The Social Protection Ministry, in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has recently concluded an evaluation exercise in Kwakwani, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) and Timehri, Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), where construction of Child Advocacy Centres are now underway.
This was disclosed by Region Four Health Officer Quincy Jones, who noted that the initiative was one developed by the Social Protection Ministry in its effort to provide and properly care for vulnerable children.
UNICEF has so far contributed to the initiation of these projects by donating some G$4 million in equipment, including televisions, forensic kits, and computers to be utilised by the beneficiaries when the Centres are completed.
“We have already received millions in donation from UNICEF for these centres and we are working to ensure each location sees the establishment of a Child Advocacy Centre before the end of 2019,” he explained.
In addition, Jones said that the Centres would be housed within the Kwakwani Hospital Complex and at the Timehri Health Centre, since these were ideal locations for cases of such nature to be dealt with.
“At the Kwakwani Hospital, the facility will be set up within the Hospital and at the Timehri Health Centre for that district. The Timehri Health Centre is presently under construction and the establishment for that Child Advocacy Centre was also budgeted,” Jones noted.
The establishment of these new centres is the fulfilment of a promise made by the Ministry during the commissioning ceremony of a similar centre at the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC) back in 2018.
Like the centre in Linden, these facilities will be child-friendly and staffed by counsellors, parent-skills educators as well as forensic interviewers.
The Child Advocacy Centre is a child-focused, facility-based programme in which representatives from law enforcement, child protection, prosecution, mental health, medical and victim advocacy work to provide healing for survivors of abuse.
