MIET AFRICA

Improving the lives of children and youth

Month: Nov 2020

Terms of Reference || Video Documenting the Impact of COVID-19 on Young People in the SADC Region

Terms of Reference || Video Documenting the Impact of COVID-19 on Young People in the SADC Region

MIET AFRICA is conducting a research study that investigates the impact of COVID-19 on young people in the SADC and East Africa regions. As part of the study dissemination package, MIET AFRICA seeks the services of a reputable and experienced full-service video production company to produce a video that captures the impact of COVID-19 on young people, highlighting real life stories and experiences. In this way, the study findings will be made more accessible and interesting.

The video must tell the stories of the study participants, reflecting how COVID-19 has impacted their lives. Proposed countries to be included in the video include Malawi, Zambia, and Namibia; however, this is still to be finalized. Planning would need to commence in December 2020, with filming taking place in January 2021. The deadline for completion is 28 February 2021. Click here  for the full ToR.

Acknowledge, Access, Stay Alive – The #SAYIT Launch

Acknowledge, Access, Stay Alive – The #SAYIT Launch

More than 100 adolescent girls and young women attended the recent launch of the #SAYIT campaign. This initiative encourages young women to speak out on issues affecting their day-to-day lived realities to ensure that they influence and affect policies, programmes and support targeting them.

The launch, held in the Nelson Bay Metro on 7 November under the theme, ‘Acknowledge, Access, Stay Alive’ provided an opportunity for youth to engage with healthcare workers, peer trainers and educators, and programme staff. Group discussions were held on various topics such as gender-based violence, substance abuse, teenage pregnancy, HIV/Aids, STIs and PrEP. Access to screening and testing was also offered.

The #SAYIT campaign forms part of the Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) Programme, an age-appropriate combination prevention programme for AGYWs aged 15-24 years, who are both in and out of school. At the same time,

The Doors to Education Reopen Safely

Fighting COVID-19: Thanks to GLOHOMO’s rapid needs assessment, funding from the SDC saw protective equipment delivered to all 10 Future-Life Now! schools in Lesotho

“March 2020 will forever be known as the time all the world’s schools closed their doors.”

These were the words of Lesotho Deputy Minister of Education, the Honorable ‘Mamookho Phiri, at a handover ceremony of COVID-19 equipment and hygiene support on October 16 this year.

The handover, which took place at Thetsane High School, one of Lesotho’s 10 FutureLife-Now! pilot schools, was made possible through COVID-19 emergency funding from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooporation (SDC). It was facilitated by MIET AFRICA, in partnership with Global Hope Mobilization (GLOHOMO) and the Lesotho ministries of Education and Health.

Because of COVID-19 regulations, the handover attendees were limited to school principals, funders and ministerial representatives.

Equipment included face masks, face shields, thermal thermometers, soap, water tanks, and beds. This equipment was identified through a rapid needs assessment, undertaken by GLOHOMO in all FutureLife-Now!

Malawi Handover a “Symbol” of Hope

Malawi Handover a “Symbol” of Hope

Prior to the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on 12 March 2020, an event in Malawi involving a handover from a donor would have been a large-scale ceremony, and included ministers, government officials, donors and members of the community.

The small-scale event pledging COVID-19 emergency protective materials to the ministries of Education and Health in Malawi, although no less valuable,  illustrated the “new normal”.  The event took place on 22 September 2020 at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) headquarters in Lilongwe.

The protective materials, made available by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), through its partners MIET AFRICA and Global Hope Mobilization (GLOHOMO), were symbolically handed over by the Honorary Consul for the Swiss Embassy in Malawi, Sylvia Giannacks. The pledge was received by the Deputy Director for School Health, Nutrition, HIV and AIDS in the MoEST,

FutureLife-Now! Schools over the Moon about New Solar Systems

Green Power: The solar systems installed at 10 FutureLife-Now! schools in Malawi provide the necessary energy to run e-platforms

The scourge of COVID-19 might have disrupted the lives of individuals, societies and governments across the world, but the partners of the Future Life-Now! programme determined that they would not allow the pandemic to halt communication, training and support in the 10 FutureLife-Now! pilot schools. Instead, an effective e-platform was established at all 10 schools in Malawi.

Bukelwa Mandisa Ntlabati, MIET AFRICA’s Country Manager in Malawi, said keeping contact with school communities is critical. “From the onset of lockdown, schools were closed. We were unable to travel, so we were unable to assure the wellness of learners.”

Creating an e-platform means access to the schools and stakeholders through virtual meetings. It also allows nurses in the adjoining clinics to speak to learners without risking the danger close contact brings.

“I can conduct training with educators and learners without compromising anyone’s health,” said Nlabati, “and it is more efficient because we don’t have to travel for many hours to access a school.”

However,

Meeting the COVID-19 Training Challenge Head-on

Screening Educators’ Smiles: The donation of face shields meant that educators can talk freely to learners while maintaining safety standards

It’s no easy job training almost 9 000 learners while keeping COVID-19 health and safety protocols in place.

But this is what 88 facilitators at Zambia’s 10 FutureLife-Now! schools were tasked with: Providing information to thousands of grade 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 learners about COVID-19 over an eight-day period while ensuring the safety of all concerned.

The training was part of an initiative that included protective materials made available by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), through its partners MIET AFRICA and Global Hope Mobilization (GLOHOMO).

Materials included face masks, soap, face shields, thermal scanners, water tanks, training materials and posters.

The hour long training sessions took place between September 30 and October 7 this year. Educators were supported by Sanny Mulubale, Zambia’s COVID-19 Emergency Response In-Country Coordinator, as well as the two youth facilitators already in place at each school.

FutureLife-Now! Looks out for the Most Vulnerable

FutureLife-Now! Looks out for the Most Vulnerable

In Zimbabwe the coronavirus has had more far-reaching effects than what meets the eye.

The pandemic is devastating the economy and threatening food security, and has been most deeply felt in marginalized communities and rural areas.

It is this that motivated the FutureLife-Now! programme to distribute food packs to its most vulnerable learners at its 10 pilot schools. The distribution was facilitated by MIET AFRICA, and accompanied by advocacy and training on keeping safe during the time of COVID-19.

The exercise had to be carefully planned. The FutureLife-Now! schools are spread over four provinces in Zimbabwe: Matabeleland South, Midlands, Mashonaland East and Mashonaland Central.

“From our base in Harare it might take a couple of hours to get to Mashonaland but it can take the whole day to drive to Matabeleland,” said Zimbabwe’s FutureLife-Now! Country Manager, Aussie Ndlovu. “Distribution was arranged per school and we had to ensure that the gatherings comprised less than 50 people,

Terms of Reference || Building and Curating the CSTL Ecosystem

Terms of Reference || Building and Curating the CSTL Ecosystem

MIET AFRICA requires a service provider to design, curate, evolve and support the Care and Support for Teaching and Learning (CSTL) online ecosystem.

CSTL is an innovative approach that responds to the millions of children and youth in the region whose right to education is compromised by a host of barriers to quality teaching and learning.

The SADC CSTL Policy Framework provides ministries of education with guidance in strengthening their systems so that schools are able to serve as sites of integrated support where quality education is secured and child and youth-friendly services are provided in support of health, gender, migration, food security and other challenges. The ecosystem will focus on stakeholder engagement and learning as well as knowledge management and sharing, in ways that accelerate the impact of the CSTL mandate.

The design of the online ecosystem will be developed following a strategy session where the initial blueprint of the ecosystem is determined,