Highlights of the history of ICT within AMWCY

1. The African Movement of Working Children and Youth (AMWCY) supports and protects children with Information Technologies and Communication (ITC)

2. Highlights of the history of ICT within AMWCY • Use of audio cassette recorders in activity reports concerning the yearly newsletter "Challenges of WCY", collect information for project research and evaluation. • In 2000: AMWCY begins to donate computer equipment to the Association of Children and Working Youth (ACWY) • In 2003: the AMWCY conducts national workshops through Radio shows. • In 2009: build up the AMWCY experience concerning the use of ICT and publication of the "Jeuda 120" brochure to share results: «From the Gong Gong to ICT » : http://www.maejt.org/page%20anglais/pdfs/pubjeuda120anglaise.pdf

3. An overview of the ICTs used by AWCY

4. Modern ICT • Mobile Phones • Video Projectors • TVs, radio • CD, DVD Readers etc. • Computers (desktop computers and laptops), printers, photocopiers, scanners • Video cameras, flip cameras, digital and analog cameras • Memory cards, audio and video cassettes, USB keys, CD/DVD, external hard drives • Internet (emails, blogs, web sites, Skye, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) • Comic strips, picture boxes • Cartoons

5. Conventional ICT • Drums, fanfare " bamboo orchestra", Gongs (drums) • Public (town) criers • Drawings • Word of mouth • Sketches, theater forums, door to door meetings, choreographies • Awareness in weekly markets • Flyers, signs, banners, posters, leaflets • Gala events, sound systems, traditional celebrations • Mail boxes...

6. In thispresentation on child protection, wewillcover modern ICTswithin AMWCY

7. Interrogate and assess children on their living and working conditions ICT tools to protect and track children and youth in Mobility. Share our contacts with children in mobility. Search for lost children or identify their parents in the 3, 028 neighborhoods and villages in which we are organized Organize radio shows to inform, identify children with problems and listen to their issues

8. The National Coordination of WCY of Benin has partnerships with Mobile Phone Operator (MTN Benin) to pay a flat subscription with the numbers of all WCY. The numbers can be called toll-free during the subscription period. AMWCY’s 31 member villages have fleet numbers called "corporate" These numbers are used to guide children who travel from one city to another. If one child wants to leave Ketou to go to Cotonou, the WCY of Ketou must inform the WCY of Cotonou and must provide the child with the number. The WCY of Cotonou must check to confirm the information prior to the child's departure Once arrived at the destination, the child calls the WCY within that city. The WCY of the destination city welcomes the child and must call the WCY of the departure city to confirm arrival of the child at the destination, where he is monitored on a regular basis and adheres to WCY if desired. The child can call the departure city free of charge. This program is currently running in Burkina, Niger, Cote d'Ivoire...etc. See « Protection of mobile children by organized children and youth » Jeuda 123 http://www.maejt.org/page%20anglais/pdfs/jeuda_123_best_experience_protection_version_anglaise.pdf Secure the trip and stay in permanent contact with WCY and their parents

9. In 2012: AMWCY hasd172 254 members (71% children), willing to listen, inform and intervene to protect children. • Our members are children and youth, who for the most part, never attended school or who abandoned school at a very early age. • These are children that we call "victims". Within AMWCY, they become "actors" for building their own rights and protecting their friends. • AMWCY is a very dense protection network, present in 3,028 neighborhoods and villages with organized groups. • It governs 311 Associations in 24 African countries. • In West Africa, it is hard to travel 200 km without seeing an AMWCY Association.

10. ITC to better organize and make our Movement operate. • Cell phone: have numbers (chips), get enrolled and have a cell phone. • For WCY: Develop IGA (cabin, repair, decoding, sale of accessories, charge batteries, etc...). Listen to music, play and have fun with friends (In Cote d'Ivoire and Mali, during the crisis, many children and their families were saved by WCY thanks to airtime credit allowing them to make phone calls and plan group departures. • For Basic Groups, ACWY and Coordination: Schedule meetings, coordinate and track activities of mobility children. Negotiate with partners, project the movie Tounga, take photos, etc. • Computer, photocopier, scanner • For WCY: get training to use these tools, learn to read and write, prepare projects, etc. • For WCY and Coordination: have an office and partnerships. Set up ACWY, have resources, input information, distribute to all (reports, articles, etc.) • Camera, video flip, digital photo devices: • For WCY: get trained and have a profession, generate and maintain memories of events of WCY, share experiences, start a business, etc. • For the Base Group, ACWY and Coordinations:generate activity reports, make exchanges and testimonies, archive documents, engage in advocacy, share the actions with the public, etc. • Internet, creation of blogs, email addresses, skype, etc. • For WCY: share life with close ones, stay updated, discover, have fun, make new friends and exchange, write to each other, make less expensive phone calls to friends and partners, etc. • For ACWY and Coordinations: publish articles concerning activities (reports, photos, drawings, video, etc.) • AMWCY Website: www.maejt.org • For WCY: learn from other people's experience about ACWY, stay informed and share your experience, have access to AMWCY documents, use them as testimony and production for partners, etc. • For AMWCY (ACWY and Coordinations): allow the partners to discover us, learn about our methodology, get informed about our progress, have access to our materials (Calao Express, Challenges of ACWY, Jeuda, Posters Cartoons, leaflets, contacts with ACWY through Africa, etc.)

