Empowering communities in Guatemala to keep children safe in and through schools
Listen to this episode on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Schools should be a place where children are safe to learn, grow and thrive to their full potential. During COVID-19, however, more than 1.5 billion children were forced from the classroom – leaving children more vulnerable to violence, exploitation and abuse than ever before. In Guatemala, Save the Children had developed a diploma course to support teachers and parents to keep schools safe – and during COVID-19, staff snapped into action to adapt this course to fit a drastically new context.
In this episode, Lyda Guarin, Save the Children’s Child Protection Regional Adviser for Latin America, spoke with programming staff Idalma Choquin and Marjorie Bosque in Save the Children’s Guatemala Country Office. The three explored how they adapted the course for parents and teachers to narrated videos, disseminating those products through WhatsApp groups and other platforms. They also discussed the importance of providing additional one-on-one support when necessary, and integrating group phone calls to reach parents and teachers that needed them.
ABOUT INSPIRING WAYS TO END VIOLENCE: THE PODCAST
Is it actually possible to end violence against children? In a new series from the End Violence Partnership, we explore the answer to that question by talking to those on the frontlines – the experts, researchers and leaders that have dedicated their lives to keeping children safe.
INSPIRING Ways to End Violence Against Children will take you from Honduras, where two children are murdered every day, to South Africa, where in some districts, up to 99 per cent of children have experienced or witnessed abuse. By featuring the experts working on these challenges, this series will spread knowledge of what works to prevent violence – and ensure solving this problem remains a top priority for governments, communities and organisations across the world.
This podcast is part of the Together for #EndViolence global campaign and Solution Summit Series.