The experience of Advisory Elders in community based child protection programs

Save the Children Sweden (SCS) and the Ethiopia-based NGO, Forum on Sustainable Child Empowerment (FSCE), have developed a series of interventions to protect children and instill child friendly justice within the criminal justice system in Ethiopia. Interventions have relied heavily on the engagement of volunteers, especially elders. This document provides information on the experience gained and lessons learned from working with the Advisory Elders (Mekari shemagles), highly respected community leaders who play an important role in solving disputes within the community and who intervene in child protection in their neighbourhood. The aim of this programme is to protect children who find themselves in conflict with the law and to ensure a smooth reintegration and acceptance of these children in their families, peers and community at large.
This report highlights the work and results of the work led by the Advisory Elders in the two subcities of Addis Ababa, Arada and Kolfe Keranio.