SC Fiji Programs Manager, Afsrin Ali, reflecting on the EVAC project’s journey, emphasized the collective commitment to safeguarding children’s rights and dignity. Through tireless efforts and partnerships forged across various communities, the project endeavoured to create safer environments for children. Ms Ali acknowledged the imperative of humility, honesty, and continuous improvement in addressing the scourge of violence against children.

Discussions during the workshop centered on evaluating the project’s impact, identifying contributing factors, and recognizing unintended effects on beneficiaries. Through SWOT analysis, participants assessed best practices and lessons learned to inform future programming. The workshop provided a platform for stakeholders to reaffirm their dedication to advocating for children’s safety and well-being.

As the workshop concluded, participants committed to integrating the workshop’s findings and recommendations into future programming efforts. They pledged to continue working collaboratively to create a society where every child can grow up free from violence. The event served as a poignant reminder of the ongoing struggle to protect children and the collective responsibility to safeguard their rights and dignity.

Prioritizing building strong relationships with stakeholders and establishing key partnerships and working groups has been central to their efforts. The project team have worked tirelessly to foster stronger ties with communities, recognizing the importance of unity in achieving goals amidst internal fragmentation.

The recent exercise delved into various key areas, including project reflections, the development of the 2024 work plan, MEAL strategies, logistics, finance, communication mapping, and formalizing engagements with partners and community focal points.

Looking ahead, commitment to addressing emerging challenges, enhancing community reach and mobilization, and ensuring project sustainability post-completion remains steadfast. With a renewed focus on Parenting without Violence Programming and Child Participation activities, the team is eager to continue making a positive impact in the communities they serve.

The CAEVAC Project is generously funded by the New Zealand Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Supported by Save the Children New Zealand and Implemented by Save the Children Fiji.

‘The EVAC Team conducted community awareness sessions over the past two days which included Child Safeguarding (CSG), Child Participation, and Children are a Precious Gift from God (CPGG) training. The project team collaborated with key stakeholders who actively participated in the community training held in Lovu (sea-side) settlement, Lautoka.

During the Child Safeguarding and Child Participation Training sessions, officers from the Ministry of Women, Children & Social Protection and the Fiji Police Force, Western Division, worked hand-in-hand to comprehensively cover the Child Protection Laws in Fiji with the training participants from this community. The Child Protection Laws discussed included the Juvenile Act, Crimes Decree, and Child Welfare Act. Awareness conducted on these Acts facilitated discussions and highlighted child protection issues specific to this community, covering topics such as different types of abuse, categorization of sexual offenses, abduction, defilement of children, incest, abortion, and infanticide.

Moreover, the Divisional Juvenile Officer, Western, and Training Officer, in collaboration with the Ministry of Women, Children, and Social Protection – Child Protection Officer, Western Division, provided insights into the latest statistics of Juvenile Offenses in the Lautoka district. The session concluded with further dialogue on establishing a safety net for children in the Lovu community.

The sessions conducted by stakeholders successfully engaged 17 adult participants from this community and concluded on Thursday, 8 February 2024.

Nacanieli Koro ( Bureiwai, Ra)

“There is a need for Child Safeguarding training in every community in Fiji because nowadays a lot of children are not cared for and left on their own without any parental guidance or supervision.”

This was a sentiment shared by Nacanieli Koro of Bureiwai Village in Ra after attending the one-day Community Child Safeguarding Training in Rakiraki.

The CSG training was a collaborative effort between Save the Children Fiji’s Knowledge and Action and Food Security (KANA) Project, the Child Protection team, and the Social Welfare Department.

As a focal point and representative for children and youth – Nacanieli Koro admits child abuse is a term that not everyone fully understands or takes seriously.

After learning about child protection through various group activities and hearing from facilitators during the CSG training, this participant says he is determined to take back the lessons learned to his communities.

He further adds that not reporting child abuse cases has turned into a norm for some communities and the well-being or welfare of children is being neglected by the very people who should be protecting them.

“What I have learned from this training is that child abuse is not only physical. It’s also emotional like constant yelling, criticizing your child, and exposing them to domestic and family violence “he explained.

The first-time participant says children nowadays are going through behavioral changes and many parents are neglecting their children, leaving them in the care of other children, friends, relatives, or elders.

Nacanieli Koro says the one-day training was productive and full of engagement with participants and facilitators sharing their experiences of dealing with children. A session he mentioned allowed them to self-reflect on their responsibilities as parents as well.

