The University of Nairobi has partnered with UNICEF and other organisations to launch two short social norms courses meant to keep children safe and reduce harmful practices that impact on children.

Other players in the initiative include the Southern Africa Regional Office (UNICEF ESARO), the International Committee for the Development of Peoples (CISP) and Africa Coordinating Centre for the Abandonment of FGM (ACCAF).

In recognising the profound impact of harmful social norms on children and communities and the changes needed, these courses are now available to change-makers, including students across universities in Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Somalia, as well as representatives from relevant government agencies at both the national and local levels, and members of civil society organisations in Kenya.

Social norm

“The launch of the social norm change programming and measurement course comes at an opportune moment for the University, CISP, UNICEF and all other development partners.

“This course is a first locally and will enable us understand how behaviours are formed and the best approaches to gain positive social and behavioural change in communities with endemic harmful practices that include FGM,” stated Prof Stephen Kiama , Vice Chancellor, University of Nairobi.

In a speech read on his behalf by Prof Margaret Hutchinson, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research and Innovation and Enterprise, Prof Kiama added: “The training courses launched today demonstrate the immense potential of partnerships between academia, national institutions, and the development sector in empowering the current and future generation of service providers with the objective of promoting children’s and human rights on a larger scale.”

Lieke van de Wiel, UNICEF ESARO Deputy Regional Director, emphasised that the partnership between academia and the development sector is an essential catalyst for creating meaningful and sustainable behaviour change for children.

“Academias research-driven expertise, when combined with the practical insights of the development sector, empowers us to better understand, address, and ultimately transform complex societal behaviours. It is through this collaboration that we can equip future generations with the knowledge and tools to promote positive change on a broader scale.