May 21, 2021
“There is no trust more sacred than the one the world holds with children. There is no duty more important than ensuring that their rights are respected, that their welfare is protected, that their lives are free from fear and want and that they can grow up in peace.” -Kofi Annan
In a world where everyone seeks to fight for something, The Foundation For Tomorrow seeks to fight for children’s rights. The child rights and protection project targets not only our scholars but all students, teachers and non-teaching staff in our partner schools as well as parents /guardians of our scholars. Children at this age and time are more vulnerable than ever before; reports of violence, exploitation and abuse of children have been common headlines in our media.
Here at The Foundation For Tomorrow, interacting with children is our daily routine. We witness many of them at a risk of falling prey to abuse and it is unfortunate that some children undergo abuse but are not aware of it, and because they are young, they are not always able to stand for themselves. Child abuse is everybody’s business; children are the present and the future of our nations. We teach children to recognize abuse and give them an arena to report incidences of abuse in the Happy and sad boxes we place in school as a means to air out their concerns.
It is not just important for children to know that they need to be protected but for them to know their rights as well. According to the UNCRC’s chart of children’s rights, right number 42 states that children have a right to know their rights. We make it our business to make children aware of their rights as well as their responsibilities.
This month we conducted Child Rights and Protection Trainings to 66 teachers and non-teaching staff from 3 of our partner schools and 870 students were taught about their rights and responsibilities. We have installed Happy & Sad boxes in each of the three schools and they will be monitored and opened once a month to address the different issues and concerns brought forth by the students.
Thank you all for your support towards this project- let us all remember that children are the seed that make our future blossom!