training & advocacy

War Child has been working with UNICEF on a project that aims to improve the standard of social workers who deal with at risk children in Afghanistan. These children include street children, orphans and children in trouble with the police. The project helps develop the practical skills of social workers and trains them how best to deal with vulnerable children. We have helped design a university curriculum that focuses on the rights of the child and promotes the idea that children need to be protected.

The children we work with have also been working with the Youth Journalists’ Association, to produce radio programmes and a quarterly magazine promoting the rights of children in conflict with the law in Afghanistan. So far, these activities have reached an audience of 1,800 community members and have given the young people involved a chance to use their own voices to make positive changes in their country.

We have also set up child-run networks in the Juvenile Rehabilitation Centre (JRC) and drop-in centres where children can get and share information about their rights as well as giving them a chance to develop life and leadership skills. As their confidence has grown they have helped promote positive change. So far we have run open days on topics such as violence against women and promoted days such as Child Rights Day (20th November).

We aim to use advocacy to get the people in power in Afghanistan to change their laws and policies in a way that protects the rights of children and gives them the basics that they need.