Citizens 4 Change ensures that our children grow up in safe, inclusive communities. Drawing upon the wisdom of a crowd of Citizen Child Protectors, we spread protective norms that widen the circle of care around children living across East Africa.
Who we are / Why we exist / Where we are going / How we'll get there / Violence against children / C4C's Theory of Change
WHERE WE ARE GOING
C4C’s goal is that 50% of adults take action to protect a child. By the end of 2023 we want to demonstrate that 136,000 children and young people in East Africa are protected from violence.
WHY WE EXIST
There is no doubt that violence against children is prevalent and pernicious. But Citizens 4 Change also knows that there are thousands of citizens who seek to do the right thing in their communities. Motivated by their Ujasiri mindset they are a powerful force for good - preventing and responding to violence.
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We challenge the negative narrative that surrounds violence, demonstrating that a critical mass of child protectors exists - C4C makes their efforts visible, evidences the power of their prosocial behaviour & advocates for an investment in community based child protection.
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WHO WE ARE
Citizens 4 Change is a social lab that learns from the wisdom of Citizen Child Protectors; building understanding of how they resolve the complex social challenge of violence against children; & in doing so contributing to the spread of protective norms in East Africa so that children grow up in safe and inclusive societies.
HOW WE'LL GET THERE
We foster a growing decentralised network of Citizen Child Protectors to build a critical mass of people who do the right thing by children.
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We understand and demonstrate what works to prevent and respond to violence against children in East Africa.
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We seed a child and youth-led movement for safe schools.
We mobilise and learn from the collective intelligence of a crowd of Child Protectors in East Africa.
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We support our Citizen Child Protectors with a bespoke toolbox that helps them act in the best interests of a child and develop safeguarding knowledge.
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We calculate the social return on investing in community based child protection by quantifying the social value that Citizen Protectors create when they prevent and respond to violence.
We answer the question, “What works under different conditions in East Africa to resolve the collective action problem of violence against children?”
Violence against children is pervasive and pernicious
Violence thrives when the interests of a few prevail over the interests of the many.
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Violence against children is amongst the most prevalent and costly forms of abuse. Across East Africa children are exposed to chronic levels of violence, and the circle of care around them is precarious.
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64% of children and youth report experiencing physical violence; 22% report experiencing sexual violence; and 26% report experiencing emotional violence.
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Each victim carries a burden that negatively affects well-being, functioning and productivity over their lifetime. In East Africa, violence and maltreatment of children costs over $20 billion a year, inhibiting economic and social progress, and undermining the effectiveness of other social investments in education, poverty alleviation and health.
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Despite the devastating human and financial impact of violence, chronic under-investment in preventing and responding to it persists.
C4C'S THEORY OF CHANGE
