Politics, porn and punishment – a tale of four countries
Three trips to four countries this autumn revealed very different conditions and concerns in each place Lullaby Africa operates. It’s why the vision cannot ever be one size fits all.
Teenage mums practise massage in Zimbabwe
In Uganda, the moral and neurological aspects of physical chastisement dominated conversation. Even among the leaders, it is typical behaviour to beat children and toddlers if they are ‘naughty’. Helen and Isobel highlighted both the damage this can inflict on children and the way their unformed brains cannot comprehend the concept of naughtiness. The leaders took the message on board and will report back whether their groups show more gentleness towards their children in coming months. For parents of teenagers, the concerns would not have been a surprise in the UK – peer pressure, pornography, drugs and copying the bad language of their elders!
Rwanda highlighted the way politics can impact on Lullaby Africa’s work. Over 75% of the nation’s churches have been closed by the government, so Lullaby Africa was unable to teach women in the villages affected. What Isobel and Helen could do was to teach six leaders in the local nursery school, so they can pass the teaching onto parents at the school.
Deep in the rural, about 140 Ugandan mothers listened intently as we talked about being gentle and playful with our children.
Sue and Rosie undertook Lullaby Africa’s first trip to Harare, where they worked in partnership with leaders of the local charity Refuge Zimbabwe. They taught teenage mothers, parents and children with disabilities and both female and male caregivers in several locations around the capital. The trip confirmed the value of partnerships with existing charities, who have the people, infrastructure and contacts. Zimbabwe is an inherently unstable environment and it seems unwise to work independently in a complicated country.
Lullaby Africa is most established in Kisumu, Kenya. Since the charity’s last visit, local leaders have doubled from 50 to over 100 and the teaching is well understood. Beatings and rape within marriage are now viewed as unacceptable, a dramatic change from a few years ago. The growth brought home to Helen and new trustee Nidhi Trimble the need for a five year plan to prioritise growth of the work.
In all locations, the charity’s costs are rising as businesses and governments struggle to make ends meet. Donations do not buy what they once did, prompting Lullaby Africa to professionalise its fundraising strategy and focus its activities so it can continue to deliver baby bonding in the most cost-effective and impactful way.
For the working out of that strategy in 2025, watch this space.