APRIRE is a comprehensive three year program on Restorative Justice, Alternative Dispute Resolutions and Alternative Care, funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation.
The aim of the Program is to support the Government in the process of deinstitutionalization. The target groups identified are: 2,000 vulnerable children in need of care and protection as well as in conflict with the law (in the 38 detention institutes or at the police stations); Government Officers working in the juvenile justice system benefiting from training programs and four Sub counties distributed between Nairobi and Nakuru which will benefit from a dedicated Foster Care and Kinship pilot program .
In August 2019 APRIRE entered its second year, but what happened so far?
In the first year the program accomplished several results, among which we would like to highlight the following:
- We organized 14 trainings on Restorative Justice and Diversion as well as 27 trainings on the Through Care Guidelines, reaching approximately a 1000 Government Officers;
- We sensitized more than 45000 people on Alternative and Restorative Justice, thanks to 27 Participatory Educational Theatre performances;
- 34 children benefited from reparative justice resolutions;
- We empowered officers from 38 statutory institutions with on the Job training methodology and in the meantime supported the reintegration of some minors providing them with toolkits (180), family economic support (88), school kits (72) and apprenticeships (14).
- We supported 34 minors with special needs or victims of Gender Based Violence
- We assessed 20 buildings (police stations, courts, institutions) and financed some infrastructural rehabilitation in order to ensure that they are adequate for children’s needs.
- We conducted a peer to peer exchange in Kenya between Officers of the Alternative Family care section of the DCS (Department of Children Service) and the section of “Officers Without Borders” of the municipality of Milan.
- We promoted a field Research on foster care thanks to the collaboration of the Catholic University of Milan (CASRF).
- We kicked off the foster care pilot program in the sub counties of Nakuru East, Gilgil, Kasarani and Embakasi.
These are some of the achievements that APRIRE Program has realized in its first year, thanks to the efforts of all its national and international partners.
For the second year we are expecting to do even better, new challenges are knocking at our door and we are ready. We strongly believe that child protection is a vital matter in the national Agenda and we are a hundred per cent committed to the cause.