Globe 51

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EL GLOBO • LE GLOBE • THE GLOBE • O GLOBO •

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•TOAN CAU! •

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# 51 • 2009

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Världsomröstning Votação Mundial Vote Mondial Votación Mundial

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BO PHIEU TOAN CAU

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09-01-29 12.39.30

Mahatma Gandhi on an Indian 100 rupee note.

Mahatma Gandhi

 TEXT: JOHANNA HALLIN PHOTOS: R AGNA JORMING

fought without violence Mahatma Gandhi believed it was wrong that the colonial power, Great Britain, ruled over all of India and what is now Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Gandhi and his supporters fought for freedom for India.

They didn’t use weapons; they used non-violence or ‘ahimsa’.

Gandhi was a great leader but he always dressed as a poor farmer, wearing sandals and a dhoti, a plain white piece of fabric wrapped around the waist. He wanted to show that he fought to give power to all Indians, even the very poorest.

His work earned him the nicknames Mahatma, which means ‘the great soul’, and Bapu, which means ‘father’.

Gandhi was murdered in 1948, the year after India gained independence. But he lives on as a role model and hero for millions of people all over the world.

Gandhi

and the slave girl vote The school playground is decorated with palm leaves, garlands and flowers. Pachaiyammal and the other students at Hand-in-Hand school for children who have been debt slaves or child labourers are waiting in excitement. Soon the guest of honour will be arriving: India’s nonviolence hero, Mahatma Gandhi!

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ahatma Gandhi, the world’s most well-known champion of non-violence, arrives in a beautifully decorated ‘tuk-tuk’ along with two other Indian freedom fighters, Bharathiyar Sakthievel and Vivekananda Vijay. The

Mahatma Gandhi, the world’s most famous advocate of non-violence, arrives in a beautifully decorated ’tuktuk’ moped car along with two other Indian freedom fighters.

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Former child labourers study The Globe prize magazine.

Pachaiyammal, 15 Likes: Experiencing new things, like when I travelled by car.

Dream: To learn English.

Role model: My teacher Nalini who set me free from debt slavery.

Wants to be: A maths teacher Proud of: When the school basketball team that I play for won a tournament.

Happy: When I play, then I forget all my worries.

Sad: When my parents argue and my father is violent.

Pachaiyammal was a debt slave for four years. Here she is voting in the Global Vote for the first time.

ote in the Global Vote

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guests of honour are taken to the voting booth to cast their votes. Now the Global Vote party can begin!

Under the costume, Mahatma Gandhi is actually 13-year-old Mani. Before he came to the school, Mani was a debt slave at a tailor’s workshop. He couldn’t read or write then, but now he has learned a lot, both about freedom fighters and about the rights of the child.

“The World’s Children’s Prize is the best, most enjoy­ able way for us children to learn about the rights of the child. This is our party!” he says.

Pachaiyammal, 15, agrees.

“The whole school is decorated as if for a wedding!

Imagine, we get the chance to vote, it’s so exciting,” she says.

Seven years old and a debt slave Pachaiyammal is almost always happy when she’s at school. She loves the lessons and playing with her friends.

Her favourite subject is PE. During the school day she can be lively and playful. But at home she rarely has time to play. She has to help her mother in the kitchen or help her father at the loom.

“I wish I could spend all my time at school!” she says.

However, she knows that not everyone gets to go to school. She remembers the first time she helped her father carry the heavy silk thread

Counting votes at Hand in Hand school for former child labourers.

The school is decorated with beautiful kolams on the ground.

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Vanakkam Hi friend!

Pachaiyammal’s sad place This is where she goes to think when she feels lonely and sad.

Speak Tamil!

When Pachaiyammal was a debt slave, she sat at the spinning wheel every afternoon. In the mornings she cleaned the house and did the laundry.

Hi Vanakkam Thanks Nandri Yes Ama No Ellai My name is… En paer…

What’s your name?

On paer?

What are your names?

Onga paer?

Mum Ama Dad Apa Big brother Anna Big sister Akka Little brother Tombi Little sister Tongachi

that is used to weave beautiful sari fabric, when she was seven. She was so proud of being able to help, and she learned quickly.

But one day, when her little sister was being born, something went wrong. Her mother lost too much blood. She needed help fast if she was to survive, so her father ran to a rich neighbour to borrow

money to pay the doctor.

“Yes, you can borrow the money,” said the neighbour, “if Pachaiyammal works for me until the loan is paid back.”

That’s how Pachaiyammal became a debt slave. Every morning at seven, she went to the neighbour’s house. She spent all morning cleaning and tidying the house. After

lunch she sat down at the spinning wheel and the loom.

“Why did I learn to spin thread?” she asked herself as she walked home in the dark, tired and angry. “How many days will I have to work?

When will I be able to start school?”

Her family suffered more health problems, so instead of paying off the debt, her father

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Pachaiyammal’s wardrobe A half sari, which only older girls are allowed to wear.

School uniform.

Clothes for the temple or when the family goes shopping.

A silk dress, pattu pavadai.

Play clothes and work clothes.

At parties like the Global Vote day, many girls wear kangambaram, flowers in their hair.

Every Friday evening Pachaiyammal goes to the temple. She prays for success in school and for health for her whole family.

Pachaiyammal with her whole family – Jamuna, 13, Chitra, 4, father Sabramani, Sangeetha, 10, Eswari, 7, mother Thilaga, Muruga, 3 and Kasturi, 18.

borrowed more. And Pachaiyammal had to carry on working. In the morning, when she saw the other children from her street putting on their school uniforms, she stayed hidden inside and cried.

Saved by the teacher When Pachaiyammal had been working for four years, she met a teacher called Nalini. He asked if she would rather go to school.

“Of course!” she cried, “but my parents would never agree to it.”

Nalini started to visit Pachaiyammal’s parents to try

to talk them round. Finally, he offered to pay back the loan that Pachaiyammal was working to pay off. The only thing he wanted in return was a promise that she would get to go to school.

In the end Pachaiyammal’s parents said yes. She started school, but when her father was drunk he threatened her.

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Fight together, everywhere “I didn’t know that there were child labourers in other parts of the world until I read The Globe. I thought we were the only ones. But now I know that we have to fight together, everywhere! Children have to go to school, otherwise something really important and beautiful inside them will break.”

Shankar Anand, 16

WCPRC both education and entertainment “This is a special day, when people under 18 get a chance to vote for the first time! There are a lot of things worth fighting for, but I think that the most important one is to make sure no child has to get married. All children have a right to education and entertainment. The WCPRC is both!”

Saranya, 15

The school is decorated for the Global Vote as though for a wedding, thinks Pachaiyammal.

The paintings on the ground are called kolams.

WCPRC should be on TV “I wish the WCPRC and the Global Vote were broadcast on TV! Then even more children would get the chance to learn about the rights of the child. I wish everyone could see all of us children as we vote.”

Thangamani, 17

“You have to go back to work,” he shouted, “we can’t afford for you to go to school.”

Pachaiyammal got scared and told Nalini about her father’s threats. He rescued her again. Pachaiyammal got to go to the Hand-in-Hand boarding school for children who have been debt slaves.

Global Vote Day the most fun day of the year “The Global Vote has been the most fun day of the year. It’s good practice for the future, and at the same time we learn things that are important for children today, about our rights. I used to work as a shepherd boy, but now I know I have a right to go to school.”

Uthirakumar, 15 “I used to be tired all the time. Now I have the energy to play again and playing is my favourite thing,” she says.

What’s more, now she knows that it’s wrong for adults to hit children, like when the man she used to work for hit her for dropping the silk thread on the ground.

“But we’re not the only ones

Every day on their way to school, Pachaiyammal and her sister cross a big road. It is dangerous.

Once Pachaiyammal was run over by a car and broke her foot.

who have a difficult time.

Through the World’s Children’s Prize I’ve learned that many children in the world are treated unfairly, even in the USA.” Today, Pachaiyammal is casting her vote for the rights of the child… 

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Hand in hand against child labour Hand-in-Hand fights for all children in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu to be able to go to school. To reach their goal, they have to tackle poverty first. So they help mothers and families start small companies, and they provide garbage collection, medical care, a citizens’ office with computers and a library, and of course, schools for the poorest children.

Pachaiyammal plays kho-kho with her friends on the street outside her house.

During the Pongal festival, families in the area paint colourful designs on ox horns.

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From slavery to school

A day with

Tulasi When Tulasi was ten, she started working at a brick kiln in Bangalore in southern India. Her father had taken out a loan that she had to pay off as a debt slave. However, after four years of burnt hands, long working days and poor food, Tulasi was finally allowed to come home. Her mother had received a microloan from Hand-in-Hand and had bought a small cow. As her mother now has an income, her father can’t make all the decisions any longer. And Tulasi is back in school!

06.30 Ready for school Dawn is breaking and Tulasi is getting ready for school. All the girls have to have their hair in two plaits – that’s one of the school rules.

Tulasi, 15

 TEXT: JOHANNA HALLIN PHOTOS: R AGNA JORMING

05.00 First water Tulasi gets up and fetches water from a tap on the other side of the village.

Likes: School!

Wants to be: A nurse or a singer.

Dream: That dad stops drinking and stops treating the family badly.

Favourite music: Classical Indian music, sad songs that make me forget my own problems.

Happy: When I’m with my best friends.

Misses: Hand-in-Hand’s boarding school, where I lived and studied to catch up with my education after being a debt slave.

06.45 Friendly walk It’s a long way to school. It takes over an hour to walk there. But Tulasi always walks with her best friend Jothi. The road doesn’t seem so long when they chat and joke along the way.

05.30 Laundry Tulasi uses some of the water to wash the family’s clothes.

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10.00 Reading The Globe!

Tulasi and her friends Jothi and Hema Sankari read The Globe.

They have cast their votes and soon they’ll find out the results of the children’s vote!

13.00 Green friend on a bike Hand-in-Hand, the organisation that gave Tulasi’s mother a microloan, provides garbage collection to make sure the village is clean and pleasant to live in. People call the woman who comes on a garbage collection bicycle ‘Green Friend’.

