The Association of Christian Brothers (AFEC) in collaboration with the National Secretariat of Catholic Education (SNEC), organized a training session on child protection in schools for the educational actors of Catholic establishments. The said training was held in two (02) sessions, on February 1and 2, 2021 at the Carmel in Bobo-Dioulasso, and on February 11 and 12, 2021 in Ouagadougou at the Cardinal Paul ZOUNGRANA National Center.
As part of the Misean Cara Innovation Funds project #Child Protection in Schools, the Association Frères des Ecoles Chrétiennes (AFEC), in collaboration with the Secrétariat National de l’Enseignement Catholique (SNEC), initiated a training on child protection in schools on February 1and 2, 2021 in Bobo-Dioulasso and on February 11 and 12, 2021 in Ouagadougou, thanks to the intermediation of the Union Nationale des Etablissements Secondaires Catholiques (UNESC)
To ensure the safety and well-being of children in Catholic secondary schools in Burkina Faso through good practices.
This training is part of the dynamics of strengthening the skills of the directors of Catholic secondary schools on the protection of children in order to ensure their well-being in Catholic secondary schools in Burkina Faso.
A total of 110 participants, mainly school principals and Diocesan Directors of Catholic Education (DDEC) of Burkina Faso took part in this training whose objective was to acquire good practices that ensure the safety and well-being of children in Catholic secondary schools in Burkina Faso. The training allowed participants to better understand the key concepts of child protection, the consequences of child abuse and aggression, and the procedures for handling cases of child abuse and aggression.
To provide better support for children who have been abused or assaulted.
The training was also an opportunity to strengthen the participants’ skills in preventing, reporting and handling cases of child abuse and assault within the institutions; and to promote better support for child victims of abuse and assault, as well as for the perpetrators.
At the end of these training sessions, a child protection protocol has been drafted for the UNESC and for each Catholic secondary school in Burkina Faso, and each Catholic secondary school will commit to protecting children. In addition, certificates of participation will be issued to participants.
To train more educational actors to strengthen the protection of children in Catholic educational institutions.
A third training session for the principal educators (supervisors) is in prospect, in order to reach a greater number of educational actors of the Catholic secondary education and to better ensure the protection of the children. Let us note that the two training sessions were effectively attended by the National Secretary for Catholic Education, Father Hubert KIEMDÉ, and the President of the National Union of Catholic Secondary Schools, Brother Jean-Luc TRAORÉ.
In addition, Brother Julien DIARRA, Visitor of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, who is also President of AFEC, was represented in Bobo-Dioulasso by Brother Paul TOÉ, and in Ouagadougou by Brother Jean-Bruno SOMÉ. Each of these representatives gave an address on behalf of the President of AFEC.
Miss Carine DAH, Intern.