In 2020, Coram International was awarded a contract with the NGO Right to Play to conduct a baseline study of their innovative ‘My Education, My Future’ project. The project aimed to improve learning outcomes and life skills for girls in communities affected by the Burundian refugee crisis in Burundi and Tanzania by providing gender-responsive, play-based education. The study collected baseline data on students’ life skills, literacy and numeracy, and knowledge of children’s rights, using a quasi-experimental approach to compare between intervention and non-intervention schools in order to enable the measurement of the project’s impact in a robust way. The study also involved a survey of community members to collect data on the understanding of the barriers to education access for girls, including girls with disabilities, and attitudes towards education for girls and children with disabilities. Qualitative methods were used to provide a richer understanding of the project context, including focus groups and participatory activities with girls, focus groups with community leaders and members, and key informant interviews with teachers and other education officials. Data collection was carried out both in refugee camps in Tanzania and in communities with high numbers of returnees in Ruyigi province in Burundi.
Between 2011-2016, Coram International was contracted over three separate institutional contracts to provide technical support for the development and implementation of juvenile justice and access to justice reform programmes. Coram International’s activities began with two comprehensive research studies and reports, an “Analysis of the Situation of Children in Conflict with the Law” and an “Assessment of the Access to Justice System for under 18s”. Following this, Coram International developed a strategy for child justice reform, which was endorsed and adopted by the Government in 2013. On the basis of this strategy, Coram International and UNICEF implemented several reform activities between 2012 and 2013, including:
- Strengthening the capacity of police, prosecutors and judges to handle children’s cases – developed training modules in consultation with the professional academies and institutions; conducted TOT workshops; provided technical support for the development of the Guidelines on the Establishment and Operation of Gender and Children’s Desks and the Standard Operating Procedures for juvenile justice; developed Juvenile Court Rules and provided technical input to the development of prosecutorial guidelines.
- Providing technical, expert support for the establishment of a legal aid model for children in conflict with the law – delivered training and coaching of legal aid providers.
- Providing technical, expert support for the establishment of a community diversion and rehabilitation program – devised and implemented a programme model for a diversion project and provided coaching for staff on the implementation of the project. – Providing support the protection of children in detention – supported the development of child protection policies and procedures for prisons and institutions; developed and provided training on complaints procedures.
- Strengthening capacity at the Approved School to improve rehabilitation and reintegration support for children – developed a model and step by step guide of the provision of rehabilitation and reintegration services and delivered training on this.
- Providing technical support for the implementation of the Children’s Act in Zanzibar with regard to juvenile justice – developed a vision and plan of action for reform.
- Delivering mid-term evaluations of the community rehabilitation and legal aid projects
Between 2011-2016, Professor Carolyn Hamilton and Coram International were contracted to provide expert support for the drafting of the regulations for the Law of the Child Act (adopted in 2009) and to the implementation of the newly developed child protection system. This included the following:
- Providing guidance on development of the child protection regulations and guidance – including foster care, adoption, fit persons and welfare committee regulations.
- Capacity building on child protection – in both Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar. Coram International provided capacity building workshops to social welfare officers, child helpline advisers and other professionals to strengthen capacity and raise awareness of child protection referrals and procedures.