14.35 Told off by the headteacher Tulasi is called to the headteacher’s office.

He tells her off because she has been off school for a couple of days. Tulasi tries to explain that her father forces her to stay at home and work when her mother is sick, but the headteacher doesn’t believe her.

“There is no child labour in our province,” he says, “you’re just lazy!”

But the headteacher is wrong. Many children in the area, more than four out of ten, work or have worked as debt slaves. Tears roll down Tulasi’s cheeks as she walks back to the classroom.

16.20 Soft dreams Next door is yet another company from her mother’s self-help group.

Chottijan sews soft toys, and her latest design is a small cuddly rabbit. Tulasi, who loves making things, would love to have a toy company when she grows up.

16.15 Candles for the bedroom On the way home, Tulasi buys some candles to light up the bedroom at night.

Gandhimathi, who is in her mother’s self-help group, has just started a company selling candles she makes at home.

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17.30 Last stop Tulasi has one more stop before it’s time for her evening activities. At Hand-inHand’s Citizen Centre she can go on the internet and do her homework. But her favourite thing is drawing pictures on the computer.

19.00 Hurry up with homework

17.40 The milk cooperative Tulasi’s mother is part of a milk cooperative, along with other mothers. Many of the women in the village have bought cows, and now they sell their milk together to get a better price.

After dinner, Tulasi quickly does the dishes and then takes her desk to the light in front of the house. She has a lot of homework and she has to get it finished before her father comes home. He thinks Tulasi should work, not go to school, so he gets angry if he sees her doing her homework.

22.30 Good night When her father has calmed down, Tulasi and her brother come back to the house.

They quietly brush their teeth and go to bed.

What is a microloan?

21.00 Hiding Her father has just come home.

He is drunk and angry and he shouts and swears. Tulasi runs away to her hiding place behind the house, but she can still hear the screams and blows from inside the house.

Hand-in-Hand gives small loans called microloans, only to women. First, each woman has to save some money and decide what kind of company she wants to start. She might buy a cow, as Tulasi’s mother did, or sew, or drive a taxi, or do something else. With the money she borrows, the woman can start a company. That way she can earn money to buy food, let her children go to school, and pay back the loan. The aim of the microloan is to ensure that no children have to work, but that all children can go to school!

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Mo zam biq ue

Global Vote at Tulsi Public School in Ambala.

Global Vote in India Newspaper Dainik Jagran reports on the vote at Gandhi Nagar Public School in Moradabad.

Felt like a world citizen “The Global Vote Day in our school made me feel honoured for being able to take part and made me feel like a world citizen. Looking at the plight of so many children, especially the world’s girls, not only filled us with empathy for them. It also made us realise that it was now time for the whole world to fight against child exploitation.”

Sakshi Dawra, 16, Ravindra Public School, Pitampura

Invite journalists Remember to invite journalists to your school and to your Global Vote. Tell them about the rights of the child, and about the most common violations of those rights where you live. Tell them about the WCPRC, the prize candidates and the children you have met in the prize magazine.

Sometimes you might have to remind journalists that they should be interviewing you, the children, and not the adults. After all, the WCPRC belongs to you, and 22 million other children!

Global Vote in the biggest newspaper in the world The Times of India, the world’s largest selling daily paper in English, writes about the Global Vote.

The WCPRC should be a subject, just like maths “Adults don’t know much about the rights of the child, and they respect them even less. It’s important that adults learn about the rights of the child, so that they stop violating them. If I was president, I’d tell all the ministers that they must respect the rights of the child in everything they do, and defend their rights.

I learned a lot from the WCPRC. It was an honour to contribute to raising awareness of the rights of the child, together with children all over the world. The WCPRC gives us children a chance to express what we think and lets us vote for our rights. I’d like the ministry of education to make the WCPRC into a school subject, just like maths or geography.”

Yuzna Farouque Abdula, 12, Mozambique

When the students of BCM Arya Model School in Ludhiana voted, six newspapers wrote about it.

Global Vote at R.S.D. Academy in Moradabad.

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Gloria  TEXT: ANDRE AS LÖNN phOTOs: PAUL BLOMGREN

president of WCPRC club “We started the WCPRC club to help children who have a hard life. That’s really the politicians’ job, but they don’t do what they’re supposed to. Our club has to do it instead!” says Gloria, 15. Abdul, 16, nods in agreement.

Gloria is the president of the club and Abdul is the vice president. There are around 1000 WCPRC clubs in Nigeria today, and that number is growing constantly.

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t is afternoon in OgoriMagongo and an important conversation is going on under the mango tree in Gloria’s garden. She and Abdul are talking and writing eagerly.

Earlier in the day, they were responsible for their school’s Global Vote, and they are glad it went well. But they’re not satisfied yet…

“Through reading The

Global Vote dance!

Gloria and her friends in the WCPRC club dance until the dust in the schoolyard whirls around their feet. Bells and seed pods around the girls’ ankles jingle in time with the big drums.

They’re getting their school friends warmed up for the Global Vote.

Everyone is cheering.

“I love dancing! And today it’s even more important to dance, since it’s a festival day for the rights of the child.

You just have to dance!” laughs Gloria.

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Glor ia an d Ab dul’s list

How children’s rights are violated in Nigeria • Child labour.

• Trafficking/slave trade. Children from neighbouring countries are often brought here to work.

• Many children, often girls, can’t go to school.

• Girls are forced to sell their bodies to survive or to earn money for others.

• Child marriage.

• Children are hungry and sick. Many in Nigeria live on less than 1 US dollar a day.

Globe and participating in the Global Vote, we have learned about our rights and about how children should be treated. Now we can see that the rights of the child are violated all the time here in Nigeria.

We’ve realised that there is so much to be done! Children go hungry and are forced to work instead of going to school,” says Gloria.

“Nigeria has signed the Convention on the Rights of the Child, so it has a duty to

take care of the country’s children. But our politicians don’t do what they should,” says Abdul.

That’s why Gloria, Abdul and their school friends started a WCPRC club.

“We realised that if things are ever going to get better for us children, we have to make it happen ourselves,” says Abdul.

“Since we learned so much about the rights of the child when we worked on the

WCPRC, we decided to make that the basis for everything we do. Through The Globe we have gained knowledge and ideas that we’re going to use when we educate other children, parents, teachers and politicians on the rights of the child. We’re going to invite them to meetings where we explain what we have learned.

We will focus on the facts that all children have a right to go to school and that child labour is prohibited,” explains Gloria.

Taking care of each other We have to take care of each other in the WCPRC club. Right now, those of us who are able are gathering clothes we don’t need any more. We’re going to take the clothes to school and give them to people who need them. Lots of our friends have torn clothes or hardly any clothes at all. Now things will be better for them,” says Gloria.

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Rights and responsibilities

Shaibu Gloria, 15 Is: President of the WCPRC club.

Loves: Making people happy.

Hates: Being beaten at home and at school.

Best thing that’s happened: Being elected president of our club.

Worst thing that’s happened: That my dad died when I was eight.

Wants to be: A doctor or a computer specialist.

Dream: For children’s opinions to be taken seriously.

“Many children in Nigeria are forced to work instead of going to school. Now that we have read The Globe we know that that’s wrong. In the WCPRC club, we say that according to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, it’s wrong to force children to work. But we also say that we have certain responsibilities, like helping our families at home and in the fields when we should,” explains Gloria.

“Almost everyone is poor here, so everyone in the family has to help out. I often help my mum and dad in the fields and I think that’s right,” says Abdul.

Influencing politicians As well as holding meetings to educate people on the rights of the child, the WCPRC club also writes to politicians to demand that they take the Convention on the Rights of the Child seriously. That’s what Gloria and Abdul are doing under the mango tree.

“We write to politicians in our local government and ask them to support the poor students at our school. We want them to pay for school fees and uniforms for children from poor families, so that they can go to school instead of working. We also want our local government to pay for

school lunches for these students. Many children, often orphans, faint from hunger in the middle of our lessons,” explains Gloria.

But both of them believe it may take some time to get the politicians to help.

“Until then, it’s up to us to take care of each other through the WCPRC club.

Those who have share with their friends who don’t have.

They share money, food, clothes or friendship. Right now the club has 83 members.

We meet every Thursday and read The Globe together. But the club is open to all and we hope it will grow much bigger.

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Helps mum Abdul helps his mum Habisat and his sisters Woliyat and Fathimat to prepare dinner.

“If things are to get better for girls in Nigeria, we boys have to change. We have to help out more and treat our mothers, sisters and female friends much better. We have to realise that girls and boys are equal,” says Abdul.

The more of us who demand respect for our rights, the better things will be. We are stronger together than we are alone!” says Gloria.

Girl for president “As far as I know, we are the only WCPRC club in our area that has a girl as its president!” says Abdul proudly.

But not everyone is as happy about that as Abdul.

“There are still some people who say that I should be the president because I’m a boy.

But I always tell them they’re wrong. This is exactly how things should be! In Nigeria, we don’t have a woman presi-

dent and the local government is led only by men. Girls are always held back here. We chose Gloria partly because she has experience of being a girl, as women and girls have the toughest time here, but mostly because she is the best person for the job! With Gloria as president, I think the WCPRC club could play a small but important part in changing people’s perceptions of girls in Nigeria,” says Abdul.

Not inferior “Yes, I really hope I can inspire other girls. They can see me and think ‘Okay, we don’t have to feel inferior just

Abdul Azeez Muhammed, 16 Is: Vice president of the WCPRC club.

Loves: Learning about the rights of the child and democracy.

Hates: When children are not treated well.

Best thing that’s happened: When I read about the rights of the child for the first time in The Globe.

Worst thing that’s happened: When I was forced to sell vegetables on the street every day after school.

Wants to be: President of Nigeria.

I would have children among my advisors.

Dream: For the rights of the child to be respected in Nigeria.

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because we’re girls. If she can do it then so can we!’ But it’s also important for us to be given a chance. It’s not unusual for 10-year-old girls not to be allowed to go to school and to have to marry adult men instead. When men pay dowries for girls, the girls’ families earn money for their daughters. Then they use that money to send their sons to school instead, since they think that the boys will earn money for the family in the future. It’s so unfair! Many girls here never get the chance to have a good life. Here in the WCPRC club, we’re going to fight for the girls of Nigeria!” says Gloria. 

