Child Participation in Awareness Raising through Theatre

This 4-page report, published by the African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF), details the successes of the Dagoretti Children in Need project, which aims to improve the physical and psychological health, living conditions, and skills of children and adolescents in vulnerable circumstances. The project has, in the last four years, worked with the community of Dagoretti slum, located in Nairobi, Kenya, to establish a system for rehabilitating, re-socialising, and reintegrating street children into the community. The report focuses on the project's use of theatre for rehabilitation, outlining AMREF's "theatre-like-home" approach and the impact this approach has had on vulnerable children.

The idea of the "theatre-like-home" approach is to build on the artistic capabilities of the children to encourage and enable them to communicate their need for education, health, and family. As stated in the report, the approach creates a family-like environment that fosters a sense of belonging while giving individuals the space to express themselves. The idea is to trigger a process of collective healing for the children, who in turn actively participate in their community through public performances.

According to the report, the pilot theatre project called The Black Pinocchio gave the young people involved a sense of team spirit and self-discipline, as well as a heightened sense of self-worth and personal ability. In addition to the personal benefit to the participants, the report highlights the following achievements:

• Children were provided with challenging, innovative, high-quality arts education opportunities.
• Young artists were motivated through performances to encourage youth involvement in community development.
• Awareness was raised on key issues such as environmental protection, crime prevention, prevention of domestic and child abuse, community participation, and HIV/AIDS.
• 20 children are actively involved in educational activities - 12 in primary schools in Dagoretti, and 8 training with local artisans in various fields including mechanics, tailoring, and metal work.
• 5 shows were performed for a Kenyan audience that included policy makers, donors, the community, development practitioners, and children.
• Partnerships were formed with Bricole theatre, from Parma, Italy, for training and capacity building.
• 4 shows were performed for an international audience composed of donors, policymakers, and supporters in Palermo and Rome.

The report also states that the performances played a significant role in dispelling the belief that street children are criminals, drug users, and idlers, and demonstrated that children have immense potential to promote peace and development.