Childrenspeaceprize

Refugee from Congo is Winner of 5th Children’s Peace Prize

On December 3rd Baruani Ndume received the fifth International Children’s Peace Prize from Nobel Prize winner Wangari Maathai. At the end of this anniversary year ceremony, officially opened by Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, he received this prestigious prize for his efforts on behalf of children in the refugee camp in Tanzania. His radio programme provides a platform for discussion about the problems encountered by children in the refugee camp. Furthermore, thanks to the programme’s wide appeal, he has helped to reunite many children with their parents and families after they were separated by the war.

‘All the prize winners and nominees are heroes’, said the Prime Minister. ‘Heroes who make a difference. Heroes who make their own dreams and the dreams of others come true. (…) As adults, we should learn from their example and put our own ideals into practice, as these children have done. Without endless talk and without fear of failure.’

Baruani

At the age of 7, Baruani fled from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  While fleeing the country, he lost his parents and ended up in the Nyarugusu refugee camp in Tanzania, where he has lived ever since. Over 60,000 other refugees, more than half of whom are children, inhabit the camp. Baruani works to help these children in a very special way. With only limited resources, he has succeeded in setting up a radio programme in which he talks about problems and challenges with his peer refugee children. By means of appeals on his show, he tries to reunite children and parents who have become separated while escaping from DR Congo. The programme has been highly successful and is now broadcast in DR Congo, Tanzania, Burundi, and Rwanda. Thanks to this, many children have now been reunited with their families.

5 Years of the International Children’s Peace Prize and its Impact

In the past five years, the Children’s Peace Prize has had an enormous impact on the promotion of children’s rights. For example, after winning the prize, the 2006 winner Om Prakasch put child slavery high on the agenda in India, his homeland. He was received by the Indian premier, while Gordon Brown (then the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the UK) made £200 million available “to eradicate child slavery and illiteracy” in India. Thandiwe Chama from Zambia was also able to broadcast her message to the world when she won the prize in 2007. Via the BBC World Service, the story of her struggle for the right to education was brought to millions of households. It was partly as a result of this that a new Education Act was passed in her country. Mayra Avellar Neves, last year’s winner, is still fighting for the safety of children in the slums of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  At the recent UN summit in New York, she was able to speak with foreign ministers Hillary Clinton (USA), Celso Amorim (Brazil) and Maxime Verhagen (Netherlands) on the subject of ‘Violence Against the Girl Child’. In the words of Marc Dullaert, founder of KidsRights and initiator of the International Children’s Peace Prize: “The podium offered by the International Children’s Peace Prize to these courageous children makes it possible to help many children, otherwise unheard, throughout the world by protecting and guaranteeing their rights.”

KidsRights

The International Children’s Peace Prize is an initiative of the KidsRights Foundation. KidsRights works to improve the situation of vulnerable children all over the world. The foundation helps children via bespoke aid projects and offers them a platform to speak out for their rights. In the words of Desmond Tutu: “KidsRights seeks to give a voice to the voiceless.”

ABN AMRO

The events in connection with the 2009 International Children’s Peace Prize are also made possible by KidsRights’ social partner, ABN AMRO. Like KidsRights, ABN AMRO believes that every child has the right to develop his or her own talents.

For more information on the International Children’s Peace Prize, visit www.childrenspeaceprize.com and www.kidsrights.org.

Namasthe! To all my brothers and sisters who are witnessing this award presentation ceremony. My dear friends, first of all I express my heartfelt congratulations to the Winner of 2009, for his/her prominent works. This award will offer a platform to promote his/her ideas and causes.

I admit that the award represents your voice as well as your strength, for your vital part to play in improving human rights, in particular the rights of children and struggle against social evils which damage and ruin their future. I would proudly say that today you are an example to the society, country and whole world. This award will induce you, lot of confidence and encouragement to toil more and more for the betterment of children’s wellbeing and their bright future. My dear friend let us work together to implement the government laws and acts which are made for the children and bring them in the light to the world.

I would like to draw your attention that there are approximately 218 millions children below the age of 15 suffer from abuse and neglect and denied of their rights. Children are subjected to violence, exploitation and abuse, and they are at risk of death, poor physical and mental health, HIV/AIDS, illiteracy, homelessness etc. In most of the South Asian countries especially in African countries number of children kick the bucket due to starvation, who is responsible for this? Let us put more pressure and demands before UN, UNESCO, WHO, ILO, UNICEF and other civil society organizations so that they will look into this matter and will promote peace and harmony among people and fulfill the primary and secondary needs of children across the world.

My special thanks to the KidsRights Foundation for their wonderful and genuine effort, enhancing the wellbeing of people around the world. This sort of honour gives more motivation, identity, and esteem to them and resulting holistic and sustainable development in the world wide.

My dear friends let us play up for these children, whose rights are being violated and whose lives are at risk. Also make our brothers and sisters strong and bring them in the light of the world, because we, the children are the future of the world. Let us know and realize our rights and power.

Once again I appreciate and congratulate to the winner of 2009, I wish him/her all the best for bright future and I strongly believe that this award will give more zeal and enthusiasm to work for the children who are exploited in many ways and to fulfill their primary and secondary needs. And finally, let us together battle to any kind of violence against human being specially focusing on children.