Voting without bribes Gloria and Abdul were responsible for the Global Vote at Community Comprehensive High School.

“All adults in Nigeria should have been here today to see how well our vote went. They could have learned what free, fair, democratic voting looks like. There is no cheating here and no bribes. That sort of thing happens all the time when adults vote here in Nigeria,” says Abdul.

“Last year I read The Globe and participated in the Global Vote for the first time. I learned about the rights that children actually have, and realised that life is difficult for a lot of children here. Since the politicians don’t care about us, I started a club to lobby the government to take

Suleiman started the 16

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We are members of the WCPRC club!

“Sometimes children who are alone in the forest get kidnapped and sold as slaves,” says Ige.

Ige is hungry “Many families in this village are so poor that they don’t have enough food for their children. That’s how it is for me.

We don’t have enough food at home, and I can’t afford school lunches. I have to go into the forest at lunchtime to look for mango and other fruit to give me the energy for school. But it’s dangerous. Sometimes children who are alone in the forest get kidnapped and sold as slaves.

I joined the WCPRC club at school and we support each other. If I don’t have enough food, someone else who has food will help me. After the Global Vote, I know that all children have a right to eat enough food and to go to school. I hope that the WCPRC club can influence our local government to help children who live as I do.”

Adeniran Ige, 13

“I live with my uncle because my mum and dad are both dead, but he can’t afford to take care of me properly. My teacher paid my school fees last year. Other people help me buy school lunches. But I think the government should help those of us who can’t afford these things. Through the WCPRC club, we can stand up and demand to be treated properly! But most of all, I hope that we members will share what we have and take care of each other.”

Asiegbulem Joseph, 15

 TEXT: ANDRE AS LÖNN PHOTOS: PAUL BLOMGREN

Joseph is an orphan

Alabi wants to be loved “Life is hard for many children here because they, like me, have lost their parents.

I live with my aunt and I don’t feel free at all. I do the laundry and sweep the floor. Many orphaned children are treated badly and taken advantage of. Now I know that that’s wrong. I’ve learned through the WCPRC club that we have the same rights as everyone else.

The right to be loved, for example.”

Tope Alabi, 16

care of children. We base our activities on what we learn through the WCPRC, so that’s why we’re called the WCPRC club. Our goal is for all children here to participate in the Global Vote every year so that we learn about our rights.

Right now there are 40 of us, and we meet twice a week. But word is getting out and two new clubs have started in Ogori-Magongo.”

Nasiru Suleiman, 14, Magongo Community Secondary School

d the first club 17

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Adimole

Mercy works “I usually come home from school around six o’clock. I don’t eat anything, I just change my clothes and sit in the back yard to make a drink from cassava, called garri. Then I go out to sell the garri, which I carry on my head in a big heavy barrel. I walk around selling it from seven till nine. Usually I’m exhausted and hungry when I get home. I try to do my homework so that I can keep up in school, but I don’t always have the energy. I sell garri all day on Saturdays, and on Sundays I work with my grandma in the cassava field. I live with my grandma, and I have to work this hard because otherwise she won’t have enough money for us to survive. But I really don’t like it.

I get so tired and I can’t concentrate in school. Sometimes I even fall asleep in class. Now that I’ve read The Globe magazine, I know that this is all wrong and it’s against my rights. I joined the WCPRC club at my school to get support. It is so good to know I’m not alone. Together we might be able to do something that could change my life.”

Mercy, 10

Juliana’s friend Aduni braids her hair in a style called ‘Adimole’.

Showing love “I’m a member of the WCPRC club and I hope and believe that we can make life better for disadvantaged children. We want to show love and care for each other.

Those who have share with those who don’t have.

Together we are stronger, much stronger than we would be if we each tried to fight for our rights on our own,” says Juliana.

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Cool Global Vote hairstyles!

Some of the girls are sitting in the school yard braiding each other’s hair.

They are doing it for a particular reason.

“It’s nice to look special today, because we’re holding the Global Vote and it’s an important day for me,” says Juliana, 16. After voting she says this:

I

’m voting in the Global Vote for the second time, and I feel happy! Unfortunately not everyone is able to participate in this vote, but I’m alive and can participate, so I’m happy.

Through the Global Vote and The Globe magazine, we learn that children are treated badly all over the world. We also learn that that is wrong, because we have rights. When we read The Globe, we gain knowledge that gives us the courage to demand respect for our rights, and to help disadvantaged children where we live. Trafficking is common here – that’s when children are sold as slaves and workers. It’s also common for children to be forced to work instead of going to school, because their parents are poor. Others are homeless and orphaned.

Things are toughest for us girls. We don’t have any say at

all. No-one listens to us. Not in our families, not at school and not even in the presidential election! Girls and women are invisible and nobody asks our opinion on anything. It’s harder for us to get to go to school, for example, since all families invest in their sons.

Boys get all the opportunities because people think they can do anything. That’s so wrong!

If we could only get a chance we can be at least as good as the boys, if not better, at everything! When I grow up I want to be a journalist and newsreader. I’d like to be the news anchor on a programme in London!”

Ekpele Juliana’s friend Iyela braids her hair in a style called ‘Ekpele’.

 TEXT: ANDRE AS LÖNN PHOTOS : PAUL BLOMGREN

“

Olobayo Juliana, 16, Government Science Secondary School, Ogori-Magongo.

Palm leaf voting booth The students at Juliana’s school made their voting booth from the leaves and branches of the oil palm, just like most other schools in the villages in OgoriMagongo.

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09-01-26 15.22.34

 TEXT: ANDRE AS LÖNN PHOTOS: PAUL BLOMGREN

Tree prevents cheating

Soon it will be time for the Global Vote at LGEA Uburu School in Nigeria. But first, Bose and her friends Blessing and Opeyemi need help from the Ushi tree on the hill behind their school…

“Here’s the tree!” shouts Blessing.

When the leaf pulp starts to get wet they can squeeze a blue liquid out with their hands. The blue pigment of the Ushi tree has been used throughout history to dye things like fabric and clothes.

But Bose, Blessing and Opeyemi are not planning to dye clothes.

The girls pick leaves from the trees.

Then they crush the leaves in a large wooden mortar.

“I’m going to paint this pigment onto the right thumbnail of everyone who votes in the Global Vote! That way we can be sure that everyone only votes once.

I’m going to use a pen made from a hen’s feather. This pigment is really important in making sure nobody cheats in the vote!” says Bose.

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t of t hises. e

The capital city of Nigeria is called Abuja, but Lagos is its largest city. With 13 million inhabitants, Lagos is sometimes thought to be the biggest city in Africa.

“Drugs and violence are common. Children like us see armed robberies and fights going on all the time,” says 16-year-old Emeagwai, MC and breakdancer at his school’s Global Vote.

“The Global Vote is a special day for children” “

I

was MC – in Charge of the Microphone – and responsible for the programme at our Global Vote. To begin with I was nervous about speaking and dancing in front of so many people. There are over 1600 students at my school!

But my nerves disappeared once I got going.

It’s important that we learn about our rights, since children are treated so badly in our country. In many ways, you could say that things are easier for those of us who live in big cities than for children who live in rural areas. It’s easier for us to keep up with things, since there is electricity so we can watch TV and access the internet. It can be very difficult to get information in the villages. Children there have to work hard on the

land, and people are often very poor. But most people here in Lagos are poor too.

Many come to school hungry and dressed in rags. Drugs and violence are common in Lagos too. Children often see riots, armed robberies and fights.

Older gang members often use children as lookouts for armed robberies. The children are paid in computer games or other presents. Sometimes they are given food. Using children in this way is against the rights of the child. If we read The Globe and learn about our rights it might get easier to say no to the gangs.

But it’s not easy. Often children don’t have a choice because they are both poor and hungry. It’s not easy for poor people to demand

respect for their rights. If a child is hungry and is forced to steal food to survive, he or she might get beaten to death.

Sometimes people put car tyres around children who steal, pour petrol over them and set them on fi re. The children burn to death. Adults have no respect for us children here. If we do the slightest thing wrong we get beaten, both at school and at home.

Our opinions are not taken into account and it’s hard for us to make our voices heard. But today, when we had the Global Vote at school, was a good day. A special day for children.

We felt happy and free.”

Emeagwai Kanayor, 16, of Ilupeju Senior Secondary School, is not just an MC.’ He is also a member of the school’s WCPRC club!

Children sold “Students at our school represented the prize candidates before the Global Vote. I was happy and proud to represent Somaly Mam. The things that happen to girls in Cambodia are common here in Nigeria too.

Poor families who find it difficult to survive sell their children as slaves. Sometimes as prostitutes or as servants for rich people. You shouldn’t do that to children. God created children

and he wants us to be treated well. It would be terrible if I was sold. I wouldn’t be able to go to school, and I’d never achieve my dream of becoming a teacher and helping other children.”

Huzenat Azeez, 10, Nawair-udDeen Private School, Mushin

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“We spread the message of The Globe” Three schools in Lagos are holding a joint Global Vote day – Kosy Bethel, Ajenifuja and Christ Central. The first WCPRC club in Lagos is also there, performing a play about how children are treated badly. “

W

e performed a play about how children are taken advantage of and treated badly. I think using drama is a great way to tell people about the rights of the child. The children in the audience are interested and they really listen because they can see and hear that something exciting is happening. And acting is so much fun too,” says Edwin Udofia, 13, one of the members of the WCPRC club.

“We meet at least once a month to read The Globe and talk about the things we learn.

It is a fantastic magazine! The

first time I read The Globe was the first time I found out that all children under 18 actually have rights and should be treated well,” says Tamilore Sowunmi, 10.

“We learn so much through The Globe and we try to pass it on to others. We often talk to children who are forced to work as street vendors. We give them a copy of The Globe and explain that all children have the right to go to school instead of working. I talked to one girl’s mother and persuaded her that her daughter should be going to school

instead of selling things on the street. Now that girl goes to my school, and that makes me incredibly happy!” says Yinka Ajenifuja, 13.

