AFRO-NETS> The Drum Beat - 109 - Children - 'Say Yes'

[Warren Feek <wfeek@comminit.com>]

The Drum Beat - 109 - Children - 'Say Yes'
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from The Communication Initiative...global forces...local 
choices...critical voices...telling stories... 

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Called 'Say Yes for Children', this campaign seeks to rally people 
behind 10 principles to improve and protect the lives of children: 
* Leave No Child Out; 
* Put Children First; 
* Care for Every Child; 
* Fight HIV/AIDS; Stop Harming & Exploiting Children; 
* Listen to Children; 
* Educate Every Child; 
* Protect Children from War; 
* Protect the Earth for Children; 
* Fight Poverty: Invest in Children. 

The movement aims to build a groundswell of support, through actions 
and signature pledges, that will push leaders to renew and honour 
their commitments to children at the UN General Assembly's Special 
Session on Children in New York, Sept 19-21.

Pledge YOUR support for the 10 principles of the campaign at The 
Global Movement for Children website - http://www.gmfc.org or by e-
mail - mailto:pledge@netaid.org

Forward this message to your colleagues and friends.

***

SOME OF THE ACTION

1. Peru - organised a mini-election for children. This mini-replica 
of a Presidential election mirrors the adult process, recognising 
children as citizens with the right to vote. Elections take place in 
18 of the 24 provinces in the country. Over 800,000 children nation-
wide participate.
Contact: Carlos Espa 
mailto:cespa@unicef.org


2. Jamaica - 30 'Youth Advocates' at Children's Expo in May guided 
all visitors through the campaign and the pledging process, both 
online and on paper. In July 'Say Yes' tied-in with 'Teen Fest 2001', 
a festival attended by thousands of young people.
Contact: Monica Dias 
mailto:mdias@unicef.org


3. Honduras - The national football team wore 'Say Yes' T-shirts dur-
ing their international matches. Youth from student governments are 
collecting pledges and the campaign is being pushed in electoral cam-
paigns. A nationwide vigil/sign-up on Aug 31 calls for all Hondurans 
to assume greater responsibility for the protection of children's 
rights.
Contact: Hector Espinal 
mailto:hespinal@unicef.org


4. Vietnam - 200 street children and children from poor families in 
Gia Lam signed 'Say Yes' pledges. Pledge forms were distributed to 
thousands of street children, disabled children, child labourers, and 
out of school children. Forms will be distributed to every school for 
National School Enrollment day on Sept 5.
Contact: Jason Rush 
mailto:jrush@unicef.org 


5. Sri Lanka - 3 advertising 'giants' designed and formulated a com-
munication campaign. The Sarvodaya Shramandana Movement and 5,000 re-
ligious leaders made public endorsements. School children in over 50 
urban schools are initiating their own projects to actualise the 
points of the pledge, including the provision of basic services, toi-
lets, safe water and furniture to poor and needy schools and children 
in rural areas.
Contact: Mohamed Segu-Mohamed Nizar 
mailto:mnizar@unicef.org


6. Pakistan - At a Child Rights Festival in Lahore 3,000 children, 
parents and teachers pledged. 40 children's magasines have published 
the pledge forms. Volunteers have taken forms to children in jails, 
orphan homes and those engaged in labour. On Aug 10, over 5,000 girls 
and boys walked in Karachi, at the end of which thousands of children 
pledged. 
Contact: Raana Syed 
mailto:rsyed@unicef.org.pk


***

Check out other action related to CHILDREN. Go to 
http://www.comminit.com/search.html
Click on children and the issues and regions that interest you. 
Scroll down and click on search.

*** 

7. Yemen - launched on May 30 at a National Forum for Children - the 
first of its kind. They are working to engage key sectors of society, 
particularly children and young people, in discussions and action. 
Partners include several Ministries, the National Coalition on the 
Rights of the Child, the National Women's Union and the Higher Coun-
cil for Motherhood & Childhood.
Contact: Zeina Allouche 
mailto:zallouche@unicef.org


8. Zimbabwe - Children marched from Townhouse to Harare Gardens to 
make their issues known and have their voices heard. Presided over by 
First Lady Grace Mugabe, the launch included speeches, entertainment 
and performances by children, marching bands and drum majorettes de-
picting the points of the pledge - translated into 5 local languages.
Contact: Betty Mukiibi 
mailto:bmukiibi@unicef.org


9. Swaziland - Organisers are collaborating with local churches. Vot-
ing took place in churches throughout the country. The campaign fo-
cused on Fight HIV/AIDS and Stop Harming & Exploiting Children. 
Contact: Velephi Riba 
mailto:vriba@unicef.org


