In the face of these challenges, the Child Rights Governance (CRG) program plays a pivotal role in reshaping the lives of Ethiopian children. With a budget of approximately 1.8 million , Save the Children Ethiopia's CRG program focuses on three critical sub-themes: Monitoring and Demanding Child Rights, Good Governance for Children, and Public Investment in Children.
The CRG program is strategically designed to bring about fundamental shifts in the way governments work for the benefit of children. By 2030, Save the Children aspires to achieve three breakthroughs for children - survival, learning, and protection.
CRG encompasses child rights monitoring and reporting, influencing policies and programs, and advocating for public investment in children. The program emphasizes capacity development for local and national stakeholders, making programs sustainable and effective. Empowering children through child-led initiatives is a key aspect, fostering active participation in creating child-friendly communities.
Save the Children employs a wide array of tools and approaches, including community mobilization, capacity development for duty bearers, advocacy, and promotion of accountability among child-focused service providers. Research and knowledge building play a crucial role in guiding interventions.
The three sub-themes: Monitoring and Demanding Child Rights, Good Governance for Children, and Public Investment in Children - are intricately linked with three common approaches: Child Rights Reporting, Public Investment in Children, and Child-Centered Social Accountability. These approaches directly contribute to broader program areas such as education, health, nutrition, child protection, and humanitarian response.
In 2022/23, Save the Children, in collaboration with the Ministry of Women, Children, and Youth Affairs (MOWSA), developed an Accountability Framework and Child Rights Mainstreaming Guideline. Notably, 18 sector ministries and agencies have mainstreamed child rights issues into their plans and budgets.
In the health sector, advocacy efforts resulted in an increased budget allocation from 7% in 2022 to 10% in 2023 for primary healthcare in the Afar region, showcasing tangible outcomes of CRG interventions.
Save the Children's CRG program stands as a beacon of hope amid crisis, working towards systemic changes to ensure the rights and well-being of every Ethiopian child, even in the most challenging circumstances.