“That’s exactly why we started the WCPRC club. To spread the message of The Globe, since so many children here have hard lives. Both children and adults in Nigeria need to realise that children actually have rights,” says Yinka’s friend Ibrahim Osemudiamen, 14.

Government should act like WCPRC candidates “Today we voted for people who do fantastic things for children. It’s an important day because children are important. The prize magazine, The Globe, tells us about children’s lives all over the world. It also teaches us about people who fight for us children. There are lots of children here who are poor and who don’t go to school. I believe that the government should act like the WCPRC candidates and help all children so that they can go to school and learn to read and write. Then all children in Nigeria would have good lives and wouldn’t have to steal to survive.”

Abdul Remon Azeez, 10, Ajenifuja Primary School

We want to become leaders who take care of children “Before voting we read about all the candidates and learned about our rights. It’s really important for the future, when some of us will become leaders and presidents. Then we’ll remember stories about WCPRC candidates and we’ll want to be just as good leaders as them. Leaders who take care of children. We don’t want to be like the people in charge in Nigeria today.”

Stella Eke, 12, Christ Central Primary School

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Nigeria’s

golden girl votes

A

Owoola-Adeojo Goldmark, 13 Loves: Life.

Hates: Seeing children being treated badly.

Best thing that’s happened: When I got to meet the president and be the voice of vulnerable children.

Worst thing that’s happened: A car accident when I was nine.

Wants to be: A children’s doctor.

Dream: For HIV and AIDS to be wiped out.

t a market in one of the suburbs of Lagos, a 13-yearold girl is fighting for the rights of the child, with the help of a megaphone. She does this every weekend and every school holiday. As usual, she is shouting: “Listen to me! Don’t you know that we have to take care of all the children who have lost their parents to AIDS? Don’t you know that we also have to take care of all the children who are HIVpositive? They too have a right to love and care, and nobody should treat them badly!”

The girl with the megaphone is called Goldmark, but people in Nigeria often just

call her Gold. They call her that because they believe she is just as valuable to their country as gold. But even though many people like Goldmark, some adults think that what she does at the market is wrong.

“People here think children should be seen and not heard!

Especially when it comes to important issues like AIDS. It’s like our opinions and experience don’t count. I have always hated that. The worst thing is when vulnerable children don’t get the chance to demand respect for their rights,” says Goldmark.

 TEXT: ANDRE AS LÖNN PHOTOS : PAUL BLOMGREN

“I want to be a voice for all the children who are unable to demand respect for their rights,” says Goldmark seriously.

When she was just eight years old, she started her own child rights organisation. She has met presidents and spoken at major conferences in Africa, Europe and North America. She is now 13 years old, and today she is voting in the Global Vote.

Abandoned children Goldmark’s mother, Jumoke, is a journalist and much of her work focuses on human rights. Goldmark has joined her mum on reporting assignments since she was little.

“Through my mum’s job, I got to meet both HIV-positive children and children who had 23

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Seen and HEARD! “Our work is also about making our parents, teachers and other adults aware of the fact that we children can make a difference.

We don’t want just to be seen – we want to be heard too!

My greatest dream is for AIDS to be wiped out, so that children in the future will only read about the disease in their textbooks,” says Goldmark, who is studying at the Royal Crown Comprehensive High School.

lost their parents to AIDS. Sometimes they lived in orphanages, but many of them had been abandoned completely. They couldn’t go to school and they were not given any medicine. Nobody showed them tenderness. No love. They were often bullied.

It didn’t matter whether they were HIV-positive or not.

Nobody wanted to play with them. These children’s rights were violated all the time and they had no way of changing their own situations or making their voices heard. Because of this, I decided early on to become a ‘voice of the voiceless’.”

Her own organisation When Goldmark was eight years old, she started the Live Alive Foundation, to help realise her dream.

“It started with my two brothers, our friends and I holding meetings every Saturday at markets, bus stops and other places where lots of people gather. First we would put some music on and dance

and sing along to get people’s attention. When enough people had gathered, I would grab the megaphone and start to talk about children affected

by AIDS. I also told people about how to protect themselves from the virus.”

They carried on holding meetings every weekend and every school holiday. They organised demonstrations for the rights of the child and if they ever had any money of their own, they bought food and clothes which they gave to children orphaned by AIDS. The news of Goldmark’s work spread, and more and more children joined the organisation.

Presidents and celebrities When Goldmark was 11 years old, she was invited to speak

Want to have an influence “We children want to be involved in making important decisions.

That fight will not be won until the world’s leaders are mature enough to realise that children’s opinions are important!” says Goldmark. Last year, she was

elected to be the youngest member of Nigeria’s National Think Tank, where diplomats, politicians, professors and leaders of society meet to discuss the country’s future.

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930,000 AIDS orphans about her work at a major AIDS conference in Canada.

She was the youngest of 26,000 delegates from all over the world. The audience included many presidents and celebrities.

“It was unreal! At fi rst I was a bit nervous, but that passed.

After all, I had done the same thing so many times at the markets in Lagos. But there was one big difference. This time I had the chance to tell the WHOLE world that adults have to listen to us children!”

And the adults wanted to listen. A great many newspapers, radio stations and TV channels interviewed Goldmark. She became wellknown, both at home in Nigeria and abroad.

“When I got home, our president actually invited me to his house! He said he was so proud of me and wanted to know all about my work. He also asked how he could help.

I said that the government has to make sure that all children affected by HIV and AIDS have as good a life as possible.

I said that they should get to go to school, they should have somewhere to live, they should get medicine, and they should be cared for. The president promised to do all he could to help these children.”

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WCPRC and Global Vote The organisation that Goldmark started now has 250 members. In small groups, they visit markets and tell people about the rights of the child. They all meet up twice a month.

“We read books about the issues that interest us, and we teach the others about them. I work on HIV and AIDS, other people fi nd out about environmental issues, child labour or the situation for girls. That’s the basis of the Live Alive Foundation – to inspire each other and learn important things so that we can make a difference. That way, the world we leave behind us will be more beautiful than the world we were born into. We want to have a influence on important decisions. And that fight will not be won until the world’s leaders are mature enough to realise that children’s opinions are important!”

Goldmark feels that the WCPRC is a new friend in the struggle.

“Today I voted in the Global Vote for the fi rst time, and it felt fantastic! I really believe that the WCPRC can help us to make our voices heard.

We learn about how children live around the world, and

There are 930,000 children in Nigeria who have lost their parents to AIDS. 240,000 children are HIV-positive.

“I’m not HIV-positive myself, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t feel for those who are. I’m just like them, and we have the same right to a good life,” says Goldmark.

about our rights. At the same time, we get an opportunity to show our support for people who fight for us children. But the most important thing of all is that through The Globe, children from all over the world fi nd out each other’s opinions on important issues.

And when we learn from each other, we develop so much! I hope that all children in Nigeria will have the opportunity to read The Globe and participate in the Global Vote in the future!” 

09-01-26 15.28.29

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Bori expelled for child rights work “I am the chairperson of the child rights club at my school. Our motto is ‘Our voices shall be heard’. In Nigeria, adults don’t respect our rights, we’re not allowed to express our thoughts and opinions, and we are treated like lesser beings. Our club arranged a conference for children at our school, in cooperation with the WCPRC in Nigeria. When I tried to pay my school fees after the conference, I wasn’t allowed to. The headteacher told me to get out of his office, and shouted that he never wanted to see me in school again. He had the entrance guarded and I sneaked in another way. When I was found, two guards were put on the other entrance.

And we weren’t allowed to raise funds for the motherless babies’ home, the school for the deaf and mute, or the home for orphans. Children like us who are privileged have to do everything we can to help children who are not as fortunate. The headteacher did not explain why I was no longer welcome at school, nor did he contact my parents.

Since he was in a car accident and is no longer at school, I’ve been able to return.”

Toluwabori “Bori” Magbagbeola, 15, International School University of Ibadan, Nigeria

Br

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We must always help others “Learning about what’s happening in the world through The Globe makes me think of many people’s solutions for making the world a fairer place. I know that my work is like that of an ant. But together, lots of ants can create a more fair society for everyone. My parents have taught me that we must always help others. My school has been involved in the WCPRC for five years, and the student club is responsible for that.

This year I helped organise the Global Vote.

I felt really important when I was doing that.”

Gabriela Donite Monerato, 11, Escola Municipal Professora Djiliah Camargo de Souza, Brazil

The best thing I’ve done in school “I live in a country where life is hard for millions of children and many children don’t even know the rights of the child exist. Working with the WCPRC was one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done in school. I started reading the magazine and I was moved by one thing after another: the prize, the candidates, the jury children, and other children’s stories. I was able to learn, become aware and make my classmates aware, and best of all, I could do all this as a result of reading, which I enjoy so much.”

Vanessa Larissa de Andrade, 16, EMEF Professora Mercedes Carnevalli Klein, Brazil

Life will never be the same “My experience with the World’s Children’s Prize has been remarkable and changed my life completely. All my life I have taken everything for granted and acted so spoiled.

Exposure to the WCPRC has changed my heart so much in the last couple of weeks toward those less fortunate than I am. I now see individuals and situations much more clearly for what they really are instead of just ignoring them. I have learned many new things from this amazing organization.

Now that I have had a small taste of child abuse around the world I will come back each year to my school and vote for the World’s Children’s Prize. I am also committed to donating part of my weekly allowance to children that don’t even have a penny! I will persuade others to donate to this incredible foundation. The WCPRC has affected me so much that living life will never be the same.”

Slater Howe, 11

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Skyline Elementary, Solana Beach, California celebrates its Global Vote Day.

Global Vote in the USA I will make my life count “Learning about the World’s Children’s Prize has left me completely amazed; and has given me a whole new way to look at life. To think that people dedicate their lives to try to give these kids a better and brighter future truly gives me a sense that there is hope.

I will try to get more and more people involved in the WCPRC so that fewer and fewer children have to experience such punishments and horrible abuses. Even those as young as me can help, by encouraging more people to help these kids. I will try to make my life count; to make a difference in the lives of children like this!!!!!”

Clare Griese, 12

The jury showers the world with knowledge “I used to take all things for granted but now that I’ve participated in the World’s Children’s Prize, my whole cycle of thinking has been changed drastically.

