Central Ethiopia Regional State Women and Child Affairs Bureau (CERWCAB)

unicef

UNICEF for Every Child

Bureau of Women and Children Affairs (BoWCA) is one of the governmental institutions in Central Ethiopia region working for women and children starting from EFY 2016 to bring Economic and Social development.

As known Central Ethiopia government is newly established/organized, and the same is true for BOWCA. BOWCA is attempting to work in collaboration with governmental and non-governmental organizations in the region for women and children development. One of the non-governmental organizations, UNICEF is an international UN Agency working with BOWCA in the region in capacitating/providing Technical, financial, material and man power as required.   In the region of CER there are three programs ongoing supported by UNICEF, that is:-

  • Violence Against Children (VAC) Program

  • Early Child Marriage/Female Genital Mutilation(ECM/FGM) Program and 

  • Gender and Child Rights Convention (GCRC) Program. 

UNICEF assists these programs preparing activity and financial annual work plan (AWP) each year with BOWCA in quarter base. Based on the AWP and agreement it releases the budget quarterly without hesitation and the activities implemented accordingly.  

VAC program:    

Has 6 target woredas in the region implementing focusing on different types of child Violence like physical, sexual exploitation, labor, child abuse including adolescent boys and girls and so on strengthening preventive and responsive mechanisms in referral path way system. 

  • Strengthen coordination and partnership 

  • Support Social service work force (salary, running costs etc.)

  • Strengthening community structures in capacitating  resource mobilization, care and support  for vulnerable children

  • Strengthening Case management referral path way systems and information management system and data administration.

  • Strengthening GBV risk mitigation, service provion etc.

  • Strengthening MHPSS training and PSS srvices

  • Support supportive supervision monitoring and coordination

  • Support Awareness creation to bring behavioral change of the community on the children. The result is child vulnerability reducing 

ECM/FGM program

  • Is ongoing in 7 target woredas in the region supported by UNICEF. It is on implementation in collaboration with stake holders and communities at all level to prevent and end ECM/FGM which causes physical, sexual, psychological and mental, health and economic distresses. Based on the preventive mobilization of the community at each level the prevalence is now on reducing. The activities were/are being done  to prevent/end the prevalence of the problem includes:- 

  • provide life skill training for out of school girls 

  • provide training facilitators on community conversation

  • provides community conversation sessions (CCSs)to mobilize community on prevention and ending ECM/FGM participating all community members

  • strengthen Anti-HTP  coordination and monitoring .The end result is preventing/ending ECM/FGM in the woredas.