iReport: The rights of indigenous children

By Marlene Cain, youth leader – Ecuador

The following is an excerpt from a speech 20-year-old Ms Cain gave to the United Nations during a meeting on the rights of indigenous children.

Throughout history, indigenous children, communities and ethnic groups in Ecuador have lived according to kawsay sumak, which means living life in its fullest and in harmony, respecting all life forms.

Despite the conquests and cultural changes we have suffered, we have kept to our way of life through the oral traditions of our mothers, fathers, heads of families, wise elders and spiritual leaders. We are native peoples and have our own customs, traditions and language. What we are witnessing today is a new dawn for some, but not all indigenous peoples. Much remains to be done and we must work together.

Many of us children have managed to organise and create networks, generating processes that have brought about changes in our communities and families. This has allowed us to have greater participation and decision making, benefitting our entire communities.

In projects such as Aquí estoy (“Here I am”), World Vision has provided us with training in children’s rights, values and participation, and activities that appeal to us children. Then, under our own initiatives, we organised meetings at the community, parish, county, provincial and national levels wherein we raised our voices to promote our indigenous identity.

One activity in particular that has afforded us the opportunity to break free from fear to express ourselves is a World Vision project – using the microphone, radio and video – which reaches more than 30,000 people.

We work, produce, celebrate and live in a communitarian way with our parents and leaders. We have created new ways of expressing what we feel and what we want for our sons and daughters. We think in the now while pondering the past. We plan our lives out into the future.

Despite all this, we still are children and adolescents living in circumstances of vulnerability. We have been and continue to be excluded, rendered invisible where we live. Therefore, questions arise in our hearts such as: Why do we indigenous children register the highest in poverty statistics?  Why is it that we have the lowest level of access to education? Why have we been abused, discriminated against and exploited so often?

We want to continue to raise our voices. We want to join forces with other people who, like ourselves, believe there are other ways to achieve life to its fullest. We need genuine change, a change of heart.