“I will definitely take back the lessons from here and share them with the people in my community and make sure it ripples down to the grassroot level.”

The community focal point while thanking Save the Children Fiji for facilitating the training recommended that it be taken into communities so it can be effectively implemented.

The KANA and Child Protection projects are being implemented by Save the Children Fiji and funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and supported by Save the Children New Zealand.

As a young mother, parenting can sometimes be challenging especially when you’re a first-time parent.

Inise a resident of River Road in Nasinu was one of the participants who attended the Child Safeguarding Training that was conducted by the Collective Action to End Violence Against Children (CAEVAC) project team in October last year.

The CAEVAC project is being implemented by Save the Children Fiji supported by Save the Children New Zealand and the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

With the project being implemented in 24 communities across the Central Division, the Child Safeguarding training aims to address child protection issues with locals and discuss ways of strengthening and improving child welfare.

For Inise, the one-day CSG training in her community was not just an eye-opener but an opportunity to learn about proper parenting and how to better protect children.

“It really encourages us as parents like me to learn more about the protection and safety of children. The rules regarding them. We just hear it but now we learn more in depth about child protection” she explained.

Inise highlighted the CAEVAC project team also highlighted ways in which parents can better help their children strive in their educational journey and to keep away from the wrong side of the law.

She says that many children in the area have been involved in glue sniffing due to peer pressure – an issue the young mother mentions distracts a lot of children from paving a brighter future for themselves.

“Basically, it’s the peer pressure in this area that concerns me a lot. The glue sniffing that has been happening and having the Save the Children Fiji staff here with the Police will help residents in this area realize that children need to be guided properly.”

“We need to be the protector of our children,” she said.

The first-time participant while acknowledging Save the Children Fiji for bringing such needed training to the community level also commended the CAEVAC project facilitators for being patient with them during discussions and group activities.

 “The way they taught us was simple and they used very easy terms that we could understand. That’s what I loved about this training. Some of us are not well-educated but they have explained it so well that even the young children paid attention.”

After the CSG training, Inise says she now has a clear understanding of how to speak to children including her child, and the importance of listening to children and giving them a safe space to develop mentally and physically.

The young mother hopes such training will continue into other settlements across the four divisions so that child protection is widely given prominence by everyone.

62-year-old Seforesa Baleilau could not hold back her tears during the Child Safeguarding training as she openly shared her journey of raising five children – which she said was a challenge and involved a lot of physical punishment as a form of discipline.

She admitted that there were times when she disciplined her children using a belt or a wooden spoon.

“This training is really great. It touched my heart. Because before I didn’t know how to approach my children when they did something wrong. I always yelled and did not know how to control my anger towards them.”

The first-time participant also highlighted that the CSG training is timely as she now has 12 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren – a new set of generations she hopes to start a new light with in terms of positive parenting and discipline.

“I used to hit my children because to me that was a form of expressing my love for them and it also showed that I cared for their future. I used to think if I didn’t discipline them enough, they would either end up in jail or the hospital” she explained.

Child negligence is another issue that the 62-year-old raised during the session pointing out there were incidents in the community where parents would leave their children unsupervised or in the care of others.

“Many children here are from broken families and it hurts me seeing them not having their parents around especially at a time when they need guidance and support. They grow up and later learn that their parents abandoned them.”

The Child Safeguarding training she says is a much-needed session not only for residents of Nabua but for every community in Fiji.

“Today I attend the program and I know what I should have done with my children but now that I have grandchildren – I am slowly using this new parenting method to help them become feel safe and that they can always come and talk to me without being scared,” she said.

The CSG training is part of the Collective Action to End Violence Against Children project – which works in 24 communities across the Central division.

The CAEVAC project is being implemented by Save the Children Fiji and funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and supported by Save the Children New Zealand.

The CSG training was a collaborative effort between Save the Children Fiji’s Knowledge and Action and Food Security (KANA) Project, the Child Protection team, and the Social Welfare Department.

For Kaveni Dau the one-day training was a self-reflect moment not only for him but for the other participants as well. Sharing his experience in dealing with children as a parent, uncle, and caretaker of a school – he highlighted that the biggest challenge is changing the mindset of the public, especially those in rural communities when it comes to raising a child and providing for their needs.

“Many times, we as parents are busy attending family or church functions that we forget about our children. Children should be our priority before anything else so we don’t neglect them” he mentioned.