11. ICT as a method to stay in touch with children, mobilize the population and inform them about their rights, problems, risks, solutions, etc. Shows, interactive debates conducted by children regarding their rights and pass information and announcements Organize general public activities to gain contact with children and give them the opportunity to interact with people Conduct door to door announcements, invite people to participate in group activities with children

12. ICT as source of income and training A few examples of new sources of income for children and youth A few new sources of income for Associations and Base Groups Public Secretariat (input, printing, photocopy, scan, etc.) Cultural troupe of singers and bands (produce music, sing at ceremonies, etc.) Music studio, production, rental and sale of CDs, DVDs, etc. Sound equipment rental and animation of ceremonies • Opening phone booths • Charge phone batteries (100 CFA per battery). In our country, many people have cell phones despite the fact that most of the towns are not connected to electricity. • Send musical sounds to cell phones. These are new IGA developed, especially in the villages (50 CFA per song). The memory card phones are used to listen to music, create animations and have fun. • Take photos with digital cameras: in Mali, the WCY developed the "Snapshot Picture" (old black/white pictures taken with boxes they have made)." • Make movies and edit videos (marriage, celebrations, etc.) • Make repairs and troubleshoot electronic equipment (phones, radio, computers, etc.) • Sell phone accessories, USB keys, etc.

13. ICT: sources of motivation to build our villages and allow children to remain here while developing themselves • At Adomi inTogo: through the purchase of a computer, the WCY purchased a generator which supplies the Association Office and which often illuminates the village (this is the only source of illumination that exists in the village). This has motivated the children to remain in their village and to continue to develop it. Today, we can see more and more literacy classes, groups of children who organize themselves, developed by IGA children. The local authorities and the parents help children carry out their activities. • At Kazaoué in Nigeria: The WCY copier is the only one that exists in the village. Otherwise, one must travel 400 km by bike. This enabled us to collaborate with City Hall and to benefit from their support in the Association activities. In 2012, the Association helped many children and youth in the city prepare files and apply for contractual recruitment competitions and for professional training (this was the1 st time a large number of youth in the town participated in competitions). • At Lac S- Thanhoué in Benin: WCY developed a singing group which produces music and provides music services. For children and youth, this has became the main source of resource mobilization and funding of collective or individual Income Generating Activities (IGA) and of implementation of activities pertaining to Children's Rights. Examples of alphabetization classes: • In Burkina Faso: The National Coordination of WCY created a movie where various partners provide their opinion about the Association. The broadcasting of this movie contributes in enhancing the benefits of ACWY, increasing their credibility with respect to their partners but also in sharing their activities.

14. We do not have the equipment to make projections and to bring innovations into the villages. In the large cities, people don't have time to come to listen to us. Therefore, we had placed "Tounga" in 3GPP format (mobile phone). Thanks to the "bluetooth" technology, we sent the movie to all children who have cell phones, to the parents, to the leaders, etc. We are fortunate that many children and people have the movie and that they are informed about Mobility and Children's Rights. ICT enables expression, creates pedagogic support and information suitable to children and their mobility. Cartoons provided by WCY: Tounga 1st : « this could happen to you » in 2010 and Tounga 2nd : « listen, this is about you» in 2012 Posters, brochures, picture boxes, etc., help us conduct informal debates about Mobility and Rights with groups of children within villages and other destination, informingthem of dangers, problems and possible solutions.

15. The ICT as national training theme for WCY Training on computer tools (Computer and Internet browsing) Note: we also use ITC to learn to read and write Training for using digital photo cameras, video flip, video assembly, written press and conduct radio shows

16. General Observations • Most of ACWY is developed in rural communities where people have never seen a computer. WCY is the first to offer children in these villages the opportunity to see, touch and learn to use the computer. • This makes children ambitious, constructive and creative. They achieve knowledge, are enhanced and people respect them. • The ICT tools encourage the development of rural communities and some children no longer have the desire to leave their communities. • The IICT tools provide mobility, the possibility to prepare their trips and to build their own projects which is beneficial. • The ICT tools help children stay connected, with the rest of the world so they don’t feel isolated (they understand what to expect and where to seek help in case of trouble). • The ICT tools help children earn an income, follow training, have a profession, obtain resources to finance their projects and have access to various opportunities in life.

17. Looking forward to any comments or observations, Thank you all