Thanks to all

Omparakash Gurjar

Winner of the Chilren’s Peace Prize 2006

India

During the 10th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in Berlin:

NOMINATIONS INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S PEACE PRIZE 2009 ANNOUNCED

Amsterdam, November 10th 2009 – The nominations for the fifth International Children’s Peace Prize were announced today during the Nobel Peace Summit in Berlin. From all the entries, the Expert Committee nominated five children for this prestigious prize. The winner will be presented with the award during the official ceremony, in the Knight’s Hall in The Hague on December 3^rd, from the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner Professor Wangari Maathai.

In the presence of numerous assembled Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, including Mikhail Gorbachev, F.W. de Klerk, Muhammad Yunus, and Lech Walesa, KidsRights’ founder Marc Dullaert announced the five children who have been nominated for the International Children’s Peace prize for 2009.

Fatema (12 years) from Afghanistan promotes the right to education in Afghanistan, a country where it is not always obvious that girls go to school. She also strives to increase the number of female teachers in schools and fights against corporal punishment of children in school.

Rasmita (15 years) from India fights for the rights of physically challenged children. In a community where many physically challenged children do not get the opportunity to go to school, Rasmita, who is physically challenged herself, strives to help these children gain access to education.

Baruani (16 years) from the Democratic Republic of Congo, living in Tanzania, stands up for fellow child refugees. By means of his radio programme ‘Children for Children’, he provides a platform for children to speak out about the problems they experience as refugees.

Daniel (18 years) from Macedonia, coming from an orphaned background, promotes the rights of extremely vulnerable children threatened by the scourge of human trafficking.

Emanuel (16 years) from the Philippines helps to educate children who have limited or no access to schooling. He has converted a large pushcart into a mobile school, which he and his friends of the ‘Dynamic Teen Company’ use to bring educational materials to children in their own neighbourhoods.

International Children’s Peace Prize

The International Children’s Peace Prize is an initiative of KidsRights and is presented annually to a child for his or her devotion to the rights of the child, anywhere in the world. The goal of the prize is twofold: it is a sign of recognition for the winners, and it also offers them a platform to promote their ideals and causes. In this way, the messages that these young heroes represent can reach a broader public, thereby making a greater impact in the promotion of children’s rights. The Children’s Peace Prize is accompanied by an award of €100,000 to be invested in projects closely connected to the winner’s area of devotion. Nominees for the Children’s Peace Prize can come from anyone, in any country, who has knowledge of an exceptional child dedicated to promoting children’s rights. An independent Expert Committee assesses the entrants and selects the final nominees.

Previous Winners

The first Children’s Peace Prize was dedicated posthumously to Nkosi Johnson, for his work to offer a more dignified existence to South African children with hiv and aids. In 2006, the honour went to Om Prakash Gurjar from India. He received the prize from Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and former president of South Africa, F.W. de Klerk, for his unrelenting work to combat child labour and liberate child slaves in India. In 2007, the honour was bestowed on Thandiwe Charma from Zambia. She received the Children’s Peace Prize from Nobel Prize Laureate Betty Williams and Sir Bob Geldof for her devotion to the rights of children in her country, especially their right to education. Last year, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Desmond Tutu presented Mayra Avellar Neves with the Children’s Peace Prize for her ongoing fight against the violence in the favella’s of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

In the coming days, the Expert Committee will judge who is to receive the 5^th Children’s Peace Prize on December 3^rd.  The Committee is comprised of the following members:

• Nevena Vuckovic Sahovic, member of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child,
• Prof. Jaap Doek, former Chairman of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child,
• Frans Röselaers, former Director of the ILO’s (International Labour Organisation) International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC),
• Jeroo Billimoria, Founder and Chair of Child Helpline International and Founder and Director of Aflatoun, Child Savings International, and
• Marc Dullaert, Founder and Chairman of the KidsRights Foundation and spiritual father of the Children’s Peace Prize.

KidsRights

The Dutch Foundation, KidsRights, stands up for the rights of vulnerable children across the world. To achieve this, KidsRights offers direct, tailored support to these children and generates attention for their problems and rights. KidsRights helps by financing existing, well-organised local aid projects and offers a platform to children, who themselves are usually unable to attract the eyes and ears of the world. In the words of Nobel Peace Prize Winner Desmond Tutu, “KidsRights seeks to give a voice to the voiceless.“

ABN AMRO has committed itself to be main sponsor of the Children’s Peace Prize. The bank not only donates money, but also intensively involves its employees in this sponsorship. Each year, hundreds of ABRAMRO employees are involved as volunteers in promoting a variety of projects organised by KidsRights.

Further information regarding the International Children’s Peace Prize, including the programme of the presentation ceremony on December 3^rd, can be found on www.childrenspeaceprize.org.

Additional information about KidsRights can be found at www.kidsrights.org.

Note to editor/Not for publication:

For further information please contact Lindy Noach, +31 (0)6 28126908 or e-mail lindy@kidsrights.nl

This year, the International Children’s Peace Prize will be celebrated on December 3rd. The International Children’s Peace Prize is presented annually to a child, whose courageous or otherwise remarkable acts have made a difference in countering problems, which affect children around the world. The names of the five nominees of this year will be announced on November 10th.