Valuing and protecting the African child

Rwandans together with the rest of Africa yesterday in Rubavu district celebrated the International Day of the African Child. This day was established by the Organisation of African Unity (O.A.U) - now the African Union in remembrance of the 1976 Soweto protests where thousands of brave school children took to the streets to protest against inequalities that tainted their education system. Since it was during the South African apartheid regime, many of these children were killed but their cause was heard by the rest of the world. Today, every June 16th, is a day that permanently reminds every being who cares, about the children of Africa. Besides honouring the brave souls of Soweto, the African Child Day is a day that fights for the rights and cause of children in trouble like the child soldiers, HIV/Aids orphans, malnourished and impoverished children who will in the future be the continents leaders and keepers. We cannot ignore the fact that Africa is one rich continent well endowed with natural resources and beauty, a cause for wealth and development but also at the same time, root for all the continents troubles. These God-given resources with all their benefits are the continents reasons for wars, political greed and economic instability- all fueled in most cases by some hidden state interest decided by a few heads. This at the end directly affects the African child. With this year’s African Child Day main theme, ‘Let’s Combat Trafficking in Human Beings Especially Women and Children’, different countries are at liberty to adopt and form a sub-theme that is suitable in their local contexts. For Rwanda what is urgent is, ‘Child survival and decreasing child and maternal mortality rates.” This theme has led to efforts and strategies that will save the lives of Rwanda’s children. According to UNICEF Rwanda Representative, Dr. Joseph Foumbi, Rwanda is at a period where they are speeding up efforts to curb child mortality resulting from malnutrition and related diseases. “We have to remind ourselves towards our commitment to child survival and for Rwanda, this is very important.” Further still, Foumbi said that, “decreasing child mortality in Rwanda is one of the government’s targets and statistics reveal an estimated decrease of child deaths from 152 to 103 children.” Factually, this rate decrease is a good sign for Rwanda as they tackle their most urgent need among children. This does not come lightly given the country’s determination to improve all its sectors through permanent development and political stability. With the Health sector embarking on immunisation and de-worming campaigns, the Gender and Family Promotion sector tackling malnutrition as they embark on educating the masses on growing ‘Kitchen-Gardens’ for better nutrition and the Education sector that is tirelessly improving the quality of education country wide, child mortality in Rwanda will plummet. Rwanda’s story is one that can be a good role-model for other African countries in terms of realising the Millennium Development Goals that directly relate to the welfare and safety of African children. In countries like Somalia, Western Sudan in Darfur, Eastern DRC where civilian- targeted warfare and famine constitute the daily lives of children, curbing child mortality is like a dream. The images of children in these countries scavenging for food, child soldiers carrying guns and malnourished sick children is the kind of devastation that should not exist in the life of any child. Unfortunately, dictatorial and military governments withhold food as a political weapon to aggravate human suffering like the case is in Darfur. Health and Aid workers are limited access to the region which leaves a desperate situation of survival not only for the children but for all Darfurians. Talk of inhumanity and evil minded people! With war comes a breakdown in a societies proper functioning. This is in terms of lack of education, increased illiteracy levels which also contribute to increased child mortality rates. Prophet Joel in the Bible said, “My people perish because of the lack of knowledge.” If parents were not busy fighting or getting displaced in these catastrophic wars in Africa, then parents would be educated, they would have jobs and money and they would be capacitated to in turn feed, educated and protect their children at all times from causes of death. In other words, the African child needs to be valued and protected by government policies that include, obviously, reducing armed conflict, addressing food security in a timely manner as well as expansion of educational opportunities. anyglorian@yahoo.com