We work with local partner organizations and communities to build and strengthen existing community-based child protection mechanisms (CBCPMs), ensuring that children and community members are at the center of their own protection. These mechanisms empower communities to identify risks, prevent harm, and respond effectively when children are in danger. 

To ensure long-term impact, we connect these community-led efforts with government systems and services, helping to build a coordinated and sustainable child protection response that does not operate in isolation.

In partnership with our local partners, ChildFund has established over 25 Community Child Protection Committees (CCPCs) across the West Coast Region. These committees bring together key local actors, including parents, teachers, village development committee members, religious leaders, and representatives from children's groups, to create a safe, supportive environment for children. Their role is to prevent abuse, neglect, exploitation, and other forms of violence while also educating children to understand and claim their rights.

Our violence prevention work also prioritizes addressing harmful practices that continue to affect children, particularly girls and young women, including female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and child marriage. Learn more.

Children learn best when they feel safe, supported, and connected. That’s why we launched the Education for Protection and Wellbeing (EPW) program, giving children the tools they need to succeed, inside and outside the classroom.

Through EPW, we work closely with the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE) to create school environments where children’s physical, emotional, and psychological well-being is prioritized.

We train teachers and caregivers in techniques that help children manage emotions, build relationships, solve problems, and stay safe. Children also develop key life skills such as communication, self-awareness, and decision-making, which enhance learning and boost confidence. At the heart of this approach is social-emotional learning (SEL), which research shows improves academic outcomes, mental health, and future success. 

Initially piloted in two schools (Jambanjelly LBS convention school and Quranic Illumination Centre) in Banjul, this project is now being implemented in schools across 7 districts. Learn more.

A child’s journey begins at home — and parents and caregivers are their first and most important teachers. That’s why our Responsive and Protective Parenting program equips families with the tools they need to nurture their children’s development from the start. 

Delivered through home visits, group sessions, and radio broadcasts, our programs prioritize quality parent-child play activities and promote “positive” or “responsive” parenting practices: ensuring that children have adequate supervision as well as proper nutrition, hygiene and sanitation. We train trusted community facilitators to lead parenting sessions on brain development, child safety, and positive parenting. These interventions transform homes into safe, stimulating environments where children's earliest developmental needs are met with love and understanding.

Featured Project

ChildFund implements the World Bank-funded Playful Parenting Program in Nianija District

In the remote Nianija District in the Central River Region, ChildFund rolled out a Playful Parenting Project designed to empower parents and caregivers to support early childhood development through responsive, play-based caregiving. The initiative reached 579 caregivers and 1,222 children aged 0 to 3 years, helping families strengthen nurturing care practices during the most critical years of a child’s life. Using hands-on experiential learning methods, participants were guided to adopt practical strategies that support children’s growth through play and responsive interaction from birth. The results were powerful. At the start of the project, only 44% of caregivers reported any knowledge of child development. By the end of the intervention, that figure had risen to 96%, a clear sign of progress in community awareness and capacity to provide enriching care for young children.

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Child protection is central to ChildFund’s emergency response. In times of crisis, children face heightened risks of abuse, neglect, exploitation, trafficking, and psychological harm. We work with families, communities, local partners, and government institutions to create safe, supportive environments for children during and after emergencies.

Through Community Child Protection Committees (CCPCs), local communities help identify at-risk children and provide timely, life-saving interventions. We strengthen this work by training caregivers and community members on children’s rights and the importance of protection in emergencies.

One area where this approach is making a difference is Foni belt—a 75-kilometer stretch along the border with Senegal’s Casamance region. Since 1981, conflict in this region has displaced thousands of families, with children among the most affected. Uprooted from their homes, many face increased risks of abuse, family separation, and emotional trauma.

In partnership with the Foni Ding Ding Federation, ChildFund provides emergency supplies, psychosocial support, and establishes Child-Friendly Spaces, safe environments where children can play, learn, and begin to heal. These spaces restore a sense of normalcy and uphold children’s rights to safety and well-being, even amid conflict. Learn more.

In The Gambia, harmful traditional practices, Often rooted in gender inequality, continue to threaten the safety and well-being of children, especially girls. Despite laws prohibiting practices such as female genital mutilation (FGM), early and forced marriage, and corporal punishment, many children still face these harmful experiences within their communities.

To help end these violations, ChildFund, together with local partners, works directly with communities to raise awareness about the negative physical and psychological impact of these practices on children. Our sensitization sessions are designed to spark dialogue, shift harmful social norms, and promote the full implementation of child protection laws. 

In 2024, ChildFund reached over 20,094 community members and 31,350 girls with education and awareness programs focused on the dangers of harmful traditional practices, children’s rights, and the importance of creating safer, more supportive environments for all children.

ChildFund continues to work closely with partners to advance legislation that safeguards the rights and well-being of all children. As part of these efforts, the ChildFund convenes quarterly meetings of the Child Protection Stakeholders’ Technical Working Group. These meetings provide a platform for discussing, developing, and implementing policies and strategies aimed at strengthening child protection.

One such meeting focused on developing a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) tool for children. This tool will be used to gather children’s views as part of the ongoing review of The Children’s Act (2005), ensuring that the revised legislation effectively addresses existing gaps and reflects the realities children face today.