War Child supports projects of local relief organisations focused on children and adolescents between the ages of 5 and 20 who have been affected by the conflict. The organisations and War Child share the same creative approach. War Child enters partnerships with these organisations in order to develop their capacity in a sustainable manner.
Three types of projects receive support from War Child:
- prevention and peace-building projects intended to reduce the recruitment of children and adolescents by illegal armed groups and promote a culture of peace,
- projects which contribute to the reintegration of ex-child soldiers,
- advocacy projects that promote children's rights and contribute to positive, sustainable policy change.
Target groups
The projects focus on ex-child soldiers, displaced children and children that are at risk of being recruited by armed groups as well as teachers, parents and caregivers, the community and policy makers.
Locations
The projects are implemented in areas where the conflict is particularly intense, which are welcoming displaced families, where children and adolescents are frequently being recruited into armed groups, where reception centres for ex-child soldiers are located and where there is no duplication of work by other international relief organisations.
Phase of the programme
War Child is striving to strengthen and progressively expand its programme in Colombia. War Child's priorities for 2007-2009 are:
- to professionalize the support offered to its local partners in order to increase their capacity,
- to identify new partners and alternative sources of funding to support the increase in number or size of projects supported,
- to design an advocacy strategy and support its partners' advocacy efforts.