Pamoja programme
Download the Pamoja Workbook to prepare for your project.
Pamoja
Pamoja Kwa Haki means ‘Together for Rights’ in Swahili, and is the term used by Trócaire to describe its human rights programme for schools.
Pamoja provides a model for teachers and students to promote education within their school. The teachers and students taking part carry out awareness-raising activities based around Trócaire’s Lenten theme. 2008’s programme focused on Climate Change and its impact on livelihoods in Kenya.
Student centred
While Trócaire provides a school with support and assistance, activities are all student-led and student-centred. It is the students themselves who decide on what initiatives they would like to undertake in order to promote Trócaire’s work. Because the programme is student-led and student-motivated, participants gain a real understanding of the issues.
Mobilising for Global Citizenship
The objective of the Pamoja programme is to mobilise young people to become global citizens and human rights activists. Therefore, it’s about young people who are concerned and passionate about human rights, coming together to create awareness, and for the students themselves to activate people to act in the defence and promotion of Human Rights. Using creative and innovative means, young people have the ability to reach out to peers, schools and beyond to support Trócaire in working for a more just world. By undertaking this challenge the students develop into global citizens concerned about global issues.
Support to Pamoja schools
In order to support schools undertaking a Pamoja project Trócaire provides a:
- Trocaire Link: A Pamoja group is assigned to one of Trócaire’s Education Officers who is available by way of visits, phone calls and emails to support students during the year.
- Information on the Lenten theme and country focus.
- Presentation & Training Day, which takes place in November, which allows students to share ideas with other Pamoja schools and provide handy hints and tips in terms of preparing to present a Pamoja project. This includes workshops on dealing with the media, how to organize a campaign or how to present to Primary school children.
- Trocaire visitor from the Lenten focus country visits schools during Lent to support schools’ individual campaigns and to give a special and personal insight into their life, work and country.
- Trocaire Pamoja ‘Certificate of Achievement’ is presented to students on completion of the project in recognition of students’ commitment to justice, peace and human rights.
