MONROVIA: As Liberia yesterday, November 23, 2023, joins other countries around the World to celebrate the Day of the African Child (DAC), the National Director of the SOS Children- Liberia, Mr. Prosper M. Ndione, has called on the Liberian government and stakeholders to remain committed to supporting the Children of Liberia.
He also calls on the Liberian government and stakeholders to strengthen support for more access to the digital world and enhance systems to provide a more protective environment to young people.
“On this Day of the African Child – and every day, we must do all we can to address the Rights of the child in the digital world and strengthen efforts aim at investing and protecting children in these environments” said the SOS Children’s Villages-Liberia National Director.
Speaking in an interview with Journalists at his office yesterday, Mr. Ndione said, “These challenges reinforce the need for government and partners to strengthen educational institutions with the relevant ITC Infrastructures to enhance access to quality digital education for all children.”
According to him, the SOS Children Villages-Liberia has been engaged in addressing the basic needs of children in respect to digital access over the years.
He disclosed that SOS Children Villages-Liberia has “provided digital education through our educational facilities and youth empowerment programs” as well as “Digital Village” concepts in our direct care programmers.
“Our family strengthening programmers which aims to strengthen families who are under pressure so they can stay together play major role in supporting at-risk children in schools with some access to digital education,” he added.
The occasion was held on the Theme: “The Rights of the Child in the digital environment.”
SOS Children Villages is an international childcare and child protection organization whose vision is a world where “Every child belongs to a family and grows with love, respect, and security.
SOS Children’s Villages is active in 138 countries and territories, advocating, supporting children, and strengthening families.
By 2030, the SOS Children’s Villages Federation aims to ensure that many more children succeed in life and to lead the world’s largest child-care movement.
He noted that, the SOS Children’s Villages works to keep children safe, by promoting peaceful and inclusive communities and also provide training on children’s rights and positive parenting.
The Day of African Child (DAC) commemorates the 1976 march in Soweto, South Africa, when thousands of African school children took to the streets to protest for their rights.
Hundreds of young people were killed and within two weeks of the protest, more than a thousand were injured.
To honor the memory of those killed and the courage of all those who marched, the Day of the African Child (DAC) has been celebrated on June 16, every year since 1991, when it was first initiated by the Organization of the African Unity (OAU), now African Union (AU).
The DAC is a day of advocacy and to shine the spotlight on the plight of children.
