This week,Evidence and 𝗕𝗘𝗬𝗢𝗡𝗗 (E&B) joined over 13 partners from across East and Southern Africa at the Making African Catholic Schools Safe (MACS) learning forum to exchange ideas and strategies for preventing school-related violence.
During our session, Dr Lina Digolo shared case studies from the Global South of programmes that have successfully reduced violence against children in school settings – highlighting proven, evidence-based approaches that create safer, more nurturing learning environments.
We were especially proud to spotlight the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB), with whom we have worked with to strengthen their approach to school-based violence prevention through a one-year accompaniment programme under the Watoto Watunzwe initiative. This process created space to pause and reflect on their work, draw on both local and global evidence and lessons learned, and use these insights to begin refining and improving their program. Their journey brought to life ideas that resonated throughout the learning forum, especially the critical role of data in guiding impactful, evidence-informed programmes.