Cradock

The Masikhule Sikhuselane project

When a development project is undertaken, the almost mechanical process of listing project goals, deliverables and outcomes often detracts from how communities will really respond. In some instances projects are confronted with many challenges to achieve the desired results. However, in other cases, the impact is absolutely amazing. This was the case with Masikhule Sikhuselane - a human rights awareness project for children and youth implemented in 2005 and reaching over 700 children and youth in the Eastern and Western Cape provinces.

Project impact indicators
Case studies

Sipho started to like school again

Nomsa's story

Lihle's plight

Lindelwa's courage

Thembi's ordeal

General impact results

Feedback from children and youth

How the project helped to develop after school facilitators

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Project impact indicators

These were:

There is an improvement in the awareness of children’s rights among the participating children and youth.
Children know how to project their rights.
Children know which resources to access to protect their rights.

In terms of all these indicators, the impact assessment revealed a range of touching and remarkable experiences. The names of the children have been changed to protect their confidentiality.

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Case study: Sipho started to like school again

At the Phumelela After School Project, Ezibeleni, Queenstown, Sipho (12 years) was being cruelly teased and bullied at school because his family could not afford to buy him a school uniform, or provide him with a lunch to take to school. However, during the delivery of Masikhule Sikhuselane, Sipho’s classmates learnt that they were violating his rights, and started displaying more understanding about his situation. Now Sipho enjoys school again.

Very often, being teased and bullied at school results in decreased school performance and early dropping out. Masikhule Sikhuselane helped to keep Sipho in school and to improve his relationship with his peers.

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Case study: Nomsa’s story

At the Engcobo After School Project, Masikhule Sikhuselane resulted in the participating children alerting the facilitator to the plight of Nomsa. They reported that she is being physically abused at home. Upon investigation, it was found that Nomsa was sexually abused by her father in Johannesburg. Her mother then sent her to live in Engcobo where she pursued a sexually active lifestyle. This caused her mother to physically punish her which Nomsa’s friends identified as a rights violation. However, Nomsa’s sexual activity resulted in her contracting HIV/AIDS and she also became pregnant. Owing to her friends’ concern and seeking help, Nomsa is now receiving support and talking about her confusion and pain. Nomsa is only 13 years old.

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Case study: Lihle’s plight

Lihle is a 10 year old girl in Mbekweni, Wellington, who has been attending the Mamzana After School Project for the past 3 years and throughout this time her performance has been very poor both at the centre and at school. She repeated Grade 1 for 3 years and in the third year the school decided to take her to a special class since she was not coping well. At school, she was sleeping during the school hours and was very forgetful - she could not remember what she learned on the previous day. Even at the after school project her concentration span was very low and she did not finish tasks.

When facilitator Rozina Jaxa visited the family, she found that both parents are not working. However, the parents expect Lihle to care for her 3 younger siblings. Rozina counselled the parents about Lihle’s right to be educated, to be a child and not to have the responsibility of looking after the younger children.

During the implementation of Masikhule Sikhuselane, Rozina noticed that Lihle was more active and was participating in group discussions. Lihle’s school teacher also confirmed that there is a major improvement. It was then discovered that Lihle had threatened to reported her mother to the local social worker if she insisted that she look after her siblings at the expense of her schooling.

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Case study: Lindelwa’s courage

Lindelwa from Cradock is 12 years old and in Grd 7. In April this year her teacher reported that her school performance had declined dramatically as her father was arrested for raping her elder sister and Lindelwa was a state witness in the case. According to the teacher, Lindelwa was the one who reported the matter to the police after she informed her mother who did not believe her. This happened after she had attended the human rights workshops - she decided to protect her sister from her abusive father by reporting the matter to the police. Lindelwa had witnessed her father abusing her elder sister.

Even though Lindelwa is still struggling to come to terms with her father’s abuse, she feels confident that she has made the right decision to report him owing to the knowledge and skills developed as part of Masikhule Sikhuselane in Cradock. And her teacher and after school facilitator is helping by supporting her.

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Case study: Thembi’s ordeal

The children and youth at the Engcobo After School Project have become very vigilant about children’s rights violations. This time Thembi’s ordeal was reported. Thembi was raped by her 53-year old neighbour. Even though the perpetrator offered to marry Thembi and give a lobola of R5,000, Thembi’s parents persisted in charging him.

Unable to live with the community’s scorn, the neighbour eventually committed suicide. Thembi is only 12 years old.

If Thembi’s friends did not report the human rights violation, Thembi would probably still be a victim of abuse, and other children would in all probability also be suffering the same fate.

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General impact results:

Feedback from children and youth

The children and youth who participated in Masikhule Sikhuselane reported that the project improved their awareness of children’s rights in the following areas:

They are more aware and have an improved understanding of their rights and responsibilities.

“Before I was not aware of my rights. Now I know that my rights must not be violated,” states a Grade 6 participant from Lady Frere.

	The most interesting workshops for the children and youth were: children’s rights and responsibilities, the right to education, access to information, right to health and the right to family life and parenting.
	There is a greater appreciation of supporting and respecting one another’s rights.“It changed the way I behave to[wards] others, it taught me how to respect others and judge the person for who she/he is,” says a youth participant, grade 7, Engcobo, Eastern Cape.
	Children have been able to explain to their parents what they have learnt at the workshops.
	The increased level of awareness has rippled into the schools and the home as participating children and youth shared their knowledge at school and with family and friends. This has encouraged discussion in the school and the family on issues which were not previously focused on.
	There has also been an increased understanding of the responsibility of attending school, respecting others and learning to be responsible citizens by refraining from drugs and crime. Simbuyiselwe Nomlala, aged 12, from Cradock echoed similar feelings: *“I learnt we must all be equal, I learnt to respect my parents, I learnt that I have a right to say no if I don’t like something. I learnt to obey rules.”*

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How the project helped to develop after school facilitators

After school facilitators who work with children and youth daily and who participated in Masikhule Sikhuselane reported the following upon the completion of the project:

	They improved their knowledge and understanding on human rights, children’s rights and responsibilities, and the South African Constitution.
	They improved their facilitation skills in human rights.
	Their work effectiveness was enhanced through improved planning, time management, work organization and evaluation processes.
	They have developed improved confidence in facilitating human rights workshops.
	They have developed skills in how to apply creative media to engage children in the learning process.
	They have improved their skills in research and teamwork owing to collaborating together and sharing information.
	Facilitators feel they have a duty to promote children’s rights as South African citizens.
	Educating children and youth about human rights can facilitate changes in children’s behavior and their perceptions about social issues that affect them. Teachers and parents have reported that some children’s behaviour has changed – they have become less aggressive, and others have become more assertive.
	Community caring among children and youth was promoted through human rights education.
	The project encouraged children and youth to be more confident to discuss matters which affect their rights and responsibilities.

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