Everyone is connected to a child. Everyone. Whether as a parent, an uncle, an aunt, a caretaker, teacher or an adult who was once a child, we all have a connection with children and childhood. Representing over 70% of the global population, children are quite special; they bring sunshine and laughter into our lives and assure us of tomorrow.
It is quite startling to see that a large number of children in the world die everyday due to hunger, poverty, terrorism and war. UNICEF estimates 22,000 children die everyday due to hunger and poverty related reasons, which makes over 8 million children annually. Even though a child is born into the world every 6 seconds, many do not live to see their next birthdays and those who survive in the inner cities grow up frustrated and violent.
All children are our tomorrow; they are our future and our extension. They therefore cannot be ignored and must be raised with the knowledge that there’s an innate seed in each child which can build society or destroy it. Everyone of us can make the connection with each child and preserve our future by taking deliberate and calculated steps in supporting the InnerCity Mission for Children, because every child has the same potential but not the same opportunity.These are the thoughts we should ponder on as we celebrate Children’s Day in many parts of the world. Happy Children’s Day!
26 years ago, the world made a commitment to protect the rights of every child; this commitment was captured in the UNCRC – the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.These rights are grouped into 4 broad categories: the right to survive; the right to be safe; the right to belong; and, the right to develop. Sadly, millions of indigent children around the world are denied their fundamental rights as a result of poverty.