For several nights, seven-year-old Ayla and four-year-old Mila had been refusing to eat their dinner, so mum Lori decided to try a different approach. To help the sisters understand the importance of nutritious food for growing children, she told them about the millions of children across the world who do not have enough to eat.
After learning about the reality of the situation, the girls from Victoria became concerned about the health of children in developing countries.
“We felt sad and worried,” says Mila.
Over the course of a few weeks, Mila asked her mum every day about the difficulties faced by the children she had heard about. Wanting to help, the sisters looked for ways to support children in need of nutritious food.
After researching with their mum, they decided to fundraise to purchase a farmyard for a family in Zambia through ChildFund Australia`s Gifts for Good a program which enables Australians to donate meaningful gifts to help children and communities overcome poverty.
To raise funds, the girls got creative. “We made a big poster with a tally to keep track of how much money we raised,” says Ayla.
On the poster, they also wrote what their fundraising target was and what the money would go towards, and stuck on images of farm animals. They then showed the poster to their friends, family and classmates, so they could learn more about the situation for children in other countries, and contribute.
“Everyone wanted to help us!” says Ayla.
Amazingly, Ayla and Mila managed to raise over $1,000 €“ smashing their fundraising target in under one week! The girls are incredibly proud to have raised such a large sum, and thrilled about being able to provide a cow, three goats and six ducks to a family in rural Zambia. The animals will not only increase the family`s income, but will dramatically improve their children`s nutrition.
“They will be able to make food with the eggs and milk,” says Ayla.
When reflecting back on their experience, it is clear that the sisters have learnt some important life lessons.
“Not everyone lives the same as us in Australia,” says Mila.
Adds Ayla: “You should always help those less fortunate than us, or anybody that needs help. They are important too, Everyone should have food.”
ChildFund Australia would like to say a big thank you to Ayla and Mila for their incredible fundraising effort, and for their life-changing gift to children in rural Zambia.
On 16 June every year, ChildFund recognises the Day of the African Child. Across the African continent, children and adults mark this day by performing songs, skits and other presentations to call attention to children`s rights.
Despite these celebratory festivities, the Day of the African Child marks a tragic anniversary, when dozens of children and youth were killed during a student protest in Soweto, South Africa in 1976. Forty years later, African children still face many trials, including hunger, illiteracy, terrorism, civil warfare and gender-based violence.
The theme of this year`s Day of the African Child is “Conflict and Crisis in Africa: Protecting All Children`s Rights”, which focuses on child protection in regions where there is civil conflict. Currently, there are many threats to children in the region, including the ongoing civil war in Sudan and the rebel insurgency in northern Mali; while the kidnapping of 276 Nigerian schoolgirls in 2014 made headlines the world over, with most of the girls still being held captive. Other countries, including Liberia and Sierra Leone, are still recovering from the devastation caused by conflict in previous decades.
Armed conflict puts children in danger, and makes them more vulnerable to being hurt, killed or exploited. However, even in peaceful nations, children`s basic rights can be jeopardised due to corrosive practices.
Early marriage is one practice which continues to harm girls in many African countries. For 29-year-old Mavis from Zambia, being married as a child and having her first baby at age 13 has had a lasting impact on her life. Although she is now a happy mother of five children, she dreams that they will have a better childhood than she had.
Mavis explains: “I want my children to be educated. I don`t want my children to experience what I went through. Because I don`t know many things, I don`t know how to read or write my name. I don`t want my children to earn a living by selling tomatoes like me.”
Zambia`s child marriage rate is one of the world`s worst, with 42 percent of Zambian women between the ages of 20 and 24 being married before the age of 18. Unfortunately, many girls who marry and become mothers early miss out on a range of opportunities which could improve their living standards: education, leisure, civic participation, fulfilling work and self-determination.
On the Day of the African Child, ChildFund recognises the importance of guaranteeing the safety and protection of all children in Africa and across the world, and continues to work to ensure their rights are realised.
