awareness raising on issues pertaining to their rights through music.

The main goal of the project, therefore, will be to disseminate information and raise awareness on issues affecting children and youth – such as HIV/AIDS, child labour, juvenile justice, right to education, right to health, etc – through music.

Activities and outputs of the project will include identification of specific campaign/advocacy issues to be incorporated in the lyrics/songs; auditions of identified children; composition of lyrics; training of children in Music production; production of songs in audio CDs and DVDs; Marketing of audio CDs and DVDs on radio, TV, posters, etc; Live performances/concerts; and Child-to-child role modelling activities.

To comment on the concept with a subject line "Your Concept 10," please click here» To request for a full proposal, or querry for more information, please contact the CRIDOC Secretariat through our e-mail Here»

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