REST CSU works in 5 zonal towns namely Tahtay Koraro, Ganta Afeshum, Laelay Maichew, Enderta and Alamata. These areas have many various and inter-related problems, which has been a reservoir of human problems and misery of extreme hardship and indignity such as rural-to-urban migration and lack of basic educational standards, technical training, adequate and modern farming tools, infrastructure such as good roads and housing facilities, human resources management, post harvest loss reduction facilities, transportation facilities, social services, better health and employment opportunities.

Intervention Areas of CSU

• Child rights,
• Prevention of child abuse and counseling services ,
• HIV/AIDS prevention and support for orphans,
• Intervention against the worst forms of child labor,
• Protection of the rights of child offenders,
• Children’s empowerment,
• Dissemination of child rights education, advocacy and lobbying materials
• Research and studies.

1. Promotion and Protection of the Rights of the Child Project

Under the project several activities are tackled including establishment of and support to child rights clubs and committees, intensifying the campaign against corporal punishment and the broadcasting of an educational radio program on child rights. It also includes preparation of a manual for school child rights clubs and experience sharing meetings with Child Rights Committee (CRC) members.

Notable outcomes:

• Child Right Committees strengthened in five Zones of the region,
• Child Rights  committees established in six Woredas of the region,
• Child Rights  clubs established in the IDPs schools of Zalanbessa, Seboya, Alitena, Gerhusernay, Rama and Badme,
• 40 child right clubs in 40 elementary, junior and secondary schools are established and awareness created on the Convention on the Rights of the Child principles to the students in the respective schools,
• Woreda, Zonal and Tabia CR committees are strengthened through Child Right reading materials support which enabled the community to have a good awareness on the UN-Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the Africa Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child(ACRWC),
• Through Child Rights Clubs children’s own awareness about their rights are raised and children participate actively in increasing the awareness on the same issues among their parents and the local community in general.

Member of the Circus Selam group on training practice:

Establishment workshop of Regional Child Rights committee:

2. Child Rights component of Children and HIV/AIDS Project

Conducts training on the basic principles, methods and techniques of guidance and counseling together with child rights, child abuse and neglect and the impact of HIV/AIDS on the growth and development of children. Training is offered to the teacher and the student leaders in charge of the clubs. Various groups such as the HIV/AIDS council members, Child Rights Committee (CRC) members and the community are also trained on various issues related to HIV/AIDS. 

Notable outcomes:

• More than 2,750 teachers have been trained in Child Right Protection (CRP), psychosocial needs of vulnerable children, non-formal education and counseling,
• In 31 woredas of the central, eastern, and north western zones Child Right Protection (CRP), HIV/AIDS and Gender awareness raising training have been conducted for more than 10,500 participants,

• More than 4,300 copies of Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) distributed through Child Rights committees.

3. Psychosocial Support to war displaced and deportee Children

The programmes seeks to familiarize the status of deportee children with community members and other stakeholders, assists in the identification and follow up of deportee children in schools and teaches on how to provide guidance and counseling services, document cases and conduct meetings. 

Notable outcomes:

• 43 Para-counselors who have been trained in the TOT of counseling methods and are giving counseling services for war displaced and deportee Children in their localities. In addition to that the trainers have trained 170 deportee committee members in different woredas of Mekelle, central, eastern and western zones,
• The psychosocial counseling services has enabled 7,000 displaced children cope with stress of war and has played an important role in the promotion and protection of children’s right in the region.
• The capacity of the trainers was built to enable them address the psychosocial needs of war traumatized children.
• More than 4,701 war displaced and deportee Children have been provided with educational and stationery materials. This has reduced the dropout rate due to lack of educational and stationery materials.
• 3,796 deportee and displaced students have benefited from the additional classes and among them 1,636 were female students,
• 560 copies of Psychosocial Needs of Children in Armed Conflict and Displacement: A module for training teachers and caregivers was distributed to help raise the awareness of the community and stakeholders.

4. Prevention of Child Sexual Exploitation

The project raises awareness on the effects of child prostitution on the growth and development of children, child sexual abuse and exploitation, and children in difficult circumstances.

Notable outcomes:

• Child rights awareness levels and knowledge has increased,
• Decrease in corporal punishment in schools,
• Contribution in the fight against harmful traditional practices and HIV/AIDS,
• Cases reported to the Mekelle University Legal Aid Center for abused children have increased,
• The Unit serves many CBOs/NGOs with child rights materials,
• Recognition of REST as a leading NGO in the fight for children’s rights, prevention of child abuse, neglect and exploitation.

