Happy New Year to you all! I hope you danced and shouted loud when all Rwandans were welcoming 2009. However, there are some children who did not freely express their joy on New Years Day.

Did you know that children have a right to be happy and express their excitement towards anything that amazes them?

However there are some children who think that excitement and happiness is about drinking alcohol, taking drugs and disrespecting their elders.

Sometimes children especially teenagers go to unsafe places like discos where they are exposed to danger. Doing such things and joining bad groups is not good because at the end these children always get into trouble. 

However, when you have good friends who know how to have fun in a good way that relax you, you are protected from being abused, getting drunk and taking drugs. 

If you are invited to a birthday party or a wedding, go with an adult. This is safer in case anything happens that is beyond your control. Its every child’s right to be protected from unsafe places and people.

As children, you should remember that God has made you live to see a New Year. This means that you should stay safe by spending time with the right people, at the right places and at the right time. 

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