These blogs are about giving children a say on the issues that affect them — an important part of our work. We've invited children from a number of countries to be part of our Children's Panel. We've committed ourselves to giving its members a say in what we do and how we do it. As part of that work, we also aim to give children a greater role in our programmes. Last year, we helped 15,000 children in Bangladesh raise their voices about the inequity in healthcare and nutrition in the country.
As I sat across from the leaders of Arr Man Thit, a small community-based organisation which we fund for their child rights work, their eyes full of hope and fatigue, I realised that this was going to be one of those inspiring, yet gut-wrenching moments.
13 October is International Day for Disaster Reduction. Children and adults around the world will be ‘Stepping Up’ for disaster risk reduction, and we’ll be there with them!
This week we heard a great story about a 9 year old boy called Joe, who did something amazing to raise money for Save the Children. Something that not many 9 year olds I know would manage. Something that not many people I know would manage!
I joined young people from other countries like Colombia, Nigeria, South Africa, to express our views on child poverty and what we think Save the children should or should not be doing.
“Here’s my quote,” 17-year-old Hafsat told me, pausing until she was sure I was ready to write it down word for word. “‘He who wears the shoes knows where it itches.’ If your shoes are hurting you, I’m not going to know that unless I ask you. In other words if you’re working with children, you have to ask them for their opinions.”
Watch the children of the world’s newest nation express their hopes for the future of their country and themselves.
“I don’t know anything about my new home because I’ve never been here. I hope there will be a school. That’s the only thing I have in mind.”
In the soon-to-be independent nation of South Sudan, the stark inequalities between girls and boys, and the lack of access to basic services in rural areas are all so evident.
As fighting escalates in Abyei and Southern Kordofan State, along the border between north and south, southern Sudan is also struggling with safety and protection for thousands of children fleeing the violence.
Change is happening at the Shirin Hazara School. The number of girls has tripled in the past decade; lessons are arranged in double-shifts to cope with the growing numbers of these bright young hopefuls.
Yesterday we heard from six year old Jacqueline who saw our advert on the television. She was sad when she discovered that not every child could go to the doctors when they weren’t well. She decided to do something about it, so she has asked her family and friends to donate to Save the Children instead of buying her birthday presents this year.
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