5. Child empowerment activities

REST believes that children should not just be considered targets of child rights protection effort; rather, they should actively participate in advocating for their rights and protecting themselves from abuse. In this regard, a number of child-oriented activities have been undertaken to enhance their participation.  

1. Sensitization of 600 children about child rights and responsibilities,
2. Training of children in Convention on the Rights of the Child and Africa Charter on the Right and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC),
3. Supporting 20 child rights clubs through provision of information material and technical advice,
4. Monitoring and support visits to 20 child rights clubs,
5. Supporting children’s campaigns and festivals targeting over 600 adults and 1000 children in Mekelle town (commemorating the Day of the African Child),
6. Training facilitators of child rights support groups.

6. Strengthening community based centers

REST believes that community based centers should be strengthened in order to assist vulnerable children with various activities. As such so far it has established the Semaetat Multipurpose Youth Center in Mekelle town; strengthened Mekelle Child Centered Forum (MCCF), a network of NGOs working with children in Mekelle City and Circus Selam, a local circus group composed of deportee children.

Notable outcomes:

• Semaetat Multipurpose Youth center has created harmony among the deportee, displaced and host students and the community and further strengthened the friendship particularly among the children in that area;
• Semaetat Multipurpose Youth center has helped in destroying the sort of hostile reactions created due to cultural, environmental and psychological problems among the stated parties in the previous times;
• The circus and music training together with the provision of basic information related to child rights, HIV/AIDS and reproductive health in Circus Selam have changed the behavior and level of awareness of many children;
• Circus Selam has been provided with various materials such as furniture, in door and out door games, reading materials and musical instruments and this has enabled the group to actively promote child right issues through a gymnastic and music show;
• The experience sharing visit conducted by Mekelle Child Centered Forum in each member organization has facilitated the exchange of information, experiences and best practices ; provided an important feed back for the host organizations and strengthened the spirit of the member organizations on how to implement, sustain , accelerate and scale-up the activities initiated in their project;
• Resource duplication and the problem of double beneficiary has decreased among member organizations of Mekelle Child Centered Forum;
• Mekelle Child Centered Forum has started to provide informationand advice for community based organizations seeking donor funding.
• Mekelle Child Centered Forum has started to unify and amplify the voice and actions of the disadvantaged children in order to improve the lives of the children in Mekelle city.

7. Good Governance in the Best Interest of the Child Project

REST-CSU is currently implementing a three years (2006-2008) the Good Governance in the Best Interest of the Child project funded by Save the Children Sweden. The over all objective of this project is to increase the accountability of the concerned duty bearers in the region for the protection of children under difficult circumstances and vulnerable children by promoting the rights of children in the schools, media, parliament, tabia (sub-district) and regional child rights committee and executive bodies there by bring good governance in the best interests of the child.
REST-CSU began this program in June 2006 and in the next 2 years, approximately 20,000.00 children, teachers, parliamentarians, community leaders, media and child right committee members will be reached through our education interventions including sensitization and awareness raising trainings on children rights.

Notable outcomes:

• A child rights situation analysis has been carried out in eight urban woredas and three rural woredas by Vision Consultancy Services, a local consulting firm. The analysis has attempted to identify the immediate and root causes of the identified violations of children’s rights and who the duty bearers are in relation to any particular right (i.e. those responsible for fulfilling it) and their capacity (e.g. financially and in terms of skilled personnel) to deliver that right.
• There is an increased knowledge about CRC and AC among regional council members and this will have a big impact in the formulation of appropriate policies and laws to protect the right of the child in Tigray. 
• Journalists have started to play a role in popularizing CRC and AC through the print and broadcast media.
• Children and adults in some parts of the region are openly discussing and sharing information with each other about children’s rights issues.
• The Child Right committees at woreda (district) and tabia (sub district) level are popularizing the convention in their community and this has increased the community awareness on CRC.
• The Child Right clubs at school level are popularizing CRC and AC through min media and this has increased the school community awareness on CRC and AC.
• Numerous children have been rescued from abusive practices such as FGM, neglect, excessive violence, early marriage and other forms of exploitation.
• REST staff and other partners including government bodies has increased knowledge on governance issues related to children’s rights.

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