Metropolitan International University (MIU) is partnering with Samuel S. Martin, M.A., Executive Director of the New Foundation for Biblical Research (NFBR, Jerusalem), on a focused pilot project in Kampala aimed at reducing and ultimately ending the practice of corporal punishment of children among Christian communities.
The initiative builds on more than two decades of Martin’s work bridging theological scholarship and modern child-protection frameworks. His widely distributed free resource Thy Rod and Thy Staff, They Comfort Me: Christians and the Spanking Controversy has helped religious communities transition away from corporal punishment without compromising core convictions. The methodology emphasizes faith-compatible cognitive reframing and belief-system reconstruction in support of Ending Violence Against Children (EVAC). Martin’s approach has been used in teacher training, regional parenting programs, and formal online modules across multiple countries and has informed legislative discussions in several nations.
The Kampala Pilot Project
The pilot centers on a two-day series of four half-day workshops facilitated by Martin himself. The sessions target practicing Christian lay adults who generally hold favorable views of corporal punishment:
- Mixed-gender adults (men and women, age 18+)
- Women and girls (age 18+, women-only)
- Men (age 18+, men-only)
- Mothers of at least one child (women-only)
Each group will consist of approximately 25 participants. The primary goal is to measure shifts in attitudes and intentions toward abandoning corporal punishment of children.
MIU’s role includes assembling the target groups in Kampala, providing campus facilities and personnel, hosting the events, and arranging professional filming of the workshops. An indicative budget of USD 4,000–5,000 has been discussed to cover logistics and related support for these four activities. The proposal is scheduled for consideration by the MIU Governing Council in September 2026, after which a formal cooperation agreement can be developed.
External Evaluation and Academic Output
The workshops will undergo independent professional evaluation by Dr. Joan van Niekerk, a highly experienced South African child-protection consultant with a distinguished career spanning social work, national coordination of Childline services, law-and-policy advocacy, training, and international roles including past President-Elect of the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN). Dr. van Niekerk will join the Kampala sessions.
Following the events, MIU will supply the workshop films. Martin and Dr. van Niekerk will co-author an academic paper presenting the project design, evaluation findings, and outcomes. This deliverable is intended to contribute evidence on the effectiveness of rapid, faith-compatible reframing approaches in changing norms around violence against children.
Broader Context and Impact
Martin’s prior work has received scholarly endorsements, been integrated into training and parenting programs in countries including Eswatini, the Solomon Islands, and the Philippines, and has informed child-protection and legislative efforts elsewhere. Documented reader testimonies and institutional use point to measurable shifts in theological understanding and parenting practice. The MIU partnership represents a concrete next step: a carefully designed, evaluated pilot that can generate local evidence and, if successful, support scaled efforts across Uganda and beyond.
This collaboration aligns MIU’s institutional capacity and community reach with specialized expertise in faith-based norm change and rigorous child-protection evaluation. Together, the partners aim to produce practical impact in Kampala while contributing knowledge that can help reduce violence against children among Christian populations who remain among the strongest supporters of corporal punishment in many settings.
Further updates will be shared as the Governing Council review and subsequent planning progress.
