June to Junior (Behind every face there's a story)

 The month of June is dedicated to children. The 3rd of June has been dedicated to the underprivileged child, while the 16th of June marks the African Child's day. I consider childhood as the best gift life could give anyone. I bet most of us would walk down that memory lane and laugh at the carefree times we had.

It's really sad when I see a child robbed of their childhood. Some are forced to be parents at such an early age, some are forced to be the bread-earners of their families; while some are deprived of their right live in a safe society by the wars and crimes of society. We forget that the rights of children are the foundation for a healthy and prosperous society.

For these 3, all they've got is themselves. Their father is deceased and their mother abandoned them. The community tries to help them every once in a while but with abject poverty in that area, there isn't much they can do for them financially. 

 

 According to a report by Save The Children this year (2013) states that about 1 million children die per year during birth. Tanzania, being the 3rd country in Africa with the highest rate of children dying at birth, has more than 48,000 children dying every year.

Despite the changes in policies and aids from development partners around the world, the state of children especially in the peripheries leaves a lot to be desired. Children feel the pinch of poverty the hardest. They have to rely on grown ups to take care of most of their needs; and when they are not met they resort to "any means" to get them.

Somewhere in Kamsamba, Mbeya. The fourth world is very much visible in these parts. Poverty hit women and children the hardest.

Behind every face, there's a child with a story. We should keep that in mind before we extend judgement. I remember a quote from one of my favorite films "Our lives are not our own. From womb to tomb we are bound to others, past and present. And by each crime and every kindness we birth our future" ~ Cloud Atlas. We cannot disassociate our selfishness, our cruel ambitions, our indifference; with the deaths of the children today. By denying them their rights, we kill their spirits, their intellect, their future; we literary kill them.

A Child soldier ( retrieved from www.issafrica.org)

With the month of June dedicated to children, let's make it a beginning to do every little we can to making our communities safer for children. Give a word of encouragement, praise or even a smile to that child who plays outside your house, or the one that cleans your car at the traffic lights. Take time to visit that nearby local school or orphanage or even a neighbor in need and see how you can help. It doesn't have to be money but even a kind word or advice can go a long way.

Every little act of kindness is hope for a better tomorrow for every child out there. Let's leave humane legacies that will not crumble with time. Kindness, love, honesty, integrity, resourcefulness; should be the pillars of society passed on to our children.

A healthy child is a happy child

Let us give our children today a chance to tell happy stories to their children on the morrow. Let's begin with "jUne"!