Our Work

Documentation

This shall not only include gathering of information on child rights related issues, but rather it shall focus on various means of documenting the resources in accessible manner. A qualified Resource/Database Manager/Librarian shall be engaged to manage all available information resources gathered by a team of dedicated researchers (most of whom shall comprise volunteer college students/interns).

Thus it is expected that documentation shall be done through:

1. Publications (Reports, papers).
2. Computer databases (using programmes like Access, Excel, etc)
3. On-line (website) databases (using MySQL language)
4. Library cataloguing of books, journals, etc
5. Through ICT models available at that period.
6. Various other means, as determined by the Resource/Database Manager at that time.

Research

Research shall basically form the core activity of the whole project. it defines the project. Without research documentation would not make more sense. In this regard, a qualified Research Officer will also be engaged to be responsible for all activities involving research.

CRIDOC will coordinate with various institutions and child focused NGOs in initiating research projects. The Research Manager will be responsible in putting together all other research findings that have already been carried out in the past by other researchers, institutions, etc and make follow-up research projects wherever necessary.

CRIDOC believes that information is power. We believe that a developed society is an informed society. There can never be a meaningful development without a meaningful information exchange system. We therefore believe that the media play a very vital role in as far as facilitating information exchange, among NGOs and other stakeholders, is concerned.

We believe by giving the media the necessary support, such as training them on child rights issues, will motivate them to write more and effectively on the subject. However, training alone is not enough. We need to empower the media by giving them full access to the information (and other resources) on the subject.

It is observed that one of the reasons the media have not been able to cover child rights issues as analytically as possible is because they have not been able to acquire the resources necessary for proficient coverage.

The Information Centre will be reserved for registered journalists, researchers, college, secondary and primary students, and other individuals on Tuesdays, Fridays, and half-day on Saturdays. However, as a way of motivating the media, registration for journalists will be free whereas the rest will have to pay an annual or guest membership fee in order to have access to the Centre. The registration fee is for regulation purposes, as making the information centre free may otherwise prove to be infeasible or chaotic. On the other hand, it may also prove to be one of the many ways of making the Information centre (project) self-sufficient in future.

The belief that there can never be a meaningful development without a meaningful information exchange system is also what explains why CRIDOC believes in a well-coordinated network among child focused NGOs and other stakeholders. CRIDOC will facilitate workshops/seminars that will bring together these organisations and share experiences on issues affecting them.

CRIDOC will also encourage these organisations the benefits of affiliating themselves to CRIDOC through “Institutional Membership” and how they could get involved in the process of research and documentation on child rights related issues.

Besides feeding local NGOs with information relating to child rights issues at international level on various subjects, CRIDOC will also explore means of linking these “member” organisations (those affiliated to CRIDOC) to other like-minded organisations abroad. So far, CRIDOC has already created a database of hundreds of such organisations at international level (most of these organisations are also featured in the “On-line Resource on Child Rights” manual).

CRIDOC is not only about Research and Documentation. These are just defining/core activities. But while implementing these tasks, CRIDOC will attempt to create opportunities that focus on the promotion of child participation by inclusion of child voices in mainstream life.

For instance, besides the “Forum” page to be included in future, the CRIDOC official website will also feature the “Malawi Children’s E-parliament” special page. The latter is an attempt to support an on-going initiative by UNICEF, Plan International, Action Aid and Save the Children Fund UK, who have been running a project on the 67-member children’s parliament for the past three years.

CRIDOC will also provide “informal” Internet lessons to school going children who have been registered with CRIDOC through their schools’ “Institutional Membership.” At least three days within a week (preferably on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays) will be dedicated for this particular exercise where the children will be given a brief introduction to using the Internet, accessing websites, etc.

Depending on need and other factors, CRIDOC may also be involved in other activities such as:

1. Human Resource Development Programmes for persons directly involved in the dissemination of child rights information.
2. To work on projects that bring in technologies that would be of assistance to the media, researchers and other stakeholders, including the children themselves.
3. Promotion of the Online Resource on Child Rights manual by encouraging the registered schools (plus individual pupils) to purchase a copy/copies of the manual for their school libraries, which will serve as a guide to getting the right information on child rights issues from the Internet.