A teen from a small village in Laos travelled to New York to tell world leaders what children and young people in his country had to say about children’s rights, the challenges they face in the modern world, and their vision for the future.
My name is Phongsavanh (pictured above, far right). I am 15 years old and from Houaphanh Province in northern Laos.
I am part of ChildFund Laos’ Ready for Life project, which is
helping to empower young people to become confident and active participants and
drivers of change in their communities.
As part of ChildFund’s project I have learnt new life skills
and I have learnt about my rights. Every Wednesday afternoon I work with
children and teachers to lead sessions about children’s rights in my community.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) recognises the right of all children to be heard, and to participate in decisions affecting our lives. ChildFund is making sure this right is recognised and upheld in Laos through projects such as Ready for Life.
Joseta only
has a meal once a day, usually porridge made with rice and water. If they are
available she will add papaya leaves, taro or cassava.
It was especially difficult when she was pregnant with her youngest child,
Graciano.
“I felt
hungry all the time,” Joseta says. “I was eating sosoro (rice porridge), corn,
cassava leaves, papaya leaves and a bit of fruit. I rarely ate any meat.”
Today, Graciano is 21 months old but not much has changed for the mother of
four, who lives in a remote village in Timor-Leste, where many families are
struggling to access enough food to feed their families.
After her husband died, Joseta moved into a home with her children and her mother, and three other families. Together, five adults and eight children share four tiny rooms in a makeshift shack made of wood and corrugated iron sheets.
Joseta stays at home to care for her children and her only income comes from her mother Elisa, who is also a widow and makes a living by growing and selling cassava, papaya, taro and corn.
Poverty and a lack of nutritious food has been detrimental to the health of the family, particularly to Joseta’s youngest child Graciano.
While
Joseta did not have much to eat while she was pregnant, Graciano was born at a
healthy weight of about 3kg. She breastfed her baby boy for two months before
moving him on to plain rice porridge.
“I had a
lot of milk, but I stopped breastfeeding Graciano because he kept crying,”
Joseta says.
