Day of the African Child

16th June marks Day of the African Child and though our local charity partners won’t be in a position to observe the event as they usually would, it’s an ideal opportunity for us to celebrate their work.

What is Day of the African Child?

On 16th June 1976, 10,000 children marched in Soweto, South Africa, to protest against the poor quality of education they were receiving and the planned restrictions on at least 50% of lessons being delivered in Afrikaans, even though many teachers were not fluent in the language. Children were concerned taking exams in Afrikaans would hamper their chances of academic success and future opportunities would consequently be diminished. The protests led to at least 176 school children being killed.

Today, Day of the African Child (also a public holiday called Youth Day in South Africa) not only commemorates the Soweto Uprising but also provides an opportunity to raise awareness of the continuing need to improve the education provision to African children.

African Children’s Fund and Education

Much of the work we undertake at African Children’s Fund involves supporting our locally-registered non-profit partners in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe to help children born into poverty off the streets and into school. We fundamentally believe this gives them the best possible chance to improve their lives and build a better future free from poverty.

Though some schools in these countries are beginning to reopen to support senior students sitting examinations, Coronavirus restrictions means those schools our partners work with are still closed. Despite this - and thanks to your generous support of our Sanitation Appeal - they have still been working hard to support their communities so educational programmes can resume as soon as schools reopen. Here’s a round-up of their recent activities:

Kenya - Care packages consisting of rice, sugar, cooking oil, soap and detergent have been distributed to over 160 families whose children normally attend primary schools supported by Watoto Kwanza in and around the town of Thika. Soap and hand sanitizers have also been provided to many more families. At the Joy Children’s Home, many teenage boarders returned when their schools closed. Extra food and sanitation items have also been provided to accommodate their additional residents.

Tanzania - The Quentin Junior Academy is located in an incredibly poor suburb of Dar es Salaam. The nursery school’s headteacher has been accompanied by Cuthbert of Mfuko Wa Watoto when visiting homes in the pre-school’s vicinity to distribute soap and provide handwashing demonstations. Some of the households were unaware of the importance of hand hygiene in combatting Coronavirus so were very grateful for the guidance provided.

Uganda - The stability provided by the Nsimbe Transit Home on the edge of Kampala has perhaps never been more important for the youngsters staying there. Strict lockdown regulations were imposed in the city banning the use of private cars but allowing pick ups. As many of Nsimbe’s supplies and groceries are delivered by car with no pick-up available, volunteers resorted to bike to make sure children didn’t go without. The children staying there have kept well but are looking forward to going back to school.

Zimbabwe - The national push for promoting online learning is sadly ineffective for those in rural communities supported by Mwana Trust, where compatible electronic devices, reliable internet access and even electricity are in short supply. In addition to providing practical solutions such as care packages for child-headed families and support of community garden initiatives to improve food security and nutrition, they are also lobbying bodies to highlight the lack of e-learning in rural communities.

What’s next?

While we have no details yet of a country-by-country school reopening plan, we are committed to making sure normal school programmes can resume when they do. In the meantime, we will support our partners in their activities to work with their communities during Coronavirus restrictions. If you would like to contribute to this work, please donate here or click on the blue donation button on our Facebook page.

In the meantime, we'll end with these wise words from Peter Ngugi of our Kenyan NGO partner, Watoto Kwanza:

“Today, children are passing through challenges they may not comprehend. We reaffirm our commitment to the safety and well-being of children in Kenya and beyond. Without them, there can be no future. We all have a duty to leave a better world for the children. It belongs to them.”