President Lazarus Chakwera has called on Malawians to ensure that children are protected from all forms of abuse.
The President was speaking in Mangochi yesterday when he graced this year’s International Day of the African Child commemorations and also launched the year-long Early Childhood Development (ECD) Advocacy Campaign.
He said if the country is to achieve the Agenda 2040, which aims at fostering an Africa fit for children, the transformation has to start from the homes where the children live.
Said Chakwera: “If we want an Africa fit for the child by 2040, then we first need to make every home fit for the child. When our homes are safe and fit for the child, our villages, schools, areas, districts and the whole country will be fit for the child.”
On the commemoration, Chakwera addressed African children through a written poetic letter in which he adorned them as “God’s special creation”.
He assured the children that government, together with development partners, will strive to ensure that all instruments that promote the safety and rights of children are adhered to.
Speaking on behalf of child rights organisations at the event, Unicef Malawi representative Rudolf Schwenk said the Day of the African Child provides new opportunities to demonstrate commitment to children’s rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Sustainable Development Goals, and Africa’s Agenda for Children 2040: Fostering an Africa Fit For Children.
He commended government efforts to realise the rights of children in Malawi and highlighted some of the challenges in improving ECD services for every child.
Said Schwenk: “Of the sectors that directly contribute to human capital creation, only education and health receive a balanced and sustained financial commitment from the government, while struggling to meet international targets.”
A children’s representative at the event, Promise Macheso, commended government’s efforts in fulfilling some of the aspirations which guide the Agenda 2040, but said children in the country continue to face challenges.
The year-long ECD advocacy campaign, funded by Unicef Finland, seeks to raise awareness on the importance of healthy brain development in the early years of life, increase investment in ECD programmes, policies and services, and support parents and caregivers to give their children the best start in life.
This year’s theme of the Day of the African Child is 30 years after the adoption of the charter: Accelerate the implementation of the Agenda 2040 for an Africa Fit for Children.
