Children in Local Development (CHILD)

1. Children in Local Development (CHILD) Releasing Energy for Change Practical Experiences from Ethiopia Presentation to SCN | Rome | 28 February 2007 By Jakob Mikkelsen Head, Nutrition and Education Section, WFP Ethiopia

2. A CHILD school Local households practicing techniques demonstrated in school School woodlot Local demonstration of SLM Playground Safe access HIV club Roof water harvesting Grinding mill for income generation Vegetable garden, compost and well Clean separate latrines School fence for security Classrooms in good repair

3. Context • Ethiopia: 77 million people. 85% rural rain-fed subsistence agriculture. USD per capita per year: 100. 47% children <5 stunted, 11% wasted and 38% underweight. • Net Enrolment Rate 68% in 2004/05 • Literacy rate show urban-rural discrepancy and clear gender bias with 49.9% for men/boys and 26.6% for women/girls. • National drop-out rate at 14.4% in primary schools and 3.7% repetition rate. Only 3.8% attaining higher education. • Recurrent and capital spending of US$ 4.15 per student per year combined with underdeveloped community capacity results in pressure on basic school services and infrastructure, negatively affecting quality of education. • Ethiopia is amongst the countries in the world with the highest rate of school age children with special needs, mainly attributed to impairments from malnutrition.

4. Background • CHILD commenced in 2003 with pilot of ‘synergies’ between School Feeding/Food for Education (FFE) and MERET/FFW in 5 schools – experience used for writing CHILD Guidelines • CHILD started with Canadian Impact Grant - $100,000 for 108 schools in 2005 • 100 more schools from WFP budget in 2005 • 94 more schools with UNDP/NBI in 2006 • 37 essential package schools with funds from Princess Haya of Jordan and UNICEF in 2006

5. Practical activities in school and community Community based plan for self-help Links to other orgs, NGOs & activities BoE School Feeding Programme BoA/BoE led LLPPA planning tool BoA MERET LLPPA site & plan Synergies Programme Monitoring Ownership Building & Development Encouragement & Problem Solving Resources (food, NFIs, Cash) Training & Capacity Building Guidelines & technical support

6. Up to 639,000 children fed everyday in 1,030 schools in 2006 (8% more than in 2005). Enrolment increase is 6.7% above the average (2005) Attendance rate is 90% and dropout is 5.4% lower than national average Gender ratio has improved by 35.6% more than average in Girls’ Initiative schools Food for Education in Ethiopia

7. Challenges • Only 72% of schools have latrines (mostly only 1 or 2 for 100s of students and not separate girls/boys) • Only 59% of schools have water (including streams) • Close to 100% of government allocations for schools are used for salaries in many areas • HIV/AIDS and malaria, including girls’ caretaking role • Only 1% disabled children have access to education • Highly politicised aid/development environment • Weak decentralisation process to woreda level with demotivated staff and low education budgets

8. CHILD as a response • Problem-solving based practical approach • Action-based partnership at local level – enabling local Government and CSOs to do their job more effectively • Flexibility in diverse environment • Capacity building existing structures to work better together – systemic approach • Focus on sustainability and high-impact • Release community-level energy • More efficient use of existing resources/knowledge

9. CHILD structure and process Focal Points MoE SF Focal Person WFP CO Partners Technical and Resource Support WFP SO RBOE SF Focal Person WEO SF Focal Person Woreda Expert Group Woreda Edu. & Tra. Man. Board Site Implementers Kebele Edu. & Tra. Man. Board Development Agents PTAs & School Directors

10. Design features • Supports existing systems/structures • Based on existing WFP capacity and comparative advantage • Founded in community-led participatory planning • Avoids duplication

11. Tools for change • CHILD manuals – core and periphery building blocks • Planning manual / toolkit • Support modules (HIV, Gender, Education, Nutrition, Technical, Income Generation) • Ready-to-Use blank plans • RBM frameworks • Training teams / packages • Action Based Monitoring checklists

12. School Feeding Standards Community Planning Tool Rationalised M&E kit CHILD 1 guidelines and resource library Environment & sustainable livelihoods Education & Life-long learning Health & Nutrition at home & school Girls in Education HIV/AIDS & Community Development Long-term community development strategies

13. Capacity building • TOT 6 days – local government staff (8 per woreda) Education, Health, Water, Agriculture, Administration, Women’s Affairs, Youth Institutes • Training 6 days – local level (7 per school) Directors, PTA, Extension Workers, Women’s Rep, Kebele (village) Administration • Experience sharing workshops • Follow-up and exchange (newsletters, ideas) • Refresher training (cascade/peer2peer approach)

14. Local level processes Regional support teams RBM data Regional Requests for assistance through woreda development plan Local resource mobilisation Identification of synergies with UN, NGO, Gov programmes Woreda offices: Education, Health, Water, HAPCO, Administration, Women, Youth Consolidated CHILD woreda annual plan -Monitoring, resource, follow-up plan District Better use of woreda vehicles and equipment Problem identification; situation analysis; community mapping; resource mapping; time mapping Woreda support and resources CHILD -3yr and 1yr Activities plans -Resource, monitoring, implementation plan Local Local resource mobilisation Practical, feasible, realistic, achievable, effective activities Kebele administration, teachers, directors, DAs, HEWs, PTA members, farmers, Women’s Assoc., Youth Assoc. school children, other stakeholders Community mobilisation and solidarity

16. 12 CHILD steps to community planning • 1. Introduction at woreda level • 2. Conduct woreda assessment • 3. Preliminary stakeholder meeting with possible partners • 4. Introduce at site level and discuss CHILD concept • 5. Problem identification and Situation analysis • 6. Mapping the school and linkages with the community • 7. Identify possible activities • 8. Making a draft community plan • 9. Presenting the plan to the Synergy Group and woreda • 10. Creating the community plan with work norms • 11. Implementation and monitoring • 12. Evaluation and review

17. CHILD experience • IMPACT! Some CHILD schools have exceeded all expectations: classrooms, latrines, water, gardens, clubs, income generation, satellite schools, kindergartens, outreach, stoves, pride • Partnership – PCI, UNDP, NBI, EPA, UNICEF, PSI, GTZ… many more at site level • Donors – diversified (DFID, Norwegian Embassy, Canada), private (SAP, Princess Haya, Friends of WFP) • Policy engagement – JRM, SHN, ESDP III

18. Results • Examples based on lower-scenario estimates from field-level follow-up for the first 200 CHILD schools: • 400 new classrooms • 300 good school gardens (demonstration and income) • 200 active Anti-AIDS clubs • 160 schools with income generation (dairy, chickens, coffee) • 80 new latrines and hygiene facilities • 80 nurseries/woodlots • 50 sports fields • 40 new school fences • 20 new water systems

20. The Essential Package • CHILD is forming the basis of a learning model of the EP in Somali – the one of the most challenging development environments in Ethiopia • CHILD can address all the 12 components independently through intensive ‘directed’ local mobilisation of communities, local government and CSOs; or, • CHILD can be used to integrate more resource intensive EP interventions whilst maintaining community participation and ensuring sustainability

21. Focusing Resources on Effective School Health • CHILD has the potential to address the core FRESH components • School health policies • Provides practical experience and partnership environment to engage in policy dialogue • Water, sanitation and the environment • Through temporary ‘home grown’ solutions and attracting partners • Skills-based health education • Practical action through school clubs, community outreach and linking schools with health workers • School-based health services • Practical health activities at school level, attracts partners and helps communities proactively link with local health institutions to claim their rights

23. THANKS