Mukesh Latth,Senior Social Protection Advisor for Save the Children, explains:
ICDP based parenting programme is being successfully rolled out by Save the Children, under their Child Sensitive Social Protection (CSSP) programme. This work has been evaluated and has continued in 2022, as explained below.
Assessment report
A post parenting assessment was undertaken for the ICDP parenting programme 2019-21 with the following results reported in the 2022 report:
There is a significant overall increase in the parenting/caregivers’ interaction with children.
During the Focus group discussions results such as some changes in beliefs on corporal punishment were attributed to the parenting programme; this is evident by what some interviewed children explained. The children said they had observed changes in their parents and caregivers’ practices and attitudes towards them and their welfare; they said their caregivers showed kin interest.
Generally, the post parenting assessment results show that parents/caregivers benefited from the parenting programme as they became more attentive, patient, caring and responsive to their children’s needs.
The results further indicate that the parenting programme had enlightened them on issues relating to gender roles especially when it comes to the traditional tasks which are given specifically to boys and girls.
Developments in Kalalushi
A Parenting Handbook, based on ICDP parenting (with additional modules on nutrition, budgeting and gender education) was contextualized to the Zambian context. The handbook is being used for scaling up the parenting programme in another district in Zambia, i.e., Kalalushi.
A group of 23 additional animators (9 men and 14 women) including members of the Community Welfare Assistant Committees (CWACs) and staff of the departments of community development and social welfare in Kalalushi district were trained as parenting animators to help roll out the parenting sessions.