Life Skills: Empathy, Communication, Interpersonal Relationships
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child states clearly that all children have equal rights. For example, all children may need to help or to do some work, but if work is divided so that it discriminates against girls, this is wrong. Girls are often expected to do more work and this deprives them of equal opportunities to study and do well in school and can lead to illness. Division of labour should not affect the physical, mental, social and spiritual development of either the girls or the boys.
Materials
When Ali comes back from school, his sister Ayesha, helps weed the garden then helps cook the evening meal. After the meal, she washes the dishes. Ali helps with weeding the garden after which he does some work for his lessons.
Add others or adapt the above to suit the group. The educator keeps a record of the boy’s answers and girl’s answers to each question. Ask selected children to give reason for their responses after each statement.
Follow-up
Groups can present aspects of their discussion through roleplays.
Roleplay
An interesting activity is to ask children to act out a reverse roleplay such as the one below.
Mr Okello is busy cleaning the house. He is carrying a baby on his back and a small child is pulling at his legs wanting something. He is obviously tired, but dinner is also cooking on the fire. He talks about his problems as he works, that there may not be enough food when his wife comes home from work. After he has sorted out his problems his wife returns. She is a little drunk and is angry that dinner is not ready. The children hide behind their father.