PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES
Introduction
CRIDOC has so far been involved in a number of activities, which has made it acquire significant amount of capacity to continue working in the area of youth and child rights using various approaches, including volunteerism.
The five core thematic programme areas which CRIDOC has so far used to implement a number of its activities include:
- Documentation/Refurbishment of the Resource Centre
- Research and Monitoring
- Training, Capacity Building and Networking
- On-line Campaigns
- Media Advocacy and IEC Strategies
(i) Documentation/Refurbishment of Resource Centre:
CRIDOC has received donations of books and other materials from the Bishop Mackenzie International High School; the UK-based Child Rights Information Network (CRIN), the National AIDS Commission (NAC), among many others. As an institutional member of the National Library Service (NLS), it has also received a considerable amount of educational resources specifically for children.
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| This is part of the CRIDOC Libray. The institution strives to match this with on-line documentation. Click to enlarge photo>> |
In order to achieve some of its core goals, which is to document and create access to information on issues pertaining to children/youth and related issues, CRIDOC has put in place a resource centre/library that provides such information to various stakeholders.
In particular, the resource centre is also being accessed by pupils/students from various schools within Lilongwe who are registered with the centre through their child rights clubs.
Documentation does not only include gathering of information on child rights related issues, but it also focuses on various means of documenting the resources in a systematic and accessible manner. We manage all available information resources gathered by a team of dedicated researchers (most of whom comprise volunteer college students/interns).
Thus documentation is done through:
- Publications (Reports, papers, etc).
- Computer database systems (using programmes like HURIDOCS, etc)
- On-line (website) databases
- Library cataloguing of books, journals, etc
- Through multi-media models available.
- Various other means, as determined from time to time.
(ii) Monitoring and Research:
CRIDOC shall, as per its strategic plan document for 2005-2010, carry out more research activities on critical issues at community level that affect rights of a child.
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| Chaiperson of the research team Mrs Ali (left) presents the research findings during the launch of the CRC Report, flanked by HRCC Chairperson Undule Mwakasungula. Click to enlarge photo>> |
Research basically forms the core activity of the whole project. It defines the organisation. Without research documentation would not make more sense. CRIDOC coordinates with various institutions and child focused NGOs in initiating research projects. We also put 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.
As an organisation established with the aim of documenting child rights related issues, it shall implement projects that will monitor various aspects of child rights situations in Malawi, such as the following:
- Children's Budget Monitoring;
- Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) Monitoring; and
- Children's Media monitoring
Besides co-facilitating a consultative needs assessment workshop with media in June 2008 on children’s media monitoring with support from Plan Malawi, CRIDOC also voluntarily participated in the budget monitoring exercise earlier in the same year for primary schools within the Lilongwe Urban which was coordinated by LIDEN, in collaboration with the Civil Society Coalition for Quality Basic Education (CSCQBE) to which the CRIDOC is currently an institutional member.
It was also among the six NGOs in Malawi that participated in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) Monitoring exercise, vis-à-vis data collection (research) and compilation of the 2008 Alternative/Shadow Report.
The Centre also conducted a small survey in schools within Lilongwe District to established levels of youth participation in the “16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence 2007.”
(iii) Training, Capacity Building and Networking:
CRIDOC believes in the principle of networking. The organisation believes that there can never be a meaningful development without a meaningful information and skills exchange mechanism. That is why CRIDOC facilitates workshops, seminars and training for its partners, and bring various stakeholders together to share experiences on issues affecting them and children.
In 2008, CRIDOC facilitated a number of workshops and other capacity building initiatives for its partners. For instance, the centre facilitated a training workshop on “Rights-Based Approach (RBA) to HIV/AIDS Programming” for the National Association of People with HIV/AIDS in Malawi (NAPHAM) support groups, which took place in Mponela, from 12th to 18th April 2008.
CRIDOC also facilitated a series of workshops in May 2008 for the Young Advocates for the Advancement of ICT-Related Development (Y.A.A.ICT-D) on “Building Capacities within Y.A.A.ICT-D Structures/Partners to Provide Spaces for Rural Masses on National Issues.” The workshops took place in Mchinji, Kasungu and Dowa, respectively.
(iv) On-line Campaigns:
CRIDOC has identified the use of the website as one of the contemporary means of advocacy and information sharing in the modern age. The website is aimed at keeping the Malawian populace abreast with the current trends in child/youth development globally. The website address is www.cridoc.net
(v) Media Advocacy and IEC Strategies/Programmes:
This year, CRIDOC has signed a Memmorundum of Understanding (MOU) with the National Youth Council of Malawi (NYCOM) to ducument a two-year project which the council is implementing targeting young people who scavenge around the two major dumping sites in Blantyre and Lilongwe. CRIDOC will document the issues through production of radio and TV programmes which are aired on MBC Radio 1 and TVM respectively, as well as production of news features for print media published both locally and beyond.
CRIDOC also facilitated a workshop on 5th December 2008 for an IEC Taskforce team, to develop key IEC messages as part of an overall IEC strategy development process for a child labour project which is being implemented by Centre for Youth and Children’s Affairs (CEYCA), in partnership with Malawi Congress of Trade Union (MCTU).
The centre also served on the Media and Publicity Sub-Committee of the National Task Force that organised the Day of the African Child (16 June 2008).
CRIDOC was established to create access to information on child rights & related issues. Its Director, Mr George Mwika Kayange, recently ran a column in The Malawi News entitled "Know About Acess to Information Bill." To access the articles, please 
