Our approach
The Basis of our Work
- The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
- The African Charter for the Rights and Welfare of the Child
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) was passed on November 20th 1989. It was ratified by all states except the USA and Somalia. It is the first worldwide, cross-national treaty which deals solely with child protection. The focus is on the child as a person with fundamental rights which need protecting and not just an ‘object’ of help as has been the case until now. This holistic approach has changed the perception and status of the child and has led to new, rights-based work on the protection of children and young people.
The African Charter for the Rights and Welfare of the Child considers regional, cultural and social aspects particular to Africa. This charter was agreed by the Conference of the Heads of State and Government on July 11th 1990. It came into effect in November 1999 and has been ratified by 45 states since then. It grants children the same rights as the CRC but at the same time highlights their duties.
Despite much progress, the rights established in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter are only respected to an unsatisfactory degree in most African countries. There is often a lack of awareness of the effects of this convention on the African states for which is it imposed. There is also a lack of proficiency on how it should be implemented in practice to protect these basic, universal children’s rights.
Our Motivation
Through our dedication to ‘children’s rights-based projects’, we want to promote action which is realistic and directly related to the needs and interests of the children, as well as political and legal action.
We are involved in a holistic approach on three levels: politics, civil society and improving the situation of life for children and young people through solid work. We insist on promoting exchange and cooperation between the state and society for action which is reciprocal, responsible and sustainable. This means that it is also crucial to network everyone involved.
Our Axes of Intervention
Due to our many years of experience in working on projects for children and young people in Africa, and in accordance with our model for our work approach, we have applied our focus in the following areas of intervention:
(1) Work with the state as guarantor for the implementation of children’s rights.
(2) Work with the civil society as legal representative and promoter of children’s rights.
(3) Groundwork on the concrete implementation of rights for children in emergency situationsAdvocacy and formation of networks on international levels in Germany.
These axes of intervention are defined in the projects through the goals which have been set and they are filled with content through concrete measures. The implementation of the projects takes place predominantly on location through the local partner organisations, which are advised and supported by KiRA.
Our Current Target Groups
- Children and young people without families or stable family circumstances/street children
- Children and young people in exploitative working environments (domestic helpers, slaves, etc.)
- Children, victims of child trafficking and illegal schemes.
- Children and young people who are subjected to abuse and violence (including sexual abuse of girls, so-called ‘witch children’)
- Children and young people in conflict with the law/in police custody or in jail
- Child soldiers, children and young people as victims of armed conflicts
- Children and young people with disabilities Children and young people who have no access to basic education or schooling (including early education for children)