The school caretaker shared that sometimes he witnessed students coming to school without lunch or feeling emotional because they did not receive the needed support from home.

Being absent from the lives of our children and not providing them with the guidance they need from a young age is a common issue that Kaveni Dau says is prevalent nowadays.

“We see it as a minor issue but our children need us”

The participant added that many times it’s easy for parents or guardians to physically punish children for misbehaving but this he says should not be the case.

“It all comes back to us parents. The majority of the time we blame our children for being on the wrong side of the law and getting into trouble when in fact it’s us not doing our job or spending enough time with them and sometimes it’s the domestic issues that they’re exposed to that affects them.”

Child negligence was also an issue that was strongly highlighted by Kaveni Dau. He says the training taught him about physical and emotional neglect. Respectively, this includes parents or caregivers failing to provide adequate food, clothing, shelter, supervision, and protection from potential harm. It also means failing to provide affection, support, or love to children.

“In the training, we were taught that it takes a village to raise a child and I agree. Because it takes the whole family unit and the community to ensure children develop into responsible citizens” he mentioned.

“I am grateful to Save the Children Fiji for providing this Child Safeguarding training. It’s an area that needs a lot of attention, especially for those raising children.”

For Kaveni Dau, children are precious gifts from God, and having to live in this age of endless opportunities – he believes it’s the responsibility of parents and caregivers to help children reach their full potential to achieve their goals and dreams.

Acknowledging the CSG training and its facilitators, Kaveni Dau recommended that the Community Child Safeguarding training be taken into rural communities of the Ra province for better outreach and advocacy.

The KANA and Child Protection projects are being implemented by Save the Children Fiji and funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and supported by Save the Children New Zealand.

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Buavou Village in Seaqaqa, Macuata is home to more than 35 families, and it’s one of the communities in the Northern division that was severely affected by Tropical Cyclone Yasa in December 2020.

Ever since the villagers have been briefed by their Community Leader on the importance of keeping safe during disasters.

In an effort to ensure disaster readiness, Village Head Akeimi Cadramaicake attended a two-day Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Resilience Training in June this year.

The training was organized by Save the Children Fiji’s Child Centred Disaster Risk Reduction (CDRR) Project team and facilitated by Northern Project Officer Alita Goneva.

The eye-opening experience provided 30-year-old Akeimi an opportunity to learn about proper disaster planning, disaster management, and disaster recovery.

Akeimi said the main component of the training was how to better prepare his community for a disaster.

“I very much liked the training because we learn the importance of determining the best evacuation routes for my villagers, locating the best safe places to shelter, assembling a disaster supply kit in case of injuries, and the need to be well trained in first aid.”

He further added that these were some of the lessons he shared with his community and the whole village also worked together on how to implement such actions.

The training by the CDRR Project team also incorporated the importance of positive discipline.

This was an area that needed attention according to the Buavou village head.

“I have a responsibility to ensure children are nurtured well by their parents,” he said.

Akeimi shared that some children did not grow up with their biological parents but instead lived with guardians such as their grandparents or a relative.

“It’s important to keep children safe and provide for them because they are precious gifts from God. I learned that it takes a village to raise a child and that is what I am encouraging in my community”.

Akeimi said immediately after the training he gathered his villagers in a hall and briefed them on the importance of having a child attend school, the proper environment needed to help them thrive, and the protection needed to keep children safe.

“It’s good for parents to attend such training as well so we are aware of our responsibilities towards children” he added.

It was also noted that the students in the village were some of the children that received the Go-Bag Kits earlier this year. Together with the training provided this both boosted the efforts of villagers to become disaster resilient and prepare well for any natural disasters.

The Village Head said the children were happy with their kits as the items inside were put to good use such as the torch that helped students complete their homework when there was a power disruption at night and the first aid kit was used to treat injuries.

“This all was timely and I thank Save the Children Fiji for the training and the Go-Bag Kits for the children. They loved it. Vinaka Vakalevu”.

The provision of the Go-Bag Kits and training was made possible by Save the Children Fiji’s Child-Centred Disaster Risk Reduction (CDRR) project with support from Save the Children New Zealand (SCNZ) and funding from the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

The CDRR project began field implementations in March this year and is perceived to have reached about 14,377 beneficiaries through various activities. Some of these activities include the distribution of Go-Bag kits to 3417 student families thereby benefiting approximately 13,668 individuals; 214 teachers and staff received PPEs to keep them safe from the Covid-19 pandemic after school reopening.