Most children in the world have no idea they even have rights.

The World’s Children’s Prize has changed me by opening my mind to the horrors that so many children have to live with. I feel like a tiny star lighting up the night sky while the children’s jury is the moon illuminating the world and showering it with knowledge.”

Luke Sampiere, 11

WCPRC is my role model “Until now I have taken the freedoms in my live for granted. I never even thought of saying the few words: “Thank you for the freedoms and safety in my life”. When I read about the WCPRC I was stunned. I realize now, through my reading that world change can start through the efforts of one person: possibly me. To start, I will make donations and protests. Reading about, working on, and voting for the WCPRC’s prize recipient changed me forever and exposed me to the dangers that many children face in the world. The WCPRC is my new role model, and I will now add my voice to the others who support children’s rights.”

Justice Adare, 10

I’m so proud to be part of the WCPRC “Imagine. You have the power to change all the wrongdoings against innocent children in the entire human race! Imagine our society is slowly and meticulously changing as we speak, because one organization is forcing wrongdoers to notice that what they are doing is wrong. Imagine that organization is something you had a chance to be a part of. How would you feel? I’ll just tell you

now that this organization is called the World’s Children’s Prize for the Rights of the Child. I’m just in awe of this amazing organization, and I am so proud that I get to be a part of it. I am an added grain of sand in the growing mountain of doing what is right. It’s more than one of us; it’s all of us put together. Me, you, and all the children of the world are helping each other. The feeling I experience is great, an effect of universal love, knowing I have the power to help and make a difference. I have

become aware of all these tragedies, but have also noticed something very beautiful. I see love, honor, kindness, and respect for people we don’t even know. In this magazine, I see people devoting their lives to embrace children.

It brings forth the best in us all, and empowers us to do something to help. Now I feel a need to do something. I’m glad I am aware. If millions like me are informed, I have faith that all of us can make a difference.”

Eva Loeser, 11

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Secret Global Vote Copies of The Globe in English and translations to Karen are brought by secret routes into Burma, where a military dictatorship is in power. Children in many villages participated in the Global Vote.

Train teachers in the rights of the child

Global Vote in next village

“When I was two, my family fled to the forest when our village was burnt down by the Burmese army. Our parents and teachers say “After school and at weekends I help my that we must not go far from our houses to play. parents in the fields or at home. Many children in our country have their rights violated in many If I hear gunfire I have to run home quickly to ways, like when they are forced to become sol- escape to the forest. We had to go to the next village to participate in the Global Vote for the diers. In order for that to change, it’s important that parents, teachers and leaders are trained in first time. When I’m president I want to help all the rights of the child. We need that here in our children to go to school.” village too. It’s great that the WCPRC works for Kauns, Burma the rights of the child.”

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The Globe is fantastic

Vote for a president who supports the rights of the child “I like participating in the Global Vote since it means I can make my voice heard. I learn about how to vote, and when I grow up I will vote for a president who respects the rights of the child.”

Ngo Nsag Jacqueline, 11, Cameroon

“We children have a right to education, but in the villages there are many children, especially girls, who are not allowed to go to school. Some parents let other people use their children as slaves. The Globe is a fantastic magazine about the rights of the child.

Today I am discussing the rights of the child with my friends. When I grow up I want to work to ensure all the children of Benin know their rights.”

Vinérielle Akpatcho, 12, CEG Vêdoko School, Benin

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Global Vote in Rwanda

Many of the children in Rwanda who are taking part in the Global Vote lost their parents in the 1994 genocide. Some 100,000 children were orphaned. Pupils at Apacope Secondary School in the capital city Kigali like the WCPRC.

Servant and slave

Fiona Umutesi, 16

“My dad, my two older brothers and my big sister were murdered in 1994.

I was only two years old then. I ended up living with an old woman, because my mum had already died before the genocide. She used me as a servant.

I became her slave, just like many of the girls I have read about in the Globe magazine. I could see myself in their stories straight away, and it was

very sad. But I was also happy and encouraged that there are people fighting to give these girls a good life.

I want to fight for that too in future!

Global Vote helps us to learn about our rights. Now I know that everyone has equal value and that nobody should be allowed to take advantage of anyone else.”

WCPRC Wants to fight for girls teaches us to “I live with my big sister. Everyone else: my dad and nine brothers and sisters were love each other mum, all murdered in the genocide. Almost every-

Ndendahimana Jules, 17

one who survived is struggling and living in poverty today. The girls have it worst. They are more vulnerable and get taken advantage of more than us boys. Many are forced to sell Munyaneza their bodies just to get money to buy food or Laurent, 16 have somewhere to live. It’s wrong! Boys and girls have equal value and should be treated the same. When I was preparing myself for the Global Vote I was incredibly impressed by the prize candidates’ struggle to help girls to be free. The stories in the Globe magazine have given me ideas about what I can do to help girls and boys to be more equal here in Rwanda. I want to get involved and fight to strengthen girls’ rights and help them have the same opportunities in life as us boys.”

Everyone has the right to a family “This was the first time I got involved and voted in the Global Vote. It feels great! We’ve learned a lot that we can use in our own lives. Reading about children who live on the streets really got me thinking. We have lots of poor and hungry children living on the streets here. Most of them are orphans and can’t go to school because there’s nobody to pay their school fees. Those of us who lost our parents in the genocide get some help from the government so that we can go to school, but it’s still hard to get by. Many have nowhere to go and get to stay at school during holidays. My dad was killed in 1994, but my mum and my brothers and sisters survived, so at least I have someone to take care of me. Every child has the right to a family, their own home and to be able to go to school. That’s what I want to fight for.”

Tuyishime Yvette, 14, Rwanda

 TEXT: ANDRE AS LÖNN PHOTO: PAUL BLOMGREN

“The most important thing that we learn through the WCPRC is that we should look after and love each other. Before Global Vote, I read a lot about how the candidates help vulnerable children to overcome their loneliness by showing love. It made me so happy!

Being left alone is the worst thing a child can go through.

Both my mum and dad were killed in the 1994 genocide and I was left with nobody.

There are lots of children here in Rwanda who have had the same experience and they feel abandoned and unhappy today. I want to fight to make sure that those of us who lost our families take care of each other, and it is the WCPRC candidates that are inspiring me to do this!”

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Global Vote in sign language Under the trees in the playground of Ephphatha Neema School in Bukavu, DR Congo, 22 deaf students are voting in their first Global Vote. They are well prepared. Everyone at the school thinks the WCPRC is so important that they read the Globe magazine before the Bible and before morning prayers, every day! Mpasa Lusumba Ourelie, 17, explains why the Global Vote means so much to them:

D

 TEXT: ANDRE AS LÖNN PHOTOS: PAUL BLOMGREN

“

eaf children like us are very vulnerable here. It’s like we don’t exist. Sometimes we don’t even get our own names, we just get called by our surname. Parents think their deaf children are stupid.

That’s just how things were for me. My twin sister, who can hear, could go to school and learn to count and write, but I had to stay at home.

When I was ten, I started looking for a school that would accept me, and I found this school for deaf children.

But my parents refused to let me attend. So I sneaked out every morning. Now my par-

ents are really proud of me.

We read The Globe in school every morning. I can really relate to the stories of vulnerable children’s situations all over the world. I found out that the way disabled children are treated here in DR Congo is wrong. The Globe says that all children are equal and should be treated well. Here, our rights are violated all the time. I want us to continue reading The Globe so that we learn more about our rights and about how other children live around the world. That way we can grow strong and fight together

for all children to have a good life.

Today we voted in the Global Vote and it feels fantastic! Imagine that, the chance to vote for people who fight for a better life for us children! Before voting we read all the stories in The Globe carefully. We older children translated from French to sign language for the younger ones.” 

The Globe in sign language “Before voting we read all the stories in The Globe carefully.

We older children helped the younger ones by translating from French to sign language and explaining properly, to make sure everyone really understood,” explains Mpasa.

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Earthquake couldn’t stop Global Vote

Maombi Muhiga, 13, goes to Elimu School in Bukavu in DR Congo. When her school was destroyed in an earthquake, the children were moved to a tent school. That was where they read The Globe. But the Global Vote took place in the ruins of their old school.

I

ran out as fast as they could.

Some of my neighbours were killed and many children were injured. Houses fell down and my school was destroyed. I didn’t think we’d be able to go back to school for the rest of the year. I was also afraid we wouldn’t be able to participate in this year’s Global Vote.

Ever since voting for the fi rst

Voted in the school ruins

Prepared for the Global Vote in tent school

“ ’m voting in the Global Vote for the second year, but every thing’s different this year. One Sunday when I was at church everything started shaking. The ground and the pews vibrated and the whole building started to sway.

Bricks fell from the walls. It was an earthquake. Everyone panicked and screamed and

“Earthquakes are awful. Now I’m always scared that there’ll be another one,” says Maombi.

time, I had been longing to do it again! But we were lucky.

After a couple of weeks, an aid organisation created a tent school for us. So this year, we prepared for the WCPRC in the tent. It wasn’t easy to concentrate, because the tent gets so hot when the sun shines and when it rains. But that doesn’t really matter. The most important thing is that we can carry on going to school.

I love reading The Globe because it’s about how children should be treated and it tells us we have rights.” 

“I love reading The Globe because it’s about how children should be treated and it tells us we have rights,” says Maombi.

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The soldiers’ slave votes

Feza, 15, in DR Congo, was kept as a slave for soldiers and faced terrible abuse. But today she’s happier than she’s been for a long time.

“I have voted in the Global Vote. If we didn’t get to read The Globe or participate in the Global Vote in our school, I would feel totally abandoned,” says Feza.

O

“

ne night, out of nowhere, we heard machine gun fi re close to our village. We were terrified and fled. I took my little sister, who was two, and we ran as fast as we could in the dark. The next day she died in my arms.

Soldiers surrounded us.

They killed all the men and forced the boys to become soldiers. They tore all the girls’ clothes off and threw us on the ground. Then it started.

The girls who protested were killed straight away.

The soldiers took us to their camp in the mountains. The youngest of us was only ten.

