1. AGAPE AIDS CONTROL PROGRAMME (AACP)
Lubaga Street, Oposite Simej Hotel, Plot No. 69 LD P.O.BOX 2189, SHINYANGA, TANZANIA
Tel: /0713 – Website: Twitter: Agape Aids

2. AACP-ORGANIZATIONAL PROFILE
Agape AIDS Control Programme was established on 24th of January, 2006 as a CBO working to cover Shinyanga Region and later registered as an NGO on 24th June, 2009 by the Ministry of Community Development, Gender and Children and was issued with the Reg. 00NGO/ under the NGOs Act of 2002, 12 (2) Tanzania Laws. Mission Statement: To empower the Community to challenge Human Rights violation by strengthening their capacity to improve their resources of Income and reduce poverty, HIV/AIDS transmission, GBV prevalence, Child abuse and advance its mitigation measures” Vision Statement: To see the Community is free from Human Rights Violation and discrimination where Orphans and Vulnerable Children, Domestic Workers, Women, Youth, PLWHAs and the Community at large live harmonious happy life and Dignity”.

3. Agape ACP Vs Firelight Foundation
Agape AIDS Control Programme and Firelight Foundation come into contractual agreement in May 2015 to implement a Stop Child Marriages and Early Pregnancies Project covering 5 wards in Shinyanga Municipal. The project has two part, one is prevention part where by community awareness made on the harmful practices of child marriages and early child bearing and another part is supporting part where girls victim of child marriages and early pregnancies supported to access vocational training and supporting Most Vulnerable Children with scholastic materials and other school contributions.

4. ORGANIZATIONAL MAIN PROGRAMS
Agape ADS Control Programme has four main programs that contribute to its realization of the stated mission and vision statements, these main programs include the following;-
Child and Youth Protection;
Legal Aid Services provision;
Prevention of Gender Based Violence, Child marriages and Early Pregnancies; and
HIV/AIDS Control and Prevention

5. Child Marriages Status In Tanzania / Shinyanga
Tanzania has one of the highest child marriage prevalence rates in the world. On average, almost two out of five girls will be married before their 18th birthday.
While child marriage is common in Tanzania, prevalence is highest in : Shinyanga (59 percent), followed by Tabora (58 percent), Mara (55 percent), and Dodoma (51 percent) – UNICEF 2012
Underlying causes of Child Marriages in Shinyanga Region include the prevalence of harmful norms that make the community to view girls as source of income. In Sukuma communities, child marriage is preferred as it is believed that when a girl conceives while at home, she will remove the honor of the family and reduces bride wealth hence CM

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Poverty; Insufficient sensitization of the community on Child Protection; illiteracy and inadequate awareness by girls of health, legal and economic implications of child marriages. Influenced also by Inadequate provision of SRHR services to girls in and out of schools, low access to legal aid services to victims/adolescents, inadequate vocational skills to girls, gender roles and inadequate availability of child friendly institutions like schools and health facilities that accommodate the needs of girls.
The effects of this problem has been child bearing/pregnancies, exposure to risk of STIs infections, loss of status/rights of childhood, dropping out from school, increased patterns of dependency and vulnerability to decision making by girls.

7. Strategies Used to Address Child Marriages in Shinyanga Region
Public video session (Cinema Van);
Use of Child protection teams;
Community and victims change agent groups;
Other approaches been used by AACP are;- School clubs, capacity building to child protection actors, Advocacy meetings, IEC materials, Network and linkages building for GBV, legal aid and Child protection as well as service access to Victims; Public Meeting; Media Engagement; Family Reconciliation and Re- unification approach for keeping the children safe at their homes

8. Remarkable Changes (Results)
Vulnerable girl children are now rescued from child marriages and reintegrated in formal education at Agape Knowledge Open School (54 girls) and others are supported with vocational studies and are enrolled at Buhangija Focal Development College (269 girls) to pursue Tailoring, welding and fabrication, Electrical installation and Entrepreneurship skills.
Supported victims of child marriages and those at risk reported to have positively changed their life compared to the time before their being supported. They are now able to make decision on their own for their future life.
Importantly, the enrolled beneficiaries in the programme have proved that now they are aware with SRHE and access health information. This is because since their enrollment there are no new reported cases of pregnancies or marriages among them.

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60 girls have received business training and been given start up grants to initiate small businesses.
Community members are aware of the rights of children and have started reporting cases of child marriages in relevant organs and at Agape AIDS Control Programme offices, For example in January to January 2015 a total number of 321 cases of child marriages/at risk of child marriages reported directly by community members.

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Village Development Committees (VDC) and Ward Development Committees (WDC) are currently advocating education/health issues for adolescent girls. For examples some of the VDCs/WDCs during their training on child protection agreed to integrate child marriages as an agenda on their community public meetings and common planning meetings.
Traditional leaders provide education on child protection to community trough public meetings. Also, they had already set by laws in collaboration with (Sungusungu-Local Security) which guide them to provide punishment to those who violate rights of the children.

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Victims of Child abuse cases are now provided with legal aid and action taken against perpetrators. E.g. about 78 perpetrators were arrested by the police officers but now they are out for investigation; also one teacher from Lyabukande secondary school was arrested by police because of hosting a perpetrator who impregnated a school girl at his school.
Twenty schools (11 Primary Schools and 9 Secondary Schools) have developed School Child Protection Policies to secure children and protect girl children from Child Marriages and child Pregnancies.

12. Conclusion….
Child marriage and early pregnancies is an unspeakable violation of human rights and robs girl children off in their education, health and long-term positive life prediction. It is obvious that when a girl child is married, her basic rights get distorted.
Child brides may also suffer vulnerability to HIV and AIDS. Girls who get married early are more likely to suffer abuse and violence, with inevitable psychological as well as physical consequences.
To effectively address the problem of child marriages, there is need to have a holistic approach that looks at policy changes, addresses community attitudes, strengthens households economically and also empowers girls. AGAPE is now looking for potential donors to support scaling up the program to new districts.