MAEJT

Capacity building of grassroots groups

The African Movement of Working Children and Youth (MAEJT) is engaged in a 2017-2021 CSO capacity building project with Save The Children on Swedish AIDS funding since. The AMWCY is now expanding across cities, villages, slums and peripheries of African countries. The identification and accompaniment of grassroots groups or working children’s groups (WCGs) are the driving force behind this growth. Each year, the number of new grassroots groups increases, but so does the number of working children and youth (WCYs).

This growth is explained by the important role of the movement in the training and capacity building of WCYs at the grassroots. Also because the foundation of the movement is the citizen participation of children, especially those marginalized in their communities and by the public initiatives of the state systems.

To guarantee the sustainability of this growth, the grassroots continually need periodic and quality reinforcement at all levels of the AMWCY structure. To do this, the AMWCY has at its disposal, both within itself and with its partner (Enda), the necessary expertise to respond precisely and efficiently to the real needs of the members of the GBs and National Coordinations (NCs).

The capacity building of the grassroots groups and the National Coordinations (NCs) should enable to boost the grassroots actions, but also to collect the results of the field exercises during the current year. The VAT (Technical Support Visit) to the NCs is an opportunity to bring together WCYs who are representative of the AWCYs of a country.  It is an opportunity to take stock of the activities carried out on the results of the activities, to note the progress on the rights during this period, but also to share experiences of identification, protection, listening and taking care of the groups of accompanied children. It allows us to draw lessons from the collaboration, partnership and advocacy actions of the NCs. It also serves to take stock of the mobilization of resources and their management.