| dc.description.abstract | The principle of child participation is firmly rooted in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which asserts that children have the right to participate. The same has been domesticated through the ACRWC and the laws of Kenya (Children's Act, 2001). The concept of child participation is a new concept, and therefore not well established in the Kenyan society and culture. Never the less, the clubs in schools provide an opportunity for children to express themselves and articulate their opinions.
One such club is the Child to child clubs (CtC) which was first introduced in 1978, following the Alma Declaration on Primary Health Care, and in preparation for the international year of the child (Gibbs et aI2002). The study focused on the extent of child participation in these clubs in selected 7 schools in Masinga Division of Yatta district. The study employed both qualitative and quantitative research methods.
The researcher administered 70 questionnaire- interviews, conducted FGDs, Case study and Key-informant interviews with Children, parents and teachers. Available documents from NGOs, and government publications were also reviewed. Data were analyzed through Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and the findings were presented in tables of frequency distribution, percentages, charts and graphs.
The study revealed that children's level of participation is generally high in the clubs, with 84% reporting either high or very high. It is interesting to note that despite child participation being a new concept in Kenyan society, the adults i.e. the parents and teachers did not have any problem with their children participating in the clubs and in fact attributed a lot of health transformation in the homes and schools to the children.
Just like the original idea behind the introduction of CtC clubs in 1978, the clubs covered in the study remained focused on Health issues. The main influence on the children's participation was the link of learning about health in school and the practical application in their.homes. The study also found that the teachers played a key role in guiding the clubs and therefore they required further support in terms of trainings, time, and equipment to optimize on their role. Finally due to the already loaded curriculum in schools coupled with competing interests for the scarce resources, the CtC clubs are faced with certain challenges standing between them and optimal performance. | en_US |
