Today saw the launch of a new programme from the European Union, working in partnership with Kenyan educational and justice institutions, to reduce all forms of violence against children across nine counties of Kenya.
At an event held at St Catherine’s Primary School in South B, Governor Kidero opened the event welcoming the move towards building family, community and institutional systems to protect children.
Part of a multi-billion Shilling global fight against child violence, the projects will run over three years and will benefit five hundred thousand children, including a quarter of a million living in Nairobi’s slums.
The projects will work in partnership with and through the Department of Children’s Services, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Kenya Police, Probation and Prisons, the Teachers Service Commission, county governments and other agencies.
European Union Ambassador, Lodewijk Briet, said:
“In the twenty-first century every child has a fundamental right to be protected from violence, be it mental or physical, involving neglect or abuse.
“I am glad that we at the European Union can support and expand the existing hard work of Kenyan government Ministries and agencies to combat the violence that is too often perpetrated against children.
“This is part of the European Union’s package of development partnership to help the most vulnerable in Kenya. We are also providing healthcare for hundreds of thousands of mothers and new-born children and supporting small scale, community-led development through more than a thousand projects.”
The programme will include support to children with disabilities, those subjected to the practice known as transactional sex and also provide legal services to children in eed. European taxpayers are providing KShs 500 million to carry out this work in Kenya.
European Union development seeks to make a difference in the areas of Kenyan life that matter most. The European Union’s development partnership is focused on supporting agriculture and increasing the availability of food; building key roads and energy infrastructure; and helping the devolution process.
Together with contributions from European countries, the European Union as a whole is the largest provider of development support to Kenya amounting to approximately Kshs 70 billion each year.
For more information please contact: Matt Freear
Phone: +254 703 116992
Website: http://ec.europa.eu/delegations/kenya/index_en.htm
Twitter: @EUinKenya