Today, too many children grow up in homes characterised by violence directed at them and their mothers or female caregivers.
Emerging evidence demonstrates that parenting programmes have the potential to reduce both forms of violence simultaneously, particularly when they adopt a ‘gender-transformative’ approach. However, while parenting programmes offer a powerful entry point to address violence, scaling them through government systems remains a challenge.
This session brings together government and civil society partners from Rwanda and Kenya to share practical lessons on scaling gender-transformative parenting programmes. Through the case of Bandebereho (Rwanda) and Skillful Parenting (Kenya), speakers will highlight how collaboration, policy alignment, and capacity strengthening can support sustainable scale.
Participants will engage in interactive discussion to reflect on barriers and opportunities in their own contexts. The session will generate concrete recommendations for advancing multi-sectoral partnerships and embedding prevention within national child protection systems.
Ritha Nyiratunga, Senior Associate, Prevention Collaborative (Country: Rwanda)
Beatrice Ogutu, Executive Director, ICS Kenya (Country: Kenya)
Emmanuel Karamage, Project Coordinator, Bandebereho (Country: Rwanda)
Representative (TBC), Government of Rwanda
10 min – Framing presentation (Prevention Collaborative): How do violence against women and violence against children intersect? What does the evidence show regarding how gender-transformative approaches integrated within parenting programmes prevent both forms of violence?
10 min – Rwanda case (Government\/RWAMREC): Lessons from scaling up Bandebereho implemented through the existing Government structures in partnership with NCDA (National Child Development Agency) and how it is aligned with national priorities and policies.
10 min – Kenya case (ICS-SP): Nurturing a Nation: How ICS SP’s Gender Transformative Skillful Parenting Programme Became Kenya’s National Blueprint for Stronger Families
25 min – Interactive discussion through small group or pair discussion: “What is one barrier and one opportunity for scaling parenting programmes that prevent violence and address gender equality in your context?” If possible, will include live polling (e.g., Mentimeter) to capture priorities
5 min – Key takeaways and closing
