UZAZI Parenting Model 1
AVSI Foundation developed a Parenting training program2 targeting both young and older parents within the USAID Funded Sustainable Comprehensive Responses for Vulnerable Children and their families (SCORE) program households. The training comprises five modules 3 and is built on the hypothesis that parenting skills training increases parenting knowledge among participants, which translates into improved parenting behavior and ultimately results into improved well-being of children including those living in extreme conditions of poverty, abuse and conflict. The training equips parents with parenting skills in order to help them understand who they are, appreciate their children as they are, appreciate their parenting responsibility and adopt positive (authoritative) parenting behavior, values, skills and attitudes that enable them to accompany their children to maturity. The parenting model has been tested and utilized in both development and humanitarian settings in Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya reaching over 15,628 parents (69% female) in over 35 districts in Uganda. A study conducted by Makerere University School of social work4 found a 72% increase in knowledge test scores (demonstrating large improvements in parent knowledge) and authoritative5 parenting behavior increased by 30%, authoritarian behavior decreased by 75%, and permissive behavior decreased by 72%. The study also found that corporal punishment reduced by 95% and yelling reduced by 88%, which indicates substantial reductions in negative parenting practices. Through the use of active learning methods including role-plays, discussions, surveys, games, quizzes, Improved Improved Improved Increased Parenting art and films, participants are kept Parent Child parent-child Parenting Skills Training Behavior Well-being relationship Knowledge engaged and interested resulting into less than 7% drop out rates. The training is provided to parents in groups6 of 25-30 and couples are encouraged to attend together. The training is a conducted with a period of 40 hours staggered along 8 weeks with bi-weekly 2 hour sessions each time. Each partipating parent is followed up at home to support translate the training into practice. The training is being scaled up in various settings and has since been further simplified to ensure that community level facilitators can with little supervision conduct the trainings independently. [1] Brand name for the AVSI Parenting model coming from a Swahili word meaning parenting [2] The training model can be accessed on: www.score.or.ug/resources.php [3] The modules include; appreciating the parenting responsibility, appreciating your child, parent- child relationships, raising your children with positive discipline and authoritative parenting; the positive approach [4] The study is in final stages of publication and can be found on the link http://score.or.ug/themencode-pdf-viewer/?file=http://score.or.ug/wp-content/ uploads/2017/08/Evaluation-of-SCORE-Project-Parenting-Skills-Training.pdf [5] Authoritative/ [positive parenting involves a parent who is responsive, loving, attentive and who natures her children. The AVSI parenting model is anchored around promoting this kind of parenting [6] Parenting groups are platforms where other protection, health and social activities are layered including; child growth monitoring, savings, HIV counseling and testing and other important messages AVSI Foundation is a nongovernmental Organization founded in Italy in 1972. Its mission is to carry out cooperation projects for development with particular emphasis on education. AVSI focuses on the defense and promotion of the dignity of the person, the cornerstone of every project.