They tied us up and forced us to lie on the ground naked.

The soldiers formed a queue and started to rape us again at gunpoint. We were their slaves for over a week, 24 hours a day. Before the soldiers moved on, they threw us into a hole in the ground. That’s where

the Red Cross found us two days later, naked and tied up.

Now I live with my family again. I still have nightmares, but I’m a member of a child rights club where we read The Globe and learn about our rights. Today I voted in the Global Vote at my school. For the fi rst time in a long time, I’m actually happy. Finally it feels like my vote, my opinion, is worth something! It is wonderful to be able to vote and show my support for someone who fights for me and other vulnerable children in the world, especially since I have had my rights violated. If we didn’t get to read The Globe or participate in the Global Vote in our school, I would feel totally abandoned.” 

Prize laureates, come here and help us!

“Reading The Globe made me so happy. The prize laureates do such great things for children in their countries. Here in my class, we need help with a lot of things. Clothes, books, schoolbags, pens… everything! There are some adults who help children in DR Congo too, but I really liked the people in The Globe. I wish they could come here, because they’re needed!”

Marie Berte, 12, Mulongwe School, DR Congo 32

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Gloria’s

“Many people say it’s the girls’ own fault that they get raped, but that’s not true at all! It’s great to be with someone like Gloria.

Someone who understands and actually knows what it’s like,” says Feza.

W

“

hen I was seven, I had to flee along with my grandmother and grandfather. But we didn’t get very far. First the soldiers killed my grandparents. Then they told me to take all my clothes off. Five soldiers raped me then left me alone in the forest. My mother and father were also killed in the war, and my relatives don’t want to know me after what happened. So now I live with a woman who accepts me. I get bullied at school because the soldiers abused me. People say ‘you’re not a girl any more, you’re a woman, but although you’re a woman, no man will ever want to marry you!’ It hurts, in my stomach and in my heart. By telling people I hope everyone will realise that it’s wrong for adults to abuse children and that it has to stop.

When we read The Globe and participate in the Global Vote, we learn about our rights. Now I know that what many grownup men do to girls here in DR Congo is a violation of the rights of the child.”

Gloria, 11, DR Congo

 TEXT: ANDRE AS LÖNN PHOTOS : PAUL BLOMGREN

heart hurts

Vulnerable friends

Global Vote in Institute Hodari.

War against girls

Often the worst victims of war are girls and women. The UN estimates that at least 40,000 women and girls, but probably many more, have been raped during the war in DR Congo. Those who survive the abuse often have a difficult time because society sees them as ‘unclean’.

This destroys love and community in families and villages.

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Chirimwana is a WCPRC journalist

“Reading The Globe will make us different from today’s adults” “In the future I want to be a journalist and fight for children’s rights,” says Chirimwana Baraka, 15, in DR Congo.

But Chirimwana is not waiting until he is an adult to write about the rights of the child. He’s a journalist already – a WCPRC journalist.

WCPRC journalists – students’ idea

I

t’s Global Vote day and there are long queues for the ballot boxes in the playground at Bagira High School.

Once the students have voted and dipped a finger in ink, Chirimwana or one of the other 12 WCPRC journalists stops them.

“Excuse me, may I ask you a few questions about the Global Vote and the WCPRC?” Most of the children are happy to be interviewed.

“I ask them about the Global

Vote, how they decided who to vote for and why they voted.

Everyone I have spoken to thinks the WCPRC is both fun and important. They found it fascinating to read The Globe and learn about the different candidates’ struggles for a better life for children. Many of my school friends want to fight for the rights of the child when they grow up, and to be the WCPRC candidates of the future,” says Chirimwana, laughing.

The Global Vote at Chirimwana’s school

“I’m a member of the school’s child rights club, and when we were preparing for this year’s Global Vote we thought of having WCPRC journalists at the vote. So the idea came from us students,” says Chirimwana.

“In the future I want to be a journalist on a major daily paper. I want to write about all the bad things that happen to children so that people start to react.”

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 TEXT: ANDRE AS LÖNN PHOTOS : PAUL BLOMGREN

Interview quotes from Chirimwana’s friends:

Stop abusing girls!

“I voted today to put a stop to all rape and abuse of girls. So this is an important day for me.

I read in The Globe about the candidates who fight for a good life for us girls. They are my heroes! It is common here for girls to be kidnapped, raped and abused, because of the war. I wish someone in DR Congo would be as brave as the WCPRC candidates and dare to tackle these crimes against girls.”

Nadia Foraka, 13

Wall magazine and report “When the voting is over, we’re going to make a wall magazine that all the students and teachers at the school can read. But the most important thing is that we’re going to use the interview responses to write a report. Then we’ll send it to as many schools as possible in eastern DR Congo, so that they find out about this important event we’ve been involved in. I’m sure they’ll want to participate in the

Now I understand democracy!

“Participating in the Global Vote is incredibly important.

It taught us about democracy and how to vote. I hope one day when I am an adult I will also be able to vote in fair and democratic elections. I would vote for a presidential candidate who promises to make sure all children who live on the street get to go to school. My candidate would also fight to ensure that no child will ever be forced to become a soldier again. If I was president I would fight for children!”

Sulemani Mboko, 15

Global Vote next year!”

“We’re also going to send the report to newspapers, radio stations and TV channels, as well as Save the Children, Unicef and other organisations that work for the rights of the child,” says Chirimwana.

“I think it’s really important that we raise awareness of the WCPRC in DR Congo since children’s lives are difficult here. Children are forced to live on the street and can’t go

to school because of poverty.

Adults abuse girls and force boys to become soldiers. But I’m sure that those of us who read The Globe and participate in the Global Vote will be different from today’s adults.

We’ll be leaders and parents who take care of our children.

That’s why our goal must be to ensure every child in DR Congo participates in the Global Vote!” says Chirimwana. 

The WCPRC journalists send their report to: • Other schools • Newspapers, radio and TV • Child rights organisations like Save the Children and Unicef

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Jury member Bwami was a soldier

Now he’s voting in the Global Vote

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Didn’t dare run away

W

hen he was nine years old, Bwami was tending his family’s goats with his friends after school.

The boys were playing football with a ball made of plastic bags and string, and soon they forgot all about looking after the goats.

“When I discovered that three of my goats had disappeared, I was terrified. I knew that my father would be furious.”

And he was. But this time, Bwami’s punishment was not a beating.

“I wasn’t allowed to live at home any longer. I had to go and live with my brother, who lived far away. I was to help his wife fetch water, wash clothes

and cook food. I had to leave my mother, my brothers and sisters, and my school, which I loved.”

Village attacked One year later, in his brother’s village, Bwami was up early grilling corn cobs for breakfast when suddenly he heard a loud howling noise around the village.

“Our neighbours shouted ‘it must be one of the rebel armies’. Their soldiers usually blow goat’s horns before they attack a village. Everyone panicked and ran, and we fled to the forest in the mountains.”

From his hiding place, Bwami could see the soldiers killing both adults and chil-

dren, and setting fire to his brother’s house.

Another armed group was based near the village. These soldiers fled to the forest with Bwami and the others. Bwami thought they would be safe with these soldiers. He was wrong.

 TEXT: ANDRE AS LÖNN PHOTOS : PAUL BLOMGREN

When Bwami was ten, his village in eastern DR Congo was attacked. He was forced to become a soldier and for three years, his life was filled with war and violence.

“Now I want to fight for a better life for children all over the world,” says Bwami when he and his friends from his child rights club vote in the Global Vote. Bwami is a member of the World Children’s Prize child jury. On the jury, he represents child soldiers and children in war.

“I had wanted to run away for a long time, but the thought of being alone in the forest while the war was raging was terrifying.”

Child soldiers at war “After a few days, the soldiers said that all the men and boys had to help them get revenge on the rebels who had attacked the village. One 11-year old boy was scared and refused.

Then one of the soldiers killed him with his machete. After that, no-one else refused.

Along with 170 other boys, I was to be trained to become a soldier.”

The training began at six every morning. Bwami and the others climbed trees with heavy machine guns. They crawled along the ground with their weapons and learned to shoot.

“They gave us drugs three times a day. They cut us with 37

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Wants to tell people “I want to tell people about my life, and that children actually have a right to be protected from violence in wars. By telling people, I hope I can help put an end to these terrible things.”

razors on the chest, forehead, arms and ankles. Then they rubbed a drug into the sores.

They put drugs in our food too, and they gave us. The drugs made us able to manage our tough training programme and changed my thoughts. I only thought about bad things, and I wasn’t afraid of anything any more.”

Early one morning, Bwami and the other boys were forced to creep down from the mountain with their weapons.

Slowly, they approached the village, which the other rebel group had taken over.

“My best friend and I crawled on the ground ahead of the others. The only feeling I had was rage. Our group crept forward through the high grass and surrounded the village. I could see that the other group had lots of child soldiers too. Three of my

friends and one grown-up soldier were killed in the battle.

But many more of the other group died, and the rest fled, so we were able to take back the village.”

Shot a mother The villagers moved back home, but the soldiers forced Bwami and the other boys to carry on fighting.

“One crying mother was trying to keep her son in the village. When she screamed and ran after us, the soldiers forced a little boy to shoot her.”

But what had happened was only the beginning. For three years, Bwami’s life was filled with drugs, violence and abuse.

“Our army killed enemy soldiers and ordinary villagers alike. Men, women and children. Young girls from the villages were kidnapped and made into what we called ‘rebel wives’. All the soldiers abused them, sometimes for hours at a time. We kidnapped boys who were forced to become soldiers like us.”

“One afternoon, we were attacked with grenades.

Suddenly I felt a terrible pain

Bwami, 15 Loves: The fact that I got my life back!

Hates: That adults forced me to do terrible things to others.

Worst thing that’s happened: That I was forced to be a soldier.

Best thing that’s happened: That I found my family again.

Wants to be: A doctor.

Dream: For all the children in the world to be respected and to have a good life.

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Loves mum in my face and the back of my head. I was thrown to the ground and everything went black.”