10. South Africa - a 'child-friendly version' of the pledge, 'Hear My 
Voice' (at http://www.children.gov.za), which reflects issues rele-
vant to South Africa, is being carried nationwide. Telkom facilitated 
Internet pledging by children nationwide. Those in rural areas have 
been able to pledge through community outreach initiatives. A radio 
promotion that provided children with cell phones to call in their 
pledges.
Contact: Yvonne Duncan 
mailto:yduncan@unicef.org


11. Madagascar - leaders allowed for the full participation of chil-
dren at the International Festival of Music & Culture. Each day began 
with a performance by a group of youth dressed in T-shirts bearing 
the 10 points of the pledge. 40 primary school children, a French ar-
tiste and local musicians collaboratively produced 2 songs reflecting 
these 10 points. In July, a National Children's Forum ended with a 
concrete proposal to institute a Youth Parliament in Madagascar.
Contact: Joyce Brandful 
mailto:jbrandful@unicef.org


***

For information about the 'Say Yes' Campaign in your area, contact 
Allison Brown 
mailto:abrown@unicef.org


***

11. Ghana - When a Children's Parliament debated on the current 
situation of children in Ghana in April, the President responded to 
their concerns by promising a commitment to education reforms with 
the implementation of a national policy for free, compulsory basic 
education and an expanded teacher training programme, as well as to 
urgent actions to halt child labour and fight child abuse. US$20,000 
was raised at the launch event for a Children's Fund in Ghana.
Contact: Madelon Cabooter 
mailto:mcabooter@unicef.org


13. Benin - At the April launch, 5 students of the local Committee of 
Democrat Children performed on subjects ranging from the Convention 
on the Rights of the Child to the trafficking of children. Guests 
watched singer Angelique Kidjo via video, who advocated for increased 
commitment and action for children.
Contact: Michele Badarou 
mailto:mbadarou@unicef.org


14. Sudan - leading actor and child advocate, Ali Mahdi, led a 180-km 
'March for Children' on July 27-28. In southern Sudan, paper pledge 
forms are being distributed and collected through schools, medical 
outreach and immunisation programmes under the umbrella of the emer-
gency airlift programme Operation Lifeline Sudan. 
Contact: Nance Webber 
mailto:nwebber@unicef.org


15. West Africa (Niamey, Niger) - 300 traditional chiefs from Burkina 
Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal 
signed the pledge. These chiefs are the arbiters of moral and reli-
gious authority in their countries and often hold considerable de 
facto civil authority. They spoke out for child and women's rights, 
including for girls' education and against early marriage. 
Contact: Ramatou Amadou Madougou (Niger CO) 
mailto:ramadougou@unicef.org


16. Russia - NGO participation included a presentation to young jour-
nalists at a summer camp on preparations for the Special Session and 
the goals of the 'Say Yes' campaign. Several Moscow city and region 
summer camps mobilised some 20,000 children to join the campaign. 
Plans are underway to include 'Say Yes' in back-to-school projects 
this Sept. 
Contact: Anna Chernyakhovskaya 
mailto:achernyakhovskaya@unicef.org


17. China - A top fashion photographer has filmed popular singers in 
a 'Say Yes' poster series. The same entertainers added their hand-
prints to a 'Say Yes' banner before performing at UNICEF's Interna-
tional Children's Day benefit concert.
Contact: Charles Rycroft 
mailto:crycroft@unicef.org


18. Kazakhstan - 150 young journalists gathered to be trained as 'Say 
Yes' leaders during a Youth & Media festival. After interviews and 
pledging, the journalists produced a special 'Say Yes' festival news-
letter and paraded throughout the city with a large handprint banner. 
Also mass pledging events in Kostanai and Taldykorgan.
Contact: Patricia Light 
mailto:plight@unicef.org


19. Africa - Girls' Education Movement (GEM) - Uganda, 15-17 Aug 2001 
- Girls have taken the lead in the debate on barriers that exclude 
them from the education system in Africa.
Contact: Grace Banya (Uganda CO) 
mailto:gbanya@unicef.org


20. Asia - Child Rights Award - launched in July. This is a regional 
award for TV programming on child rights that recognises the role 
broadcasters play in the Global Movement for Children.
Contact: Robert Tyabji 
mailto:rtyabji@unicef.org


21. Internet - Youth who will not be at the Special Session can still 
take part, through UNICEF's Voices of Youth site - 
http://www.unicef.org/voy Comments will be shared with participants 
at the Children's Forum. 
Contact: Sally Burnheim 
mailto:sburnheim@unicef.org


***

Thanks to Sally Burnheim <sburnheim@unicef.org> and Allison Brown 
<abrown@unicef.org> in UNICEF New York for their support. 

The Drum Beat seeks to cover the full range of communication for de-
velopment activities. Inclusion of an item does not imply endorsement 
or support by The Partners.

Please send material for The Drum Beat to 
The Editor
Deborah Heimann 
mailto:dheimann@comminit.com

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