1-Research and data management
AF, at this point, is in transition to implement the next phase of programming and advocacy at the provincial and Local levels by expanding its capacity-building, advocacy, and knowledge-based services at the province and Local levels. The first stepping stone in this programmatic cycle is the provincial Study of street-connected children as provincial demographics of this population are absent and there is no way to assess how many street-connected children are there in Sindh and what are their different dynamics. Only anecdotal numbers are quoted without any authentic research method. This creates a gap in street children-focused policy and programming development. This has also caused the absence and/or misrepresentation of the street children population on global/international platforms during campaigns for this group. A good example would be the UNHRC research in which 400 papers from 130 countries were shared, none from Pakistan. The objective of this study will be to make the street children population visible at the national and international levels. This study will also highlight new areas in programming for street-connected children.
2-Street Children Resource Center (SCRC)
Azad Foundation’s Street Children Resource Center (SCRC) will play a key role in this programmatic cycle in terms of capacity and linkage building and technical support in advocacy and policy development. It will develop short-term training programs and beginner and advanced-level certified courses in child development and protection, programming, and policy development in the same context by establishing linkages with renowned institutions both national and international. These courses will be jointly certified by SCRC, partner academic institutions, and HEC. The SCRC will provide capacity-building services to the government departments all over the Sindh.
It is a fact that academic institutions’ curriculums in Pakistan especially public-owned institutions lack focus on development studies and no or minimum focus is given to child rights, development, and protection in terms of research and programming in departments of social sciences. The curriculum is age-old and does not address the current market needs. This has caused a major gap in mainstream research that would be very useful in informing policy and programming. The capacity of academic institutions in the aforementioned regard must be built. To address this issue, the Azad Foundation will develop linkages with key public academic institutions in Pakistan to introduce accredited training courses on child development, protection, research, and programming by HEC for the students in universities and affiliated institutions and teachers for sustainability. AF will also support and facilitate research studies through these institutions focused on specific policy and programmatic areas of child protection.
Another aim of SCRC will be to build the capacities of the Department of Law and Sindh Judicial Academy as it is the primary safety net to protect children from abuse and exploitation. For this purpose, a comprehensive assessment will be conducted covering training needs, current training curriculum in the context of JJSO, child protection, and specifically survival behaviors of Vulnerable children. A module will be developed and introduced to the judicial academy or other training schools throughout Sindh.
3-Civil Society Network on Street Children
Azad Foundation will bring together organizations that are working in pockets on a national advocacy platform/network for a) to work as a pressure group to ensure the government’s compliance to meet international standards and recommendations for the street-connected and vulnerable children population in Pakistan and b) adopt common goals and strategies with shared learning to make change sustainable and visible. The network will support all street-connected children-related initiatives through advocacy, campaigning, and capacity building. The network will also engage the cooperation agencies to increase their programming focus on street-connected children all over Pakistan. The network will also produce an annual report on the state of Pakistan’s street-connected children.
4-“AB BU KARO”
Azad Foundation continues its advocacy campaign to prevent and protect children from sexual exploitation, abuse, and violence. The “AB BU KARO” campaign aims to promote the ratification and implementation of the Country’s primary legal instrument in this area. Pakistan is a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and has enacted several legislations to protect children against sexual exploitation, abuse, and sexual exploitation.
Furthermore, the initial phase of the campaign is to sensitize children and the general public on the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse, harassment, and violence against children, because! recent data showing that children are most likely to be abused by those close to them, the campaign focuses on those within the family, community settings, or institutions where children are cared for by people they trust.
5-Unable Dreams (Campaign for the Rights and Social Protection)
The promotion of street-connected children’s rights and behavior change communication (BCC) and communication for development (C4D) has always been a priority in AF’s strategic plans. During this programmatic period, Azad Foundation will continue to do so. AF’s participation in representing Pakistan’s street-connected children in the global event football and other sports events will be its flagship campaign. The campaign will not only ensure the representation of street children on international platforms that were absent earlier but also will support the promotion of S4D and bring focus to street children in advocacy for child protection at the international level. Azad Foundation intends to use this platform to highlight policy and protection issues of street-connected children and build partnerships and linkages with civil society, government, and sports bodies at the national level for street-connected children’s development, social protection, reintegration, and peacebuilding. This campaign will also play a key role in highlighting the achievements of civil society and the government for Street children.
6-Dost Community Channel for children
Another component that the Azad Foundation will aim to establish during this programmatic cycle is to build an adequately equipped community YouTube Channel for children. This will be the alternative to the digital media sector which only focuses on child rights and protection. The community channel will be handled and run by properly trained children and adolescents. Relevant media courses will be developed by the Street Children Resource Center (SCRC) to train the children and other persons. It will broadcast informative and entertainment programs to communicate child development and protection-related key messages to the masses. It will also support the advocacy efforts of the civil society by catering to their specific media requirements.