AFRICA-Africa celebrated the African Child Day

Rome (Fides Service) - Every year on June 16, African Child Day is celebrated, an occasion for reflection on the conditions of the more vulnerable children and adolescents in Africa (see Fides 15/6/2011). Among the initiatives worth mentioning are those carried out in countries like Burundi, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria, the Association of Volunteers in International Service (AVIS), which, with the daily work of the staff and local partners are able to support various programs including distance support. Not only parties, but moments of meeting and sharing to promote more sensitive issues dedicated to children and adolescents, involving families and the community.
In Burundi, Bujumbura, at the MEO Center, born in 2001 and over the years has become an important reference point for more than 500 children, AVIS has organized games with prizes for the event which required the involvement of the family also, simply to emphasize the importance of parents in the educational processes of children. In collaboration with Cadhro (local NGO specialized in law and legal defense of the most vulnerable), organized moments of awareness on the rights of the child with the participation of parents. In Kayanza and Ngozi meetings were held with families to reflect on the condition of the child in Africa.
In Rwanda, in the refugee camps where Congolese children and families are welcomed, poetry, theater, music and drawing competitions were organized. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, in Kamanyola, in South Kivu, AVIS contributed to the day organized by the Danilo Catarzi Center with the participation of some children also from Rwanda and Burundi who took part in recreational activities such as football matches, traditional dances and writing poems.
In Nigeria, the Child Day was celebrated in advance by AVIS, to emphasize the importance of these places as points of reference for the development of the community. As part of a project that provides assistance and care of orphans and vulnerable children and the creation of clubs that help the children stay together, on May 26, in the village of Ikorodu, at St. John's Nursery and the Oreto Primary School Compound , meetings and demonstrations were held following the theme "Our Children - Aspiring to greatness". The Day, which was attended by 176 children and 54 relatives, began with a prayer and a song and was followed by activities dedicated to highlight the importance of infant education, encouraging parents to send their children to school. The theatrical play on the rights of children which saw them as actors was also emotional. On May 28, the association in Idiaraba, Mushin, Ikorodu and Ikat organized special activities to promote greater awareness on the rights of children through targeted proposals and remembering the basics to the children themselves and their families. There was a large participation, 639 children and 163 adults. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 06/18/2011)