Bwami had been hit by shell fragments. The other boys carried Bwami to safety and a couple of hours later he woke up. Three months later, when Bwami was well again, there was a quarrel going on between two leaders in the group as to who should be in charge. There were rumours that one of the leaders planned to kill everyone who didn’t obey him. Bwami felt threatened.

“In the end, despite the drugs, I felt that everything we did was wrong. I was often sad and I longed to see my mum.

But I was too scared to run away. I knew that I’d be killed

if they caught me. And the thought of being all alone in the forest while the war was raging scared me. But suddenly it was even more dangerous to stay.”

“My mum helped me through the bad times.

We talked and talked about everything that had happened. I love her for that,” says Bwami.

The Globe makes me happy Bwami ran away with two friends. They walked or ran all day, and didn’t dare stop. They ate seeds and fruit from the trees and drank sap from the lianas of the kunvukeki trees.

After three days and nights, they reached Sudan. They stayed there for three months.

“I missed my mum and my brothers and sisters a lot, but I didn’t know whether they were alive or dead.”

The boys began the long walk home through the vast

The Globe teaches me about my rights “I love The Globe because the magazine fights for the rights of the child, and at the same time I learn about my rights when I read it! Before The Globe I had no idea that children had rights. And the Global Vote gives us

the chance to have an influence and to say important things. Adults never usually listen to children in DR Congo. Our opinions simply don’t count. The Globe teaches us that that’s wrong!” says Bwami.

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Loves being normal “When I was a soldier I was never allowed to play. Now I love having fun, playing football and being with my friends. Being normal! ” says Bwami. Here he is playing with his younger brothers Degaulle and Joel.

DR Congo. They begged for food and ate fruit in the forest, trying to stay away from all the armed groups.

Five months later, Bwami managed to track down his family. All of them had survived.

“When I saw my mother I couldn’t stop crying. She cried too. I was finally home!”

“I was happy, but I had nightmares and I felt terrible.

Mum helped me through the

bad times. We talked and talked about everything that had happened. I love her for that.”

One day, Bwami saw a programme on TV about a child rights club in the area. Boys who had been soldiers and girls who had been raped and abused during the war could meet and support each other there.

“I decided I wanted to join, and the first thing that hap-

pened when I got there was that I was given The Globe magazine. They told me to read it and learn about the rights of the child. I was totally gripped by the magazine!

Reading about people who fight for our rights made me so happy. Today, I know I want to be like that. Someone who fights for a good life for children, not just in DR Congo but all over the world.” 

Back in school, and in mum’s vegetable patch “I was 14 when I came back from the war and could start school again. It felt fantastic, as I hadn’t been to school since I was nine.

Every day after school, I help mum with her vegetable patch.”

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“I have been a member of the FORDESK child rights club for two years, and we meet three times a week. We have all had a tough time, and together we help each other to have the strength to keep going. There are adults here too, adults who care about us and who we can talk to,” explains Bwami.

Read about Bwami’s friends Feza and Gloria, who are also members of the child rights club, on pages 32–33.

 TEXT: ANDRE AS LÖNN PHOTOS : PAUL BLOMGREN

Together in the child rights club

Child soldier Furaha, 15:

“I love the Globe” “When I was twelve, I was forced to become a soldier.

I fought for two years and did terrible things.

Today I voted in the children’s vote, the Global Vote. It was fantastic! When I was a soldier I never dreamt I would be involved in something this good. Death, violence and war were the only things I knew then. Before I voted I read The Globe and it was as though my thoughts were cleansed. I read that children have a right to a good life and to be protected from violence. I had no idea of that before I read the magazine. I’d like to give The Globe to my old ‘colonel’. Then he would learn that it’s wrong to send children to war. I love The Globe because it teaches us about our rights.”

One of the worst wars in history • The war in DR Congo is one of the largest and most brutal wars in the history of the world. It has been going on more or less uninterrupted since 1998. There was a peace agreement in 2003, but conflict continues in eastern parts of the country, where the children you are reading about in The Globe live.

• Over 5 million people have died. They have either been killed in the conflict or died of starvation or disease as a direct result of the war.

• There have been over 30,000 child soldiers in the country. Over 10,000 child soldiers still have not been reunited with their families.

Many are still part of armed groups.

• Over 40,000 women and girls have been raped during the war.

• Over 5 million children in DR Congo don’t go to school.

Gold and diamonds bring war “There are incredible natural resources here in DR Congo.

Gold, diamonds, copper and coltan* for example. The war is between different groups that want to control these resources,” explains Bwami.

For a while there were seven countries involved in the war, and in 2001 the UN accused Rwanda, Uganda and Zimbabwe of keeping the war going so that they could gather as much wealth as possible. In 2008 the UN accused Rwanda of maintainging the war again. The fact that politicians, businessmen and soldiers in Africa, Asia and the West earn lots of money from the war makes it difficult to stop it. * Coltan is a mineral that is used in all mobile telephones. It is almost only found in DR Congo.

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GH

AN

A

The cane is king in our school Vote and get your eyes tested!

When the children of All Saints Anglican School and Sarah Sackey Memorial School in Ghana’s capital Accra voted, they also got their eyes tested. Those who needed glasses got free prescriptions from Anning’s Optical Services, showing what lens strength they needed, so that their parents could buy the right glasses.

Is the cane king in your home and school?

Corporal punishment is banned in 23 countries. What about your country? Write to WCPRC to tell us how things are in your home and your school, and what you think about it.

Anyone who sends their answers to prize@ worldschildrensprize.org, or by post, will be in with a chance of winning a WCPRC t-shirt and Gabatshwane CD.

“Respecting the rights of the child is difficult for many people. They do a lot of wicked acts against children. The WCPRC defends the rights of the child and has made many people aware of their responsibility. WCPRC ayekoo!!!

Thank you very much. Our WCPRC slogan is ‘Children of the world’, and we children respond ‘Protect our rights please’. Are the rights of the child being protected, since the cane is king in our school?

If yes, then there is still more to do, but if no, then there is a lot more to do. I want the World’s Children’s Ombudsman to STOP CORPORAL PUNISHMENT of children.”

James Alex Amoah, 14, Navy Basic School, Ghana

Half of the money to education!

“In Mexico, many children are treated badly and not allowed to go to school.

I don’t think that the governor and the president should use up all the money – half of it should go to education.

Without education we can’t contribute to Mexico’s development. The president should call a meeting of all

M

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O

the governors and tell them to stop those who don’t respect the rights of the child. When we participated in the Global Vote along with millions of other children, it felt as though we were all from the same continent.”

Jonathan Swords Garciá, 12, Jalisco, Mexico

EA IN U GU S S A BI

It’s right that adults can’t vote “When I was five I was taken to a Koran teacher to spend two years learning to read the Koran. When I came home, I had to sell bananas for four years. Last year, I was finally able to start school and participate in the Global Vote for the first time. It’s right that adults are not allowed to vote, after all, they are the ones who violate our rights. Now I want to teach my mother and uncle about the rights of the child.

Corporal punishment is common here. When I sold bananas I used to get beaten by adults.

No child should have to work on the streets.”

Mamadou Sanó, 13, Escola Coránica No Bairro de Háfia, Guinea-Bissau

Increase the punishment “Most adults in my country don’t know anything about the rights of the child, because of illiteracy. Violations of the rights of the child, like corporal punishment and malnutrition, are common here. I think it’s important to increase the punishment for those who violate our rights.”

Akoda Cá, 11, Liceu São José de Jericó, Guinea-Bissau

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CO

Global Vote in South Africa I vote for the world’s children “One night, we had to leave in a hurry when soldiers were surrounding our area in the Congo. My mother took the money we had saved and hidden and we escaped to South Africa.

At first I and my younger sister Amani were very lonely, but our school teachers have been very kind to us. They say that we have the same rights as other children. When we first came to our new school, our teachers gave us the old copies of The Globe to read. We read the stories of other children in the world who also have been affected by war. Our teacher read stories from it to the rest of the class. She explained that many children have been refugees like us, and that everyone at school must respect our rights.

I like that The Globe tells us about other children in the world and that our rights are the same in every place in the world, even if we are refugees. I like voting day because I vote for the world’s children, for the same rights for everyone, no matter what your nationality is.”

Nancy Bagula, 12, De Kuilen Primary School, South Africa

The Global Vote Day ended with a candle vigil for the prize candidates.

Teaches us our rights and gives us hope “The WCPRC cares about us as children.

The stories in The Globe teach us about our rights. It tells stories about adults who respect children’s rights. It tells us about people who make a difference to children’s lives. If you are a child and life is bad and adults are cruel to you, why should you look forward to growing up?

When an adult shows a child respect, they give a child hope. That is why we have a Global Vote at our school.”

Micaelas Pather, 12, De Kuilen Primary School, South Africa

The Globe tells me that I have power

 PHOTOS: GÖTE SATSIRI WINBERG

“The Globe magazine has stories about global role models for children. It shows us how people can do things to change their lives. If you have power inside you, but you do not think you have the right to use your power, then you cannot change the bad things in your life. The Globe tells me that I also have power. I felt powerful when I voted on our voting day at school, because I knew it was my own vote.”

Thulang Tsieane, 13, De Kuilen Primary School, South Africa 43

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Poll workers Karabo & Solange

When World’s Children’s Prize jury member Gabatshwane Gumede found out that there were 60 orphaned children in the village of Mmamerotse in South Africa, she decided to go there. She took copies of The Globe magazine with her, and told the children about WCPRC and children’s rights. Solange Tshobonye and Karabo Legase were two of the children that Gabatshwane met. They immediately decided that they would organise their own Global Vote in the village. “

I

got a feeling straight away that this was something important. It’s not just that the Global Vote is the only vote that children can take part in; it’s the only one I want to take part in. I mean, in the real elections you have to choose between politicians who do nothing but argue with each other,” says Karabo.

Solange nods.

“In our vote, we choose people who really care,” she says.

News of the vote spread fast. Karabo and Solange painted a large banner, which they hung up on a house right in the centre of the village.

“Everyone wanted to get involved and vote, even in the next village,” says Solange.

When the day of the vote arrived, Karabo and Solange acted as poll workers.

They wore white shirts and black hats with white bands. The balVoting this way please!

lot boxes stood on the tables; the banners fluttered in the wind, and 250 children queued to vote.

