Child Abuse Workshop
Posted by: Erin Kambenja on January 04, 2012 | Staff Blog
A group of women sit side by side on the floor of a small shelter eager to learn more about child abuse and how they can stop it in their communities… These women (and 1 man) are home-based care workers (HBCs) from many villages who were attending our workshop on child abuse last week. Home-based care workers are chosen in each village to help care for the critically ill in their village as it isn’t always easy to travel to the clinic every time one is sick. They not only provide basic medicine and first aid, but they also help the patients do daily household chores that they are no longer able to perform.
This group is the perfect group to educate and train in several areas to be advocates to the people in their community. The first workshop we did with this group was on basic counseling and human development. Last week we did our second workshop on child abuse. The problem of child abuse is very big in many of the communities mostly because people are not educated on how they are hurting their child physically, mentally, and emotionally. During the workshop, the HBCs were very interested in the topic and had many questions about how to stop child abuse, what to do when you see it, and what the consequences are to a child. They said that the topic was very relevant as they experience this in their communities often. They also learned a bit about parenting for their own homes. I hope that they will now take the information and educate their communities. Many of them asked for extra handouts to give to people they know which I see as the first step of this workshop being a success. We look forward to the other 3 workshops that we have planned and hope they will be just as successful.
Fiona Killough
Great news Erin! Keep up the good work!
About Erin Kambenja
Job Title: LIFE Community Coordinator/Social Worker
Location: Livingstone, Zambia
Spouse: Watson Kambenja
Bio:
Erin grew up in South Lake Tahoe, California. God put a passion for missions and Africa in her heart from the beginning of her relationship with him. She studied social work in college and received a BSW and an MSW in order to use it on the mission field.
She first traveled to Africa in 2005 on a short-term mission trip and after finishing her Bachelor’s degree, returned to Africa to live in Zambia for a year. She worked with another organization organizing a child sponsorship program and volunteering in the community of Livingstone. After returning to the U.S. for one year to complete her MSW, she came back to Zambia and worked with a small orphanage which eventually led her to the Overland Missions and the LIFE Project where a social worker was needed. Erin has been volunteering with the LIFE Project since 2010. She attended AMT in May 2010 and is now very happy to be part of the staff.
She is married to Watson, a Zambian nurse, and they are very excited to spend their life in Zambia serving those in need of hope.
