by C4C
Making East Africa a safe environment for all children will require the cultivation of empathy among those who currently walk by when they see or hear of the mistreatment of children.
We think there are two main reasons individuals walk by:
Societies across East Africa have historically not seen the rights of children as equal to adults and people often have misconceptions that children are ‘to blame’ or ‘deserve’ the mistreatment they are being dealt
Individuals do not feel they have the knowledge or tools to respond confidently and effectively to an incidence of child abuse or mistreatment
If you are reading this, it is likely that you fall into that second category. It is essential that individuals are empowered to turn that feeling, at a deep and visceral level when we witness acts against children, into a feeling so strong that it wills us to stop. It wills us not to just accept this as the norm but challenge this behaviour.
The feeling in the pit of your stomach, when your body tells you this act against a child is wrong is what we call this the Ujasiri mindset. Translating from Kiswahili as ‘bravery’, we see people with this mindset as protentional protectors. At Citizens4Change we provide you the toolkit that will help you have the confidence to take action that may result in the end of that mistreatment for the child/children or be the catalyst for an intervention from a group or organisation who can support that young person, as well as the perpetrators who may not understand the impact of their actions.
If every adult with the Ujasiri mindset took action, children across East Africa would be surrounded by a caring community of protectors. Those protectors would also be able to learn from each other, as well as being supported and empowered by each other. If this feels like a community and a movement you want to be part of, visit: www.citizens4change.org to sign up and learn more.
Keep your eyes out for an upcoming blog about how protectors and those with an Ujasiri mindset, can influence and support other adults to develop this way of thinking and feeling.