“Of course I know that we’ve got big problems here in South Africa, but I had no idea that there were children in other parts of the world who have a tough time,” says Karabo.

He has thought a lot about this since the vote; how it would feel if you couldn’t make your own decisions.

“It’s tough here in Mmamerotse as well, but on the weekends I can play football and practice with our dance group.”

Solange agrees. She knows what she would do if she were President.

“The first thing I’d do would be to get rid of all school fees.”

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The non-existent village The village of Mmamerotse is situated inland in northern South Africa, in the North West province.

“The village is so small that it’s not even on the map,” says Karabo.

Solange laughs.

“Like we’re not really here,” she says. “At least it feels like that sometimes, like no-one cares that we’re here.”

Solange often feels that way, since her dad died. He didn’t live with Solange and her mum, but he sent money every month.

“Dad drank a lot, but he was always sober when he came to visit,” she says.

One day almost two years ago, a policeman rang and said that her dad had died.

He didn’t say any more.

“We don’t even know why or how he died. But I miss him every day.”

Every day, on her way home from school, Solange worries about food. Sometimes she

finds a little bit of cold pap (maize porridge) in a bowl.

Her mum doesn’t have a job, but sometimes – if they’re lucky – she gets a bit of money from the neighbours for washing and ironing their clothes.

“The worst thing is not knowing whether there’s food,” says Solange.

The pupils don’t get any lunch in Karabo and Solange’s school. There’s only a kiosk there where you can buy nik naks (cheese puffs) and crisps.

Solange usually buys cheese puffs, if she has any money. If she doesn’t, then she eats nothing all day.

“I usually ask mum to borrow money from the neigh-

 TEXT & photos: ANNIK A FORSBERG L ANGA

Marking the thumbnail with a felt pen stops anyone voting twice.

Mookele registers in the electoral register.

Karobo and Solange are always hungry when they get home from school.

bours. But she doesn’t always want to. Everyone’s poor here, and mum thinks it’s unfair to dump our problems onto other people.”

Dad disappeared Karabo hardly ever has any food at home either. He knows that the saucepans on the stove will be empty.

Karabo lives with his gogo (grandmother), who is 79 years old. His mum died of AIDS four years ago, and his dad has disappeared.

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Solange can’t find out her grades

“Of course I know that we’ve bot big problems here in South Africa, but I had no idea that there were children in other parts of the world who have a tough time,” says Karabo after reading The Globe.

AIDS and then he just disappeared. I don’t know if he’s dead or alive,” says Karabo quietly.

Karabo takes two coins out of his pocket: two rand and 50 cents (25 US cents). His grandmother gives it to him every day. She wants him to buy something to eat from the school kiosk, but Karabo saves the money until he gets home.

“If I don’t eat something in the evening then I don’t have the energy to study. Then I just fall asleep straight away.”

At around six in the evening

he goes to a neighbour, who has a kiosk, and buys a small bag of crisps.

When the sun goes down, Karabo and Solange sit in their rooms and do their homework. They both study for several hours every evening. Or for as long as they can stay awake.

Sometimes Karabo falls asleep over his books on the table. Sometimes Solange is so hungry that she cries.

It’s dark out, and the day has come to an end in the non-existent village. 

Karabo is in Year 11 and Solange is in Year 10. Karabo has been given a government grant and doesn’t have to pay the school fees, which are 350 rand. But Solange has to pay.

“Where can me and my mum get that kind of money?” she asks.

Under South African law, all children have to attend school, even if they can’t afford to pay the fees. So you can’t be kicked out just for being poor.

“The teachers don’t shout at me, but I’m not allowed to know what my test results or my grades are,” says Solange.

It’s a vicious circle: Solange can’t afford the school fees, so she can’t get her grades, and without grades she can’t apply for a grant to cover her school fees.

“But I know my grades are good anyway. I go to my lessons and I study as hard as I can before the tests.”

WCPRC will change the world “I like the way the WCPRC and The Globe highlight children’s issues. I have never had any book or magazine before which has inspired me the way I am now. WCPRC will change the world and make it a better place for us children to live in. I now teach my friends about our rights and gradually we will reach more children. Thank you WCPRC and my heroine Gaba for bringing this to our community!”

Lesego Dladla, 13, Bethani Primary School, South Africa

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09-02-04 12.30.22

Global Vote at Domino Servite School in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa Gabriel Khwela, Stephan Botes and Cornelis Grobler explain the voting procedure to the younger voters.

Makes children aware on a global scale

The vote taught me to be thankful

“The WCPRC Vote is very spe­ cial, because it makes children on a global scale aware of what is going on around them, and prove that we can do some­ thing about it.”

Miriam Pretorius, 16

Vote gives hope for our new generation

You can make a difference

“There is nothing as painful as to hear or read about all the appall­ ing things done to other children; being fully aware of their suffer­ ing but having no way of helping them. Given the chance to vote and express our voices gives us real hope for our new generation.”

Charity Majola, 16

“Thank you to the WCPRC for the opportunity to experience what it is like to run an elec­ tion. It is wonderful to be par­ ticipating in something that is being done by children all over the world. This election makes one aware that every vote is important, that you can make a difference.”

Elona Joosten, 16

Dorcas and Phumelele

Voice of the suffering children “The earth is round, but it has many corners. In every corner there are children. I am one of them. Not all children experience what I experience – love, respect for my rights and care. Through the WCPRC I can be the voice of the suffering children.”

Dorcas Maphanga, 16

We learn to respect children’s rights “The Global Vote gives children the opportunity to count them­ selves as children who have rights and dignity, and to ensure that these rights are respected.

We as teens will learn how to respect the rights of children.”

Khauhelo Nkala, 16

“The Global Vote taught me to be thankful for democracy. The children taught me to be thankful for everything I have and the can­ didates taught me the value of perseverance, courage and faith.”

Cornelis Grobler, 16

Our voting represents democracy in the world

We should all fight the good fight for rights

“Elections like these are a chance for us children to express our feelings about what is best for us in this world. Our voting represents democracy in the world.”

Micah Khoza, 16

“This day has been a great expe­ rience for me, and I am sure for other children all around the world. We should all stand together and fight the good fight for the rights of a child.”

Phumelele Mthethwa, 16

Priscilla Husslig marks Njabulo Dumakude’s left thumb with ink.

Benjamin Hlongwane votes.

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09-02-04 12.54.27

THE WORLD’S CHILDREN’S PRIZE FOR THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD

THE WORLD’S CHILDREN’S PRIZE FOR THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD

THE WORLD’S CHILDREN’S PRIZE FOR THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD

THE WORLD’S CHILDREN’S PRIZE FOR THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD

Decade Global Vote 2009

Decade Global Vote 2009

Decade Global Vote 2009

Decade Global Vote 2009

Iqbal Masih Pakistan

Iqbal Masih Pakistan

Iqbal Masih Pakistan

Iqbal Masih Pakistan

Decade Global Vote 2009

Decade Global Vote 2009

Decade Global Vote 2009

Decade Global Vote 2009

Asfaw Yemiru Ethiopia

Asfaw Yemiru Ethiopia

Asfaw Yemiru Ethiopia

Asfaw Yemiru Ethiopia

Decade Global Vote 2009

Decade Global Vote 2009

Decade Global Vote 2009

Decade Global Vote 2009

Nkosi Johnson South Africa

Nkosi Johnson South Africa

Nkosi Johnson South Africa

Nkosi Johnson South Africa

Decade Global Vote 2009

Decade Global Vote 2009

Decade Global Vote 2009

Decade Global Vote 2009

Maiti Nepal Nepal

Maiti Nepal Nepal

Maiti Nepal Nepal

Maiti Nepal Nepal

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Decade Global Vote 2009

Decade Global Vote 2009

Decade Global Vote 2009

Maggy Barankitse Burundi

Maggy Barankitse Burundi

Maggy Barankitse Burundi

Maggy Barankitse Burundi

Decade Global Vote 2009

Decade Global Vote 2009

Decade Global Vote 2009

Decade Global Vote 2009

James Aguer Sudan

James Aguer Sudan

James Aguer Sudan

James Aguer Sudan

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Decade Global Vote 2009

Decade Global Vote 2009

Decade Global Vote 2009

Prateep Ungsongtham Hata, Thailand

Prateep Ungsongtham Hata, Thailand

Prateep Ungsongtham Hata, Thailand

Prateep Ungsongtham Hata, Thailand

Decade Global Vote 2009

Decade Global Vote 2009

Decade Global Vote 2009

Decade Global Vote 2009

Dunga Mothers, Kenya

Dunga Mothers, Kenya

Dunga Mothers, Kenya

Dunga Mothers, Kenya

Decade Global Vote 2009

Decade Global Vote 2009

Decade Global Vote 2009

Decade Global Vote 2009

Nelson Mandela Graça Machel South Africa, Mozambique

Nelson Mandela Graça Machel South Africa, Mozambique

Nelson Mandela Graça Machel South Africa, Mozambique

Nelson Mandela Graça Machel South Africa, Mozambique

Decade Global Vote 2009

Decade Global Vote 2009

Decade Global Vote 2009

Decade Global Vote 2009

Craig Kielburger Canada

Craig Kielburger Canada

Craig Kielburger Canada

Craig Kielburger Canada

Decade Global Vote 2009

Decade Global Vote 2009

Decade Global Vote 2009

Decade Global Vote 2009

The orphan’s organisation AOCM, Rwanda

The orphan’s organisation AOCM, Rwanda

The orphan’s organisation AOCM, Rwanda

The orphan’s organisation AOCM, Rwanda

Decade Global Vote 2009

Decade Global Vote 2009

Decade Global Vote 2009

Decade Global Vote 2009

Betty Makoni Zimbabwe

Betty Makoni Zimbabwe

Betty Makoni Zimbabwe

Betty Makoni Zimbabwe

Decade Global Vote 2009

Decade Global Vote 2009

Decade Global Vote 2009

Decade Global Vote 2009

Somaly Mam Cambodia

Somaly Mam Cambodia

Somaly Mam Cambodia

Somaly Mam Cambodia

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