Summit gives Lebanese children the last word
The children began by breaking into groups and drawing about the topics they are concerned about. Then they voted on them.
“I voted to have health centres,” said Mostafa, 16. “In some dangerous cases, children might die before reaching a [nearby medical] centre.”
With school drop outs reaching 65% in some villages, the highest rate in Lebanon, children have little incentive to pursue their education “I voted for education,” said Khaled, 13. “Children have the right to education. Our classrooms are tiny. There is not enough space to play. We don’t even have toilets.” He trailed off for fear a passing teacher might overhear him complaining.
“I also voted for the liberty of expression and belief,” said Amineh, 15, whose memory of the day immediately drew a smile on her face. “I don’t like it when people impose their opinions on me. It is the first time anyone asked me about my opinion. No one asked about our rights before.”
The summit crowned months of preparation which started early 2009 when World Vision held many workshops with mayors, school directors, non-governmental organisations, parents committees and children to learn more about the condition of children in the area.
“Children are usually influenced by their parents. But during the summit, they forgot that, and they were who they are,” said Mayor Ahmad Noman. “Their drawings showed more than pain.”
Each day, children from Akkar are exposed to dangers that hamper their growth and development. With school drop outs reaching 65% in some villages, the highest rate in Lebanon, children have little incentive to pursue their education. Instead, they help their families cultivate their lands. Agriculture is the main source of income for most families in the area.
“Who would know what a child wants more than the child themselves,” said Mostafa, 16. “Parents may think in a different way, for them child well-being has a different meaning. For some parents, a girl’s well-being is to keep her home with no education.” Meeting facilitators said this was a bold statement in an area where education for girls is frequently considered a luxury and marriage, even when the girl is as young as 14 years old, is often considered the next best alternative.
At the summit, children freely expressed their thoughts and wishes. The floor was theirs. And even though adult groups had the same opportunity of voting, they agreed that regardless of their own thoughts, they would adopt the results of the children’s vote.
For some parents, a girl’s well-being is to keep her home with no education At the end of the summit, children’s votes were screened and results showed that health related issues and quality education is what mattered most to them.
“As a Lebanese, I was deeply touched, and wished that all Lebanese can unite and agree on decisions like children did,” said Abdallah Darwish, another mayor in the area.
This is not the first time that World Vision has consulted and partnered with the community, however, through the new model that is being implemented in Akkar, and in other countries, World Vision staff are even more empowered to work with local partners and communities to reach a shared vision of life in all its fullness for every child.
For once, I felt someone is taking my opinion seriously “What is most important in making community-level change for children is involving children not only in our projects and activities, but engaging them from the beginning in designing and planning how and what to work on,” said Norma Wakim, Word Vision’s programme manager. “Our role is to put words into action.”
“For once, I felt someone is taking my opinion seriously,” said Mahmoud, 13. “No one in my village takes into consideration children’s opinions.” Before, whenever he wanted to say something, he said, he was always told, “what would you know”, or “this is not your business”.
At this World Vision meeting, Mahmoud and many of his peers were given the gift of choice and grasped it wholeheartedly.
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“I voted to have health centres,” said Mostafa, 16. “In some dangerous cases, children might die before reaching a [nearby medical] centre.”
With school drop outs reaching 65% in some villages, the highest rate in Lebanon, children have little incentive to pursue their education “I voted for education,” said Khaled, 13. “Children have the right to education. Our classrooms are tiny. There is not enough space to play. We don’t even have toilets.” He trailed off for fear a passing teacher might overhear him complaining.
“I also voted for the liberty of expression and belief,” said Amineh, 15, whose memory of the day immediately drew a smile on her face. “I don’t like it when people impose their opinions on me. It is the first time anyone asked me about my opinion. No one asked about our rights before.”
The summit crowned months of preparation which started early 2009 when World Vision held many workshops with mayors, school directors, non-governmental organisations, parents committees and children to learn more about the condition of children in the area.
“Children are usually influenced by their parents. But during the summit, they forgot that, and they were who they are,” said Mayor Ahmad Noman. “Their drawings showed more than pain.”
Each day, children from Akkar are exposed to dangers that hamper their growth and development. With school drop outs reaching 65% in some villages, the highest rate in Lebanon, children have little incentive to pursue their education. Instead, they help their families cultivate their lands. Agriculture is the main source of income for most families in the area.
“Who would know what a child wants more than the child themselves,” said Mostafa, 16. “Parents may think in a different way, for them child well-being has a different meaning. For some parents, a girl’s well-being is to keep her home with no education.” Meeting facilitators said this was a bold statement in an area where education for girls is frequently considered a luxury and marriage, even when the girl is as young as 14 years old, is often considered the next best alternative.
At the summit, children freely expressed their thoughts and wishes. The floor was theirs. And even though adult groups had the same opportunity of voting, they agreed that regardless of their own thoughts, they would adopt the results of the children’s vote.
For some parents, a girl’s well-being is to keep her home with no education At the end of the summit, children’s votes were screened and results showed that health related issues and quality education is what mattered most to them.
“As a Lebanese, I was deeply touched, and wished that all Lebanese can unite and agree on decisions like children did,” said Abdallah Darwish, another mayor in the area.
This is not the first time that World Vision has consulted and partnered with the community, however, through the new model that is being implemented in Akkar, and in other countries, World Vision staff are even more empowered to work with local partners and communities to reach a shared vision of life in all its fullness for every child.
For once, I felt someone is taking my opinion seriously “What is most important in making community-level change for children is involving children not only in our projects and activities, but engaging them from the beginning in designing and planning how and what to work on,” said Norma Wakim, Word Vision’s programme manager. “Our role is to put words into action.”
“For once, I felt someone is taking my opinion seriously,” said Mahmoud, 13. “No one in my village takes into consideration children’s opinions.” Before, whenever he wanted to say something, he said, he was always told, “what would you know”, or “this is not your business”.
At this World Vision meeting, Mahmoud and many of his peers were given the gift of choice and grasped it wholeheartedly.
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