Human Rights Programme

TEMA under this thematic area is working towards developing the capacity of citizens to be able to understand their rights in order for them to be the primary defenders of their own rights. The advocacy component of this thematic area is designed to respond to the problem of lack of skills and capacity to respond to human rights violations.

This thematic area also addresses issues of reluctance by government institutions to respond to victims of human rights violations through capacity building of institutions entrusted in upholding the rights of members of the public.

• Design of community Human Rights education projects and development of a core curriculum.
• Training of Human Rights trainers and community Rights advocates.
• Creative arts, alternative media awareness campaigns, and media shows on Human Rights.

Ongoing Project: The Home-Based Child Care Project

Countless studies have shown that the first five years of a child’s life, and the care they receive during that period, are critical to their lifelong success. Every day, across the world, nearly 70% of children are looked after in informal home-based settings, enabling their parents to undertake paid work and other opportunities.

Yet, despite its prevalence, home-based child care (HBCC) is an almost completely overlooked and unsupported sector, both under-resourced and undervalued. Families are left with few childcare options and providers with little support on how to ensure the best outcomes for the children they care for.

We define Home-Based Child Care as a form of non-parental child care that takes place within the home of either the child or the provider. This definition was informed by global research, including the Home-Based Child Care Initiative: Support Programs for Home-Based Child Care (2020).

A Snapshot of Kenya Country Progress

The Initiative was launched in Kenya in January 2023. Ecosystem mapping has been completed in three pilot counties: Mombasa, Kisumu, and Murang’a, leading to a deeper understanding of local level systemic constraints, provider, and family needs. We have identified potential interventions that can be piloted for impact at scale.

TEMA implements this project in Mombasa for the year 2024-2025 and in Kilifi Counties for the year 2025. The following outcomes are planned to be achieved:

• Outcome 1: Increased agency, wellbeing, and empowerment of Providers through network support.
• Outcome 2: Increased livelihoods of Providers through greater access to income-generating opportunities.