Abichu Area Program

Abichu has a population of 102,613 and a total area of about 654 sq. kms. Though it has its challenges, much can be said for the peaceful co-existence between the wide mix of religious and ethnic groups in the area. 

Child mortality is high, especially for children under 5 because of the lack of access to basic health and nutritional services. Many children are underweight, malnourished, or stunted. Access to a basic drinking water facility is a struggle for close to half of the population.

High dropout rates in schools are a result of school distance, large class sizes, shortage of desks and books, no teaching resources, and an inconducive school environment. In addition, the community is ignorant of the importance of educating children.

Some children are exposed to the worst forms of child labour and sexual abuse. No court systems are in place to handle sexual abuse cases for young children. There is also a stigma about children with disabilities, largely due to unawareness of their rights.

Despite these obstacles, there is much potential with land good for potato and livestock production. Integrating these opportunities can create additional income sources for households and open job opportunities to many unemployed people in the region.

Health, education, and child protection are areas that require the most attention and improvement. Food insecurity indicates that livelihood issues are the number one priority, while gender inequality, child labour, and harmful cultural behaviours are very common.

Health
There is a prevalence of mortality in children under 5 due to the serious lack of basic health and nutritional services for mothers and children. Health facilities face low capacity of staff and institutions, low use of public health services, and insufficient supply of equipment and medication. Some facilities do not have electricity or water. 

46% of the population lacks access to a basic drinking water facility and only 21% of educational institutions have access to a sanitation and hygiene facility.

Children suffer from malnutrition and stunted growth because of low production/access to nutritious foods and poor awareness about healthy, diversified diets. Undernutrition can also be attributed to socio-economics like deep rooted poverty, limited employment opportunities, low household income, low education levels, and poor access to health services.

Education
Teachers are undertrained, leaving 77% of pre-primary children out of school. Dedicated and well-trained teachers are imperative, especially for children aged 4-6 where a set foundation for life-long learning is critical.

Some parents cannot afford their child’s basic needs because of their economic status. Because of this, parents prefer children to work instead of attending school, leading to low enrolment, high dropout, and high illiteracy rates.

Pre-primary and primary schools are attached. This results in ineffective seating arrangements and the lack of separate spaces for indoor and outdoor learning creates inconducive learning environments. School materials are scarce and some schools are built using local materials, leaving construction quality below standard. Most schools also lack basic sanitation and hygiene facilities.

Child Protection & Participation
Many children face child labour, poverty, and lack of protection. Some working children have even been exposed to sexual abuse in their jobs. The absence of one or both parents often leaves children without access to food, clothing, shelter, and medical care. 

A prevalence of child marriage and female genital mutilation exists, but cases go unreported due to low awareness, low law enforcement, inaccessibility to reporting mechanisms, and fear of retaliation. 

Abichu has 16,157 children with disabilities–28% of the total child population–who are not attending school. They are among the most neglected, lacking care and support from their parents. Children with disabilities face limited opportunities because of environmental and attitudinal barriers in the community.

Health
To improve access to health care and nutritious foods, World Vision will:

• Create savings groups to boost, diversify, and create income for children to access wholesome food and medical care.
• Increase vaccination rate for children under 2 and support the most vulnerable children to gain access health services.
• Increase and sustain intake of nutritious food by children under 5, as well as women of child-bearing age, and improve nutritional behaviours among community members.
• Monitor growth in children and plan to rehabilitate those who are underweight.

Education
To improve the quality and access to education for all children, World Vision will:

• Implement literacy programs to focus on the establishment of reading centres and capacitating teachers on pedagogy.
• Include disabled children in planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of education projects.
• Address the unappealing state of primary schools and shortage of school materials.
• Empower communities and collaborate with the government and other stakeholders to ensure improvements in education are carried out.

Child Protection & Participation
To provide safe, equal, and protective environments for all children, World Vision will:

• Raise community awareness on child rights–especially for children with disabilities–gender equality, and importance of birth registration.
• Promote positive parenting.
• Initiate and maintain dialogue to transform attitudes and beliefs about harmful cultural norms towards children.
• Capacitate children to understand their protection rights and lawful entitlements, and how to advocate for themselves and others.