Turkana children use creative arts to advocate for child's rights in Lokichoggio

More than 200 learners from primary schools in Lokichoggio Sub-County have turned to creative arts to advocate for the protection and promotion of children's rights.

The learners, drawn from Child Rights Clubs in various schools of the sub county's two Wards Nanam and Lokichoggio, converged at AIC Girls Comprehensive School for the second edition of the Child Rights Creative Arts Festival, where they showcased talent through drama, poetry, music and dance.

The inaugural edition was also held in Lokichoggio last year.

The festival was organized by the Africa Inland Church Health Ministries (AICHM) with support from ERIKS Development Partner, a child rights organization working in Turkana West.

The pieces performed focused on children's rights issues including the right to education, safety, adequate nutrition, protection from child labour, protection from child marriage and all forms of abuse.

Through moving skits and poems, the children called on parents, teachers and duty bearers to create a safe environment where they can play, learn and grow.

Speaking during the event, Divina Esekon, a Child Protection Officer with AICHM, said the festival was the culmination of weeks of intensive rehearsals by children and their teachers in their respective schools.

"Together with the teachers and administration of the participating schools, we designed the club to fit into the co-curricula framework of the school system. We then introduced creative activities as part of the clubs routine. That is why we have had drama, poems, dances and skits," she explained.

Divina Esekon added that the initiative was deliberately aligned with the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), which emphasizes nurturing of talents and life skills alongside academic learning.

"We wanted to provide children with a platform to hone their creative skills and talents under the CBC approach and at the same time turn them into ambassadors of child rights in their schools and communities. From what we have seen today, this festival is a huge success," she explained.

She noted that the rehearsals and final performances had significantly boosted the children's confidence and capacity to articulate cases of child rights violations affecting them and their peers.

According to her, the forum was also beneficial to parents, teachers and local administrators who were in attendance, as it equipped them with knowledge on how to identify child abuse cases and seek redress through relevant authorities.

Beyond the formation of Child Rights Clubs in various schools in Nanam and Lokichoggio, AICHM has been working closely with local implementing partners including I Choose Life Africa (ICL), Lokichoggio Emuriakin Development Organization (LEDO), child protection volunteers, and both county and national government agencies.

This comes at a time when the County has stepped up social protection efforts through variety of interventions for children in the refugees camp and host community.

With the assistance of County and National Government agencies and development partners in the social protection circles, AICHM played a significant role in the establishment of a children-led governance structure known as the Children's Parliament, which provides a platform for children to participate in decision-making and to take part in calendar events such as the Day of the African Child